Work-Life Balance 'Worabal'
'Let's Work Only for the Salary Level' Quiet Resignation Gains Interest Among 20s and 30s
Experts Say "Workplace Culture Is Changing at a Big Bang Level"
Among the MZ generation, 'Work-Life Balance' and 'Quiet Quitting' are gaining attention. Work-Life Balance, which aims to balance work and life, and the culture of 'Quiet Quitting,' which means working only for the salary level, are interpreted by experts as indicating a significant change in workplace culture. Photo by Yonhap News Agency, taken on the afternoon of April 17 near Hongdae Entrance Station, Mapo-gu, Seoul, one day before the COVID-19 social distancing measures were lifted.
[Asia Economy Reporter Seunggon Han] "Work life is a part of life, not the whole."
# In his late 20s, new employee Mr. Lee arrives at work on time, enjoys eating alone, and when the end of the workday approaches, he wraps up his tasks and heads straight home. Lee said, "I know that this way of working may not be viewed favorably by the older generation," adding, "In the past, it was common to come in 30 minutes early and leave 30 minutes late, immersing oneself in work, but I think times have changed now." He continued, "Isn't there now a general understanding of work-life balance (WLB)?" and added, "It seems that more people in their 20s want to live their lives proactively."
Following the concept of work-life balance, the so-called "quiet quitting," meaning "working only as much as the salary received," is attracting the attention of the MZ generation. They do not take the initiative to propose plans or new ideas at work. They do only the tasks assigned to them and do not engage in any additional labor beyond that. As a result, some of them have no ambition for promotion at all.
They also show great interest in working hours. According to an analysis by the Korea Federation of SMEs, which collected and analyzed 268,329 pieces of data related to MZ generation employment in small and medium enterprises from social and online media over 3 years and 5 months from 2019 to May 2022, workers in their 20s and 30s showed the greatest interest in their working hours at 25.8%. Potential for self-growth was next at 21.3%, followed by salary level and organizational culture at 17.3% and 13.1%, respectively.
This contrasts with 2019, when potential for self-growth was the highest at 40.5%. In 2019, working hours accounted for 14.9%, and salary level 14.4%, ranking second and third.
Office worker attending to work. Regarding the 'quiet resignation' culture, some members of the MZ generation predicted that it will likely spread further along with work-life balance. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Regarding these survey results, Mr. Kim, a worker in his early 30s, said, "(The MZ generation's) interest in working hours clearly shows that they care deeply about work-life balance," emphasizing, "Work is not their life, but they want to live their own life after work." Another worker in his mid-20s, Mr. Park, said, "I think I only need to work as much as my salary," adding, "I want to maintain work-life balance and live a life not tied down by the company."
Recently, following work-life balance, "quiet quitting" has also gained significant interest among the MZ generation. Quiet quitting can be interpreted as "working only as much as the salary received." The Washington Post analyzed this as "showing that workers no longer pursue a lifestyle that prioritizes work over personal life and passionately dedicates themselves to work." It literally means doing only the minimum required tasks.
"Quiet quitting" became widely known through a TikTok video by Zaidle Ppelin, a 20-something engineer in the U.S. Ppelin explained, "(Quiet quitting) means stopping the idea that you have to do more than what is assigned," adding, "Work is not your life. Your value is not defined by the results of your work."
Relatedly, a survey in the U.S. found that half of workers correspond to quiet quitting. According to a report released by polling agency Gallup on the 6th of last month, among 15,091 U.S. workers (as of June), only 32% responded that they are engaged in their work. Additionally, 18% belonged to the category of "actively disengaged workers," who spread dissatisfaction while not meeting workplace demands.
Given this situation, some hold the view that promotion is unnecessary. Mr. Choi, a worker in his early 30s, said, "To get promoted, you have to receive good evaluations, and you can only get promoted by working hard and doing well," adding, "I think it's better to just focus on my life and work."
On the other hand, some argue that as long as one does their job well, there is no need for criticism. A company employee in his late 40s, holding a mid-level managerial position, said, "If you handle the assigned tasks neatly and well, there doesn't seem to be a big problem." He added, "However, if you pursue work-life balance or quiet quitting without even doing your job properly, it could be a problem from the company's perspective."
Experts believe that this work attitude of the MZ generation will continue or even spread further. Professor Kim Nando of Seoul National University's Department of Consumer Studies predicted at a press conference for the publication of 'Trend Korea 2023' on the 5th that the so-called "Office Big Bang" phenomenon, which signifies a farewell to past workplace culture, will accelerate.
Professor Kim said that workplace culture is also changing significantly, stating, "Not only in the U.S. but also in Korea, turnover rates have reached record highs within three years, and even civil servants, who once enjoyed great popularity, have higher resignation rates than regular companies," analyzing, "The workplace culture of dedicating one's life to a company and receiving a pension after retirement is disappearing." He emphasized, "Workplace culture is changing at a Big Bang level."
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