Ways To Avoid Quiet Quitting
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RJ Gabrintina:
…now they’re giving less importance to their work and their work ethic.
Edelweiss Lim:
…I’d rather be the one who can get the job done well
Natalie Fitzpatrick:
…doesn’t it seem unfair, though? You know, you’re always trying to give it your 100%. And while you might be doing that, others kind of just cruise right on by like 75%…
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Ways To Avoid Quiet Quitting
Brother Felmar Serreno:
Anyone who’s ever experienced burnout knows that it’s anything but pleasant.
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Brother Felmar Serreno
Minister Of The Gospel
Brother Felmar Serreno:
So to avoid it, we try to exercise, get enough sleep, or re-evaluate our daily/weekly timetable—maybe even watch a couple sitcoms just to take a break and have a laugh. Now, quiet quitting is said to be the next best thing to avoid burnout. Here with me to talk about this are Natalie Fitzpatrick, RJ Gabrintina, and Edelweiss Lim. Natalie, can you tell us how quiet quitting got started in the first place?
Natalie Fitzpatrick:
Sure, brother Felmar. Well with a quick search, the dictionary will tell us that “quiet quitting” is the practice of doing the bare minimum…
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Quiet Quitting
“…doing the minimum amount of work …”
Source: merriam-webster.com
Natalie Fitzpatrick:
… amount of work required for one’s job. So basically not going above and beyond or doing more than necessary, in whatever work you’re doing or whatever task you’re on.
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Natalie Fitzpatrick
Graphic Designer
Natalie Fitzpatrick:
And as far as when that term began to trend, the Internet tells us that Brian Creely was the first one to use the phrase back in March 2022.
Brother Felmar Serreno:
RJ, do you see this idea of quiet quitting going away anytime soon?
RJ Gabrintina:
I don’t think so, brother Felmar. And it’s a little unfortunate and almost a little disappointing too.
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RJ Gabrintina
Customer Service
RJ Gabrintina:
It seems that people have put workplaces and their [jobs] lower on their priority list. They’ve started to put more importance towards their hobbies and other interests—which are great things and fun to do. But it’s somewhat ironic to me because when you work, you’re able to pursue those things, you’re able to afford going out to dinner, having activities with friends or other things like that. But now they’re giving less importance to their work and their work ethic.
RJ Gabrintina:
I saw in an article recently that something like 82% of Gen Z, find doing the bare minimum for work, very appealing.
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“According to a poll from Axios and Generation Lab, 82% percent of Gen Z members said that doing the bare minimum [is] …extremely appealing.”
Source: entrepreneur.com
Edelweiss Lim:
What about you, Brother Felmar, what’s your take on quiet quitting?
Brother Felmar Serreno:
From what I can tell Edel, there are several sides to this idea, and a couple of issues actually connected to it.
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Ways To Avoid Quiet Quitting
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Brother Felmar Serreno:
But what we can ask the Bible is this: how should people conduct themselves when earning a living, or when at the workplace? I’ll read for you what’s stated here in the book of I Thessalonians 4:11
Try your best to live quietly, to mind your own business, and to work hard, just as we taught you to do.
[I Thessalonians 4:11 Contemporary English Version]
Brother Felmar Serreno:
How should people conduct themselves at the workplace or when earning a living? According to the inspired writings of Apostle Paul, we’re taught “…mind your own business,” “work hard.” So, for us Christians, this is the standard that should take priority if and when you are at the workplace. So, it wouldn’t be right that God’s servants who have the capacity to work and do a thorough job would simply refuse to do so.
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Edelweiss Lim
Dental Nurse
Edelweiss Lim:
That’s great advice and I get that, Brother Felmar. I do have a follow-up question.
Brother Felmar Serreno:
Okay.
Edelweiss Lim:
What if you end up being the only one at work who gives it 100%?
Brother Felmar Serreno:
Well, let’s remember what the Bible also taught here, “…mind your own business.” So, if others have chosen to do the bare minimum, just mind your own business. Still stay professional, of course, right? Stay kind with everybody. But if for others, their work ethic is only up until the bare minimum, just don’t mind it. That’s their decision. As members of the Church Of Christ, what matters for us is that we have chosen to meet that high standard that God has set. Look at it this way, what would you rather be known for? The one who can only do the bare minimum? Or the one who gets the job done well?
Edelweiss Lim:
That’s very true, Brother Felmar. And I agree with what you have said, brother. And if you’re asking me, I’d rather be the one who can get the job done well, especially if I enjoy it [what I do] right. So thank you, Brother Felmar, for that reminder.
Brother Felmar Serreno:
For sure.
Natalie Fitzpatrick:
Further to what Edel was saying, doesn’t it seem unfair, though? You know, you’re always trying to give it your 100%, you’re always trying to do your best.
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Ways To Avoid Quiet Quitting
Vantage Point
Natalie Fitzpatrick:
And while you might be doing that, others kind of just cruise right on by at like 75%, maybe even less, maybe 50%. So by the time you get to your next paycheck, and you’re receiving the same amount as them, it’s kind of hard to feel like that’s okay when you know you’re doing all this hard work. And ratio wise, it seems like maybe you’re getting paid less than them and they’re being paid more because of the amount of effort being put into what you’re doing for the amount of energy that you’re spending on work that you do.
Brother Felmar Serreno:
Well, Natalie, I see where you’re coming from with that. Well, while scenarios like that do seem unfair, but what biblical truth should we hold on to so as not to be deterred from working hard? I’ll read for you now what’s stated here in Galatians, chapter 6, verse 7,
Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.
[Galatians 6:7 New Revised Standard Version]
Brother Felmar Serreno:
The Lord God is always fair. We reap whatever we sow. And so if what we plant or sow is hard work, diligence, we will surely reap the benefits of our diligence. And that’s why it’s just not worth it going along with this quiet quitting.
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Ways To Avoid Quiet Quitting
Vantage Point
Brother Felmar Serreno:
Because, if that’s the mindset you allow yourself to be accustomed to, you are opening the possibility of you doing that to other areas of your life, such as your relationships, your goals, your responsibilities to your family, or worse, our duties to the Lord our God. Whereas if you prioritize God’s standard, which we learned from the Bible earlier, you stick to minding your own business [staying focused on your own work], you work hard, and more importantly, you couple that with right living and prayer, God is fair, you will surely reap his blessings. And his blessings extend far beyond a paycheck.
Natalie Fitzpatrick:
Thank you brother Felmar. You know, the Bible is absolutely right. And we’ve learned in our worship services, and in our Bible study lessons, that we as Christians, members of the Church Of Christ, we’re supposed to shine as lights in the world anyways.
Brother Felmar Serreno:
Correct. That’s based on Matthew chapter 5, verses 14 to 16.
Natalie Fitzpatrick:
Right. So shining as a light in the world also includes the workplace where we should work hard and do good deeds. We can be an example to others of what it means to be that diligent person that is putting that 100% effort into everything that we do, and setting the bar when it comes to our work ethic.
RJ Gabrintina:
Yeah, that’s a really good point Nat. And I think that’s a great way to look at it.
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Ways To Avoid Quiet Quitting
Vantage Point
RJ Gabrintina:
Because you’re right, we’re not just employees at a workplace. But first and foremost, we are members of the Church Of Christ. And we’re members of the Church Of Christ, everywhere we go, including the workplace. Brother Felmar, if I can share a personal experience of reaping what we have sown, and also shining as lights in the world.
I’ve experienced it personally. In my own workplace, I recruited a friend of mine who is also a member of the Church Of Christ. And he now works with me. He also recruited another member, and they recruited another member. So we actually work with a total of four members of the Church Of Christ in the same department. And all of us are well known by our colleagues and our bosses to be very hard workers. So much so that when there were job openings, our boss literally told me saying, “Let’s go to their church, let’s stand outside with a sign, ‘Who needs a job?’” This is a great example of reaping what we sow. We’re working very hard to earn our living. We were able to bring other church members into workplaces to earn their living.
So it’s great to know that what we put out is seen by other people of this world, too. And they attribute it to our characteristics and who we are as people, but more importantly, who we are as members of the Church Of Christ. And we give great reputation to our faith.
Brother Felmar Serreno::
Edel, what’s your biggest takeaway from today’s discussion?
Edelweiss Lim:
Well, Brother Felmar, my biggest takeaways from today’s topic discussion is really the fact that, although quiet quitting is quite trendy these days, most especially within the youth, right. But as members inside the Church Of Christ, we must always remember that we don’t need to go and follow all these trends. And as what was mentioned earlier, we are the lights of this world. Therefore, practice and hold on to the Christian culture, so that we can also inspire this generation to work well and to spread kindness to one another.
Brother Felmar Serreno:
Natalie we’ll close off with you. What would you say to a fellow brother or sister in the faith who might still be undecided or still dealing with quiet quitting?
Natalie Fitzpatrick:
I would say first off as a member of the Church Of Christ, you know, our number one priority is to follow God’s words and to lean into his teachings. And one of those things that we heard today was to work hard. So to start off, just keeping that as a reminder, work hard and have that in the back of your mind at all times, will already be enough encouragement towards making progress in avoiding quiet quitting.
Second step could be even to just find what time of the day works best for you. While at times in the day maybe for some of us, we don’t feel like we’ve got the energy and maybe we’re a little bit burnt out because we’ve had a lot to deal with already. Sometimes you just need to reset and you need to give yourself the time to be able to do that, and that’s okay. At the same time, though, there are so many tools available to all of us through incmedia.org. We can find programs and shows that talk about the struggles that other brothers and sisters around the world have also gone through and the steps that they’ve taken and the way that they have relied on God to help them get through whatever it is that’s hindering them to be able to accomplish whatever it is they need.
Brother Felmar Serreno:
Well, that brings us to the end of our discussion. We’ll see you on the next one. God bless.
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