As fewer employees volunteer to work weekends or additional hours, more companies are hiring additional staff to keep up with projects.
Key Details
- Fewer employees are willing to work extra hours or perform additional tasks, prompting employers to hire more staff or look to outsource labor.
- For example, Ohio-based digital ticket scanner manufacturer ZED Digital has moved nearly 20 engineering and marketing roles to Canada and India.
- “The Passion that we used to see in work is lower now, and you find it in fewer people—at least in the last two years,” ZED Digital president Sumithra Jagannath says.
- Jagannath adds that employees have asked for additional pay in exchange for additional workloads.
- While employers express frustration with workers’ unwillingness to take on additional workloads, employees explain that changes are prompted by shifting priorities.
- More workers are prioritizing a healthy work-life balance and prefer it to working overtime.
Why it’s news
Hustle culture is on its way out as general ambitions among the workforce decline. A survey by software firm Qualtrics found that of the 3,000 workers and managers surveyed, only 22% said their ambition had grown, while 36% said it had declined, The Wall Street Journal reports.
Traditionally grueling fields like law and finance have started to change as well. First-year analysts at Goldman Sachs recently spoke up about their 95-hour work week. After the employees complained that their physical and mental health was harmed by the demanding hours, Goldman promised to hire additional staff and implement measures to prevent overworking.
In law offices, partners find it more difficult to find associates willing to work on time-sensitive projects over the weekend.
During the pandemic, this shift to workers refusing to work outside of their job description became branded as “quiet-quitting.” Initially, employers accused young employees of driving this phenomenon. However, as the workplace continues to reshape after the pandemic, the phenomenon has expanded to include workers of every generation.
In multiple videos shared across TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook, influencers encourage employees to “act their wage” rather than going above and beyond their pay grade. Some of these videos also give viewers the language to use when speaking to their employers about additional compensation for additional work or negotiating raises.
TikToker Laura Whaley is one such influencer. Her videos include series such as “How Do You Professionally Say?” and “The Coworker Who Doesn’t Respect Boundaries.” Through humorous skits, Whaley shares with viewers how to navigate situations they may run into in the office.
Despite layoffs in the tech industry, there are still plenty of jobs available for job seekers, meaning that the changing employee attitude is unlikely to change any time soon. A severe economic downturn could force a return to the previous company culture.
For now, the workplace is changing, and employers are responding by altering vacation time policies and hiring practices. For example, marketing and advertising firm Pulp+Wire shifted to an unlimited vacation policy to encourage employees to spread out vacation time rather than use it all in December.