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‘Act your wage’: The politics of quiet quitting

How quiet quitting’s advocates and critics react depends on what they think the phrase means — and interpretations vary wildly

A businessman taking a break at his desk.
A businessman taking a break at his desk. Photo: Getty Images

People have serious opinions about not taking your job too seriously.

The viral term “quiet quitting” isn’t really about quitting, nor is there anything quiet about the debate it has unleashed about careers and coasting this summer. What started as a quiet movement among office workers looking to draw firmer work-life boundaries after two years of pandemic overtime has grown into a rallying cry.

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