Losing motivation and enthusiasm to contribute, many people choose to work half-heartedly in a state of exhaustion - Illustration: UNPLASH
This office ghosting phenomenon means that employees only do enough and exactly the work they are paid for, go home when the time is up, have no need to work overtime, do not reply to work messages after hours, and do not want to connect with colleagues.
"Work overtime, salary remains the same"
Looking at the clock at exactly 5 p.m., Gia Huy (living in Phu Nhuan District, Ho Chi Minh City) turned off his computer and packed up his things to leave the office after finishing his timekeeping. The young man, who is working at a construction company, said he has been doing this for over a year now after being dissatisfied with his boss's statement: "Overtime will only be calculated after three hours from the end of office hours."
"This means that even if I stay in the office and work a few extra hours, I won't earn any extra money. So I just finish the basic 8 hours and go home, then continue working the next day," Huy said.
I remember when I first started working, I was a person who loved my job and had a lot of energy.
For many months, Huy spent more time at the company than in his rented room. After 5pm, he and two colleagues continued to work at the company until evening, rested and ate a little, then worked until 1-2am and slept there. In the morning, he went home to shower, change clothes, and then went back to the company. It was hard work, but in return, his salary increased quite a bit.
After that, due to his declining health, he only stayed to work until 7-8pm. For over a year now, the 27-year-old man's passion and enthusiasm for dedication have gradually disappeared. Often disagreeing with his superiors because he felt he was being made difficult, plus his income had decreased a bit due to common difficulties, and his holiday bonus had been cut, Huy decided to work in a quiet quitting style, taking things as they come.
Due to the nature of his work, Huy cannot bring work home, so he only works 8 hours, and only stays 30 minutes longer on days when he is late in the morning.
"Whether you work overtime or not, your salary will still be the same. If that's the case, it's better to spend time for yourself after work hours," Huy said. He said that in the near future, he will probably continue to do his part of the job to maintain his income and not become unemployed.
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the media company where Ngo Thu Ha (living in District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) works has switched to working mainly online, with employees only coming to the office 2-3 days a week. Working remotely, with everything done through the computer screen, has gradually made Ha lose connection with her colleagues.
"Many of the ideas and plans I put forward, my boss rejected, criticized, or demanded unreasonable things that were beyond the employee's capabilities. My colleagues were also not interested in discussing work or contributing ideas when I wanted to discuss, but in a way that was okay.
"Some of my team's marketing projects, despite our best efforts, were not as effective as expected, leading to a 1/3 decrease in income for many months in a row," Ha said.
"Office ghost" works half-heartedly, quietly looking for a new job
From a potential person to be promoted to marketing manager, Ha frankly admitted that now she no longer wants to contribute her best.
Some ideas come to mind, but if they are difficult to execute or there is a high chance that the campaign will not be effective, she will decide not to do it in the first place or choose the easiest way to do it, instead of trying a more difficult option.
"At my company, there are some people who flatly refuse to work overtime. After work, they don't answer the phone, reply to work messages, and don't try to meet deadlines ahead of schedule.
In general, because we no longer have motivation, both my colleagues and I only do enough work to avoid being fired and keep our salaries," Ha shared.
She said she was quietly looking for a new job but had not found a suitable place yet so she could not resign here, so she had to continue being an "office zombie" (referring to employees who are idle) even though she knew this was not good for herself or the company's development.
Influenced by foreign trends, more and more young people in Vietnam choose quiet quitting like Gia Huy and Thu Ha.
They don’t give up, they just change their attitude towards work. They still go to work, but they work half-heartedly and don’t want to stay long-term. Their enthusiasm and desire to contribute to the company are gone.
Many people say they don't quit their jobs (unless they are fired) because they need money to cover their monthly living expenses and don't have any extra money to spare during unemployment.
Besides, some workers, because they have not found a new job or place to work, try to hold on to their current job by finishing it.
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