Office Space is a movie that was released in 1999. It wasn’t an immediate hit, but it became popular once it started airing on television. It’s a comedy about an office worker who is burnt out, throws all his worries out, and stops adhering to unnecessary corporate demands. Other things happen throughout the film, but this is the catalyst for them.
This seemed like a dream to Gen X and Millennials. They often dreamed about living in a way that was less about stressing over work and more about enjoying their lives. A few years later, it was common to see companies have recreational spaces in their offices to help employees relax. Ping-pong tables, well-stocked cafeterias and refreshment offerings, and even nap areas became part of the benefits listed for jobs. Things like this definitely made going to work more palatable for many people, but they still had to deal with micromanaging higher-ups, unnecessary tasks, and unreasonable expectations while rarely getting raises or bonuses. Of course, many of these employees likely complained about these conditions at home.
My theory is that their children heard these complaints. Once younger Millennials and Gen Z entered the workforce, they decided that they were going to only do what was necessary for their job. Going above and beyond used to be expected, but pay was no longer matching up and they were often “punished” for doing their job well with additional responsibilities that were uncompensated. The trade-off for the recognition that may give them a slim possibility for a promotion wasn’t worth it, so they began what became known as “quiet quitting”. It became villainized in the media because how dare a worker clock in and out right on time and only perform the duties laid out in their job description.
In recent years, there have been so many companies letting go of large portions of their workforce at a time. These mass lay-offs have led to fierce competition for the jobs that are available. Employers thought this would cause employees to go back to the previous status quo of essentially overworking themselves, but the workers are not having it. The boundaries are now being set by the employees during the interview process and they’re sticking to them. This not only includes specifically defined roles and compensation, but limited access to the employee outside of working hours as well.
Something no one expected on either side has also happened. During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, many roles were transitioned to being able to be performed remotely. This was necessary for the businesses to continue to operate while adhering to regulations for the health and safety of everyone. This demonstrated that people didn’t actually have to be present in an office to get their jobs done. They could be done from home. This relieved a lot of stress and freed up a lot of personal time for many people.
While the current job climate still doesn’t look so great, I do believe that it will continue to get better overall for employees. And I believe that the antics in the movie Office Space are what opened people’s eyes to that possibility.