Employment lawyer explains the process of ‘quiet quitting’ and employee rights

Interview Summary

Many employees, feeling the burnout and stress of years of working through a pandemic, have decided to “quietly quit”. What is this new phenomenon? What should employees know about their rights when experiencing a stressful work environment?

An Ottawa employment lawyer at Samfiru Tumarkin LLP joins Kelly Cutrara on 640 Toronto to answer this question and more on employee rights.

Interview Notes

• Consequences of ‘quiet quitting’ for employees: It will depend on the circumstance but generally speaking if an employer is not happy with an employee’s performance, they have the right to let an employee go. An employer in this circumstance, however, will still have to provide severance pay.
• An amicable way for employees to quietly quit: Often employers will ask something of their employees that is not part of their job description. Employees should have a dialogue with their employer and implement their refusal in writing to make sure that they will not face reprisals in the future. Employees do have the right to refuse work that is not part of their initial terms of employment.
• Agreeing to new terms of a contract if no dissent is given: It is important for employees to speak up if their employer is trying to make changes to the terms of their employment. Employees must expressly refuse those changes if they continue to work under new terms of employment, which become new conditions of employment moving forward.
• Quiet quitting is not the answer: While for some employees ‘quietly quitting’ could be successful, it is not advisable. Employees should treat very lightly and have a conversation with their employers about their concerns first.