You may have heard of the recent "quiet" trends—quiet quitting, quiet firing, quiet hiring, quiet cutting and quiet promoting. These trends emerged during the COVID era, when the lines between work and personal life blurred as we transitioned from office spaces to Zoom screens at home. Today, I came across another trend in this quiet movement: hushed hybrid where working from all over the world is kept under wraps all in the name of engagement at work.
Quieting refers to small edits in communication or action, made without overt intentions. This approach can help you maintain your work-life balance in a 24/7 hustle culture. By taking control of your schedule, you can reduce the guilt of making personal adjustments while still working hard to meet your professional goals.
At Lehigh Valley Style’s Women’s Networking Event last week, the lack of boundaries was a common topic for everyone who sat with me.
During mini career coaching sessions, women expressed frustration over the difficulty of saying "no." Many of the solid boundaries they had set were lost during the summer shuffle, from corporate roles encroaching on rest time, to technology's incessant chimes during weekend picnics, to part-time roles causing full-time stress and nonstop school events overwhelming parents. It seems that boundaries are no longer at the forefront.
One coaching conversation at Style’s event in particular stands out: What happens when we become equal parts friends and clients? A woman I spoke with—let's call her Brenda—often attends events, functions and social gatherings with her clients. The blurred lines between friendship and work have heightened her anxiety, making it hard for her to enjoy events she once found relaxing. The constant need to be ‘on’ has led to signs of burnout. To manage this, Brenda plans to try some of my suggestions: at social gatherings, she might make a light-hearted joke like, "Work Brenda isn’t here today," or let others know she'll respond during work hours in a lighthearted way.
Burning the candle at both ends is a clear sign that it's time to take your boundaries seriously. What if quiet boundaries became a trend, too?
Quiet boundaries are personal limits you set without announcing them to others. Unlike ghosting, quiet boundaries are subtle shifts you make to regain control and achieve a better work-life balance.
For example, if a nosy coworker frequently asks about your work status, you can use a canned response instead of wasting time giving them details. Rather than building brick house walls, you can use fences as a guide to structure your working hours. Although not all weeks will be the same, planning ahead for mandatory meetings versus those you might skip can provide much-needed mental space.
If clients call you outside of work hours, you can remind them of your availability through a voicemail message or an out-of-office reply every weekend or evening. You can also change the format of your communication to create boundaries without being overt. For instance, if an aggressive client calls daily, you can reply with meeting times via email. If your boss texts at all hours, consider moving to a weekly call or email summary to maintain continuous communication without invading your personal time.
Exploring quiet boundaries offers a chance to reduce burnout and restore balance in your life. Controlling your boundaries without broadcasting frustrations brings the boundary ball back into your court.
