Obviously, the dubious concepts in “-ing” did not wait until 2022 to invade our France start-up nation. Nevertheless, this year was particularly full of ideas and terminology exploded on the ground, with twelve months as prolific as a Mbappé at the World Cup. “Boring-out”, a “great resignation” supposed to land in France and which is still pending, and our undisputed master, “quiet quitting”, i.e. the idea that an employee who does his job without overtime for free would be in reality in “silent resignation”, because why not after all?
Marie-Rachel Jacob, doctor in management sciences and research professor at Emlyon business school, is surprised by the number of requests she has received during the year around this kind of idea, taken a little too seriously. to his taste. As we draw – finally – a line under 2022, it is time to ask ourselves why so many of these concepts have popped up exactly this year? For the specialist, “there is a difficulty for employees but especially for employers and companies to understand the current world of work. This is why somewhat abstract tendencies that seem to explain everything in a great revolution are pleasant, because they are easy to understand. »
Not very innovative concepts
Sophie Caruelle, professional trainer and author of For which world to work? Make the invisible visible (Editions L’Harmattan, 2021), shares the observation: “We have talked a lot about these phenomena because there is real concern in the world of work to see their current model collapse. Visibility into the future is less in times of turbulence, so we try to theorize to reassure ourselves and have the illusion of control. »
However, as Bernard Vivier, director of the Higher Institute of Labor reminds us, concepts such as “the great resignation”, “the quiet quitting” or “the boring out” are far from being quantified, and are rather based on feelings , far from being innovative. “Yes, the world of work and the balance of power have changed a little with the health crisis, telework and inflation, but ideas like laziness at work were already described by economist Corinne Maïer in her book. hello laziness in 2004”, i.e. 16 years before the Covid-19 came to disrupt our lives. “Quiet quitting” and others “have nothing revolutionary or specific to 2022, but are brought up to date with Anglicisms and Newspeak”, continues Sophie Caruelle.
A defense mechanism for the employer
Nothing new under the sun therefore, and we will reassure all the bosses of the country: yes, the average Frenchman still likes to work. “Work still has a lot of meaning in our lives, and far from doing the minimum, France has one of the best hourly productivity rates in the OECD. Yes, the Frenchman wants a lot of free time, but when he works, he works, ”says Bernard Vivier.
This idea of employees no longer wanting to get their hands dirty would be above all a defense mechanism for employers, believes Marie-Rachel Jacob, particularly in sectors having difficulty recruiting: “They know that their working conditions are hard and that they are difficult to change. The construction industry will always be physically difficult, catering only works with staggered hours. It is therefore easier to think that it is the fault of the employees who no longer have any desire to work than to question themselves. »
Comparison is not right
As you will have noticed from their names, most of her concepts come from across the Atlantic, “which makes the transposition to France quite doubtful”, continues the researcher, if only for obvious differences in terms of labor law and social protection. The great resignation, observed in the United States, is not really applicable to France: “Admittedly, there were many terminations of employment contracts in France in 2022, but most were rehired in another job behind . It is not the same thing in the United States, where many have really left the world of work without setting foot there. »
Pragmatically, France is experiencing historically low unemployment, continues to grow despite inflation, and even saw a record number of permanent hires in April, according to Urssaf figures. According to an Ifop study from November 2022, 87% of French people described work as “important” – of which 41% were more or as important as family, friends and hobbies –, with only 13% considering it “secondary”. So yes, since the coronavirus crisis, more importance is given to meaning, free time and loved ones. But it is clear that the revolution in the world of work has not really taken place. Almost boring.