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:: COMPARE ::

Career cushioningvsQuiet quitting

The short answer

Opposite energy directions. Cushioning adds effort outside the job; quiet quitting subtracts effort inside it. Neither source measures the total against anyone else's.

Side by side

AspectCareer cushioningQuiet quitting
EffortIncreasedReduced
WhereOutside the jobInside it
VisibleRarelyEventually
MotivationInsecurityResentment

Which one you meant

Readers who land here meaning Career Cushioning rather than Quiet quitting are usually searching for phrases like “what is career cushioning”, “is career cushioning disloyal”, “career cushioning vs job hunting”.

Career Cushioning

  • what is career cushioning
  • is career cushioning disloyal
  • career cushioning vs job hunting
  • how to career cushion

Quiet Quitting

  • doing just my job and nothing more after burning out
  • no longer going above and beyond at work
  • quietly setting boundaries at work without telling anyone
  • doing the bare minimum but not actually quitting

Which came first

Career cushioning. November–December 2022 — Earliest social-media uses recorded, amid a wave of technology-sector layoffs.

  1. November–December 2022Career CushioningEarliest social-media uses recorded, amid a wave of technology-sector layoffs.
  2. 2022Quiet QuittingThe phrase goes viral on TikTok during a wave of post-pandemic burnout.

Read either one in full