28yo ‘impulsively’ quitting her job reveals new Gen Z trend
Generation Z are known for changing the way we work but there’s a new trend tipping bosses over the edge.
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Generation Z has moved on from quiet quitting and now young workers are wholeheartedly embracing just quitting their jobs.
Annabelle Russell recently “impulsively” quit her administration job and not over a salary dispute or as a career tactic, but simply because she’d had enough.
The 28-year-old said she decided to hand in her resignation because the working environment was “toxic” and “not improving”.
“I could go on and on about the culture and the toxicity. It was impacting my mental health and I found myself anxious to go to work,” she told news.com.au.
Generation Z has become synonymous with workplace trends.
There was quiet quitting, where you stopped trying at your job and let your workload quietly peter out.
There were bare minimum Mondays, which were pretty self-explanatory: You didn’t do more than the absolute minimum on Monday.
There have even been viral trends like young women sharing what they call “lazy girl jobs” that pay well but don’t require much effort.
So, it shouldn’t be surprising to learn that Gen Zers are also more proactive about quitting jobs that no longer serve them.
Ms Russell said that afterwards, she initially felt “great,” but slowly, the reality of being unemployed began to set in.
“I instantly felt relieved, less stressed and happier,” she said.
“Naturally the financial stress creeps its way in when you’re unemployed. But the way I feel when I wake up each day completely outweighs the financial pressure.”
Ms Russell said she’s gotten to a point in her life where she’s not prepared to stay somewhere just for the sake of it.
The young worker said she’s put up with “too much s**t for too long” in the past and she doesn’t want to keep making that mistake.
“I’m a pretty straight shooter. Generally, what you see is what you get. I say what I mean and I mean what I say. So it’s hard for me to understand when people don’t. I like to treat everyone the same,” she said.
“In my opinion, nobody is more important than anyone, regardless of their role. Not everyone shares those values and it gets old pretty quickly. I just don’t think there’s room for assholes anymore.”
Once Ms Russell decided to walk away from her job, she said it felt like the right thing to do.
“It’s a liberating feeling to just do whatever the hell you want without worrying about what others have to say. Honestly, I’ve never felt happier,” she said.
Recruitment expert Roxanne Calder told news.com.au that she’s constantly dealing with Gen Zers leaving jobs.
“It is difficult because Generation Zers think staying in a company for two years is forever. Now people are more accepting of the fact that if you can hold an employee for two years, that is pretty good,” she said.
Ms Calder explained that, while employers should always want to retain staff, they shouldn’t sacrifice the company’s values to keep young people around.
“There’s a fine line between looking to retain and pandering. That connection and engagement has to go both ways. You can’t keep giving into things, like two-hour lunches, or you can leave early, or do yoga on this day,” she explained.
The recruitment expert said she’s noticed a big shift.
Now, companies take a more “stuff that” approach to bringing in benefits to retain young staff. Too many companies were investing so much in retention but not getting much back in return from staff.
Ms Calder said that when she speaks to Gen Zers, they are less likely to be upfront about why they’ve left jobs and are more likely to give her “bizarre” answers.
What it boils down to, though, is a few common things.
“Typically, it’ll be because they want flexibility, or they want more money, or they are looking for a more fun environment. I’ve never actually had a Gen Zer tell me they’ve left a job because they weren’t learning enough,” she said.
Being keen to quit though isn’t always a bad thing.
Hande Akman, research director at Youth Insight, previously told news.com.au that Generation Z are simply more willing to walk away from a job that isn’t serving them.
“Some reasons include not getting enough pay, transport issues (it being too far, not having good public transport or a way to get there, having to relocate), and not getting enough hours,” Dr Akman said.
Dr Akman said that Generation Z isn’t interested in sticking it out at work and won’t wait around for things to get better.
“If they feel like there isn’t enough support or the leadership at a company isn’t up to standard/what that person is looking for, Gen Z has no issue leaving the job.”
Originally published as 28yo ‘impulsively’ quitting her job reveals new Gen Z trend
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