Gen Z are teaching each other how to ‘pretend’ to work

We’ve been through the quiet quitting wave – but there’s a new trend emerging and it is proof Generation Z don’t want to work … at all.

Pretend to work is a new trend. Picture: Instagram/GabJudge

Remember when you were a kid and you’d play pretend? You’d pretend to be a pilot, a parent and, if you really dreamt big, a train driver.

Well, Generation Z is all grown-up and now playing pretend in the workplace. Instead of working, they are Meryl Streeping it and pretending to work.

Gabrielle Judge, 26, is leading the pretend charge. She’s an American who creates content online to guide the younger generation on doing less at work.

She files most of her advice under her ‘Lazy Girl Work’ mantra that has taken off on TikTok and amassed millions of views.

Pretend to work is a new trend. Picture: Instagram/GabJudge

Gaby empowers young women to do less at work. Picture: Instagram/GabJudge

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Ms Judge encourages young women to find jobs requiring little work that fit into their lifestyles and now she’s also telling young women how to get away with not working, ironically, while at work.

This isn’t about pulling the old quiet quitting move, doing the bare minimum at work and keeping your fingers and toes crossed that no one notices.

This is much more blatant and, to be frank, manipulative.

Ms Judge is sharing advice on how to do nothing at work while fooling your boss into thinking you are excelling.

I know what you are thinking … doesn’t everyone occasionally pretend to answer a few emails while secretly shopping online or turn their camera off on Zoom so that they can do some sneaky washing during a boring meeting?

Sure, but Ms Judge’s advice isn’t about petty things to get you out of work momentarily. Instead, she offers advice that aims to give young workers a long-term solution, so you can do nothing on a full-time basis or at least for larger chunks of time – and get paid for it.

Her pretend work scheme is elaborate but straightforward. She suggests coming up with a goal that isn’t actually achievable but constantly updating your boss on it.

“It’s okay to pretend about some stuff. Come up with a goal that is hard and find a way to regularly talk about that goal,” she advised.

Get it?

It makes you look like an ambitious go-getter. The goal has to be hard, but not impossible and obviously be career focused.

Come up with a goal to make your employer think you are working hard. Picture: Instagram/GabJudge

The new work life balance is pretending to do nothing at work. Picture: Instagram/GabJudge

Ms Judge uses the example of suggesting you want to move to a new department but to make sure that department is in a different city.

See? Your goal mustn’t be actually achievable in reality and it needs to be something you can waste your time pretending to work towards.

The goal isn’t important, what is important is that your boss is seeing how invested you are in your career and job.

Ms Judge said talking about long-term goals is a way for you to “look like you are very engaged with that company.”

It can also mask if you are doing something like quiet quitting. The idea is that employers won’t suspect you of slacking off, if you are showing interest in progressing.

Ms Judge also suggests that it is important you are the one that keeps bringing up the goal. Seem interested, excited and ambitious.

“Come up with little steps to that role and update your boss,” she said.

For bonus points, she advises that you speak to other senior people and ask their advice on how to excel in your career.

Then report back on how good the chat was and share “learnings and key takeaways” with your boss.

Constantly look like you want to do more. It creates the illusion that you are a loyal and hard worker who is keen to move up.

Meanwhile, you can waste heaps of time while your boss believes you are focusing on moving forward.

You don’t need to leave the office to do no work. Picture: iStock

Ms Judge’s advice has spurred on other young people to share their secrets about how they pretend to work in their roles.

“Get your boss attached to your idea and then you can get assigned dedicated time to ‘work’ on it,” one suggested.

Another shared that she “gaslights” her boss all the time by telling him how much she cares but then actually sits and does “nothing all day.”

Someone else commented that they just “talk about spreadsheets and algorithms” and people don’t question her further.

While another suggested that the perfect way to do nothing is to offer to help out with things like “marketing.”

Another revealed that the secret is to “kill with kindness”, be so nice to everyone you work with that no one questions what you actually do.

Forget quiet quitting! Just pretend. Picture: iStock

Craig Sneesby, managing director of u&u Recruitment Partners, said that he feels pretending to work is employees taking their jobs for “granted.”

“This sort of entitled attitude is detrimental to the workplace. If employees feel undervalued, they should address their concerns with their boss and try to find a solution. If it can’t be resolved, then formally exiting may be the right outcome,” he said.

Mr Sneesby agrees that the “modern workforce” is craving balance but he pointed out that workers shouldn’t be taking advantage.

“There is a fine line between achieving balance and taking advantage of the flexibility and culture of your workplace. For some people, work is just a job, and there is no problem with that, but if that is the case, do the job well and be grateful for the opportunity,” he said.

In fact, Mr Sneesby suggests instead of thinking about schemes to get out of working, you’d be better off leaving the job.

“If you have lost the passion for the work you do, that’s usually, a strong indicator that it’s time to make a change,” he said.

Make a change? Or start playing pretend.

Originally published as Gen Z are teaching each other how to ‘pretend’ to work