Decode Gen Z’s Hilarious Work Slang: When TikTok Meets Office Life

Over the past couple of years, we’ve witnessed some crazy work-related buzz phrases popping up, thanks to TikTok. These terms give us a sneak peek into how the Gen Z crew views work, bosses, and colleagues. And let me tell you, it’s downright hilarious!

If you’ve struggled to keep up with all the new jargon, no worries! We’ve got your back with a handy translation guide that will keep you in the loop.

No surprises here, most of these phrases stem from fed-up employees who feel undervalued and overburdened. Can’t blame ’em, can you?

So, without further ado, here are some Gen Z work phrases you absolutely need to know:

1. Quiet Quitting: This is when you do the bare minimum of your job without showing any extra effort, enthusiasm, or, let’s be honest, care. Forget about coming in early, leaving late, or attending pointless meetings. Quiet quitters don’t bother with any of that!

2. Quiet Hiring: Ah, we’ve all been there. Instead of actually hiring more people, companies decide to dump extra work on their already exhausted employees. They call it “fulfilling the company’s needs,” but we know it’s just a fancy way of saying “do more with less.”

3. Acting Your Wage: Similar to quiet quitting, this one involves unhappy workers who do exactly what they’re paid for and nothing more. Forget about overtime or taking on additional tasks without proper compensation. And as for replying to work-related messages during the weekend? Nope, not happening!

4. Bare Minimum Mondays: It’s the art of doing as little work as humanly possible on a Monday. Definitely not something I do, of course. I mean, why work hard when you can master the art of slacking off, right?

5. Quiet Firing: This is when a workplace becomes so unbearable that people just can’t take it anymore and quit on their own. It’s like saving the company money on severance packages or redundancy pay. Sneaky, huh?

6. Rage Applying: Picture this: you’re so fed up with your job or boss that you start applying for new roles out of sheer anger. It’s like a therapeutic act of rebellion against the workplace that’s driving you crazy. Might be related to quiet firing in some cases!

7. Grumpy Staying: Now, this one usually happens after the whole rage-applying phase. It’s when you’re stuck in a job you dislike but have no other choice. It’s like choosing the devil you know over the devil you don’t. Not the most glamorous situation, trust me.

8. Desk Bombing: We all have that one colleague who loves to drop by unannounced and interrupt our flow with irrelevant questions or never-ending stories. If you don’t know who that person is, brace yourself — it might just be you!

9. #QuitTok: This trend involves Gen Z workers filming themselves quitting their jobs. And guess what? They often do it over a video call! It’s like the ultimate “mic drop” moment, and boy, can it be hilarious!

Now, some might argue that these behaviors aren’t anything new and that Gen Z is just giving them fancy names. They’ll say it’s all thanks to a generation that grew up sharing their lives online. And yeah, maybe there’s some truth to that.

But hey, according to the latest job mobility report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), a whopping 1.3 million people actually changed jobs in the year ending February 2023. That’s a job mobility rate of 9.5%! And let me tell you, that’s the highest rate since 2012.

In that same period, 2.3 million Aussies either left their jobs or got fired. Talk about a significant jump! And you know what? 32% of those workers said they left for a better offer or simply wanted a change. That’s a 21.7% increase since February 2021.

So, say what you will about the younger workforce, but the fact is people are actively seeking better pay and conditions elsewhere. And they’re not afraid to share their frustrations on social media. Can’t blame ’em, can you?

So, next time you come across these Gen Z work phrases or witness a viral #QuitTok video, take a moment to appreciate the humor and the underlying truth. Work can be tough, but at least we can find a way to laugh about it together!