In a society which once glorified the ‘rise and grind’ mentality and the hustle of the girl boss, dissatisfied millennials and zoomers now appear to be over it. They’re seeking solace in The Sunday Scaries Podcast for a cure to the “anxiety that sets in on Sunday nights with the impending return to the office”, and ‘liking’ viral screenshots of pissed-off workers sending ‘I quit’ texts to bad bosses. While it’s positive that people are getting out of jobs they hate, with millions resigning from their jobs to take time out or change careers, we have to question; in the current climate, is this only an option afforded to those with privilege?
What workers want
Bosses are no longer on a pedestal; it’s all about workers and what they want. After they endured the pressures of the Covid-19 pandemic, which exposed the problematic nature of many work environments and led to feelings of overwhelm and burnout, the balance of power has shifted.
Termed the ‘Great Resignation’ by psychologist and professor Anthony Klotz, it has also been referred to as the ‘Great Rethink’, and according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics it saw more than 47 million Americans voluntarily quit their jobs in 2021. Low pay, lack of opportunities for advancement, feeling disrespected at work, sub-par benefits and childcare issues were cited in a Pew Research Center survey as just some of the reasons for workers quitting en masse. And in 2022, the Great Resignation doesn’t seem to be slowing down; data shows that in January of this year alone, 4.3 million Americans walked away from their jobs.
Although there are differing opinions on whether the Great Resignation has truly hit New Zealand, one thing’s for sure; workers’ moods are changing.
Sought-after Auckland-based career coach Bob Walker has a firm handle on the current climate, given he daily mentors individuals interested in quitting their current job to pursue new opportunities, strategise their next steps or change career entirely.
Walker notes that candidate attitudes are completely different to a decade ago. Today’s employees seek flexibility, such as working from home and choosing their own work hours — as opposed to a fixed number of hours per day. They also want development opportunities and other perks that go beyond the stock-standard Friday drinks… because, let’s be honest, who wants to talk shop with your colleagues once 4pm rolls around and the weekend begins?
For younger workers, no amount of wishing away the bad with ‘positive vibes’ or seeking work fulfilment will convince them to stay when the Great Resignation has laid bare the need for a better work-life balance. Even pre-pandemic they were more likely to prioritise mental health over a toxic workplace. A 2019 survey of 1500 U.S. workers by Mind Share Partners revealed half of the millennials and 75 per cent of Gen Z workers had left a job in part due to mental health reasons.
Bonding with others online over work woes, discussing the four-day working week, and, dare we say it, indulging in workplace revenge fantasies, is catching on. Just visit the antiwork subreddit, an eye-opening forum to seek workplace advice, rant about bad bosses and share anti-capitalist memes. And it’s not a short-lived craze; the two million-strong community gained 900,000 subscribers in 2021 alone.
At its core, ‘anti-work’ is an ideology based on the belief that paid labour under the current capitalist system should be abolished due to its exploitative nature, with individuals working as little as possible or stopping work altogether. But as Walker explains, in reality, the proportion of individuals engaging in the strict definition of the anti-work movement is tiny.
“There’s always going to be an element of a population that fundamentally does not agree with a capitalist society,” says Walker. “But the bigger question here is what Covid-19 has done in terms of how people view work.”
Walker is seeing some workers take time out from regular employment to assess their next steps, or challenge themselves and change careers altogether in ways that would not traditionally be possible. He provides an example of a teacher moving into sales, saying it’s not easy, but it can be done.
In terms of the type of individuals taking time out, Walker explains that his older, more experienced, clients often have financial security, which enables them to be out of employment because they don’t have the pressure of working to afford to live. Turning to the more junior individuals, he finds they’re typically at a stage in their careers where they’re not earning a tremendous amount of money, so if they want to take a break from working or to change careers, having assistance helps.
The privileged few
If you often find yourself fantasising about quitting your job, but don’t have the confidence — or wonder how you’d make rent, pay your mortgage, take care of your debts and feed your dependents — you’re not alone.
Katie, a 34-year-old Auckland retail worker, feels trapped in her job where there is a lack of company culture and poor treatment. While the cost of living is rising, her workplace pays just over minimum wage, refusing to acknowledge her consistent ability to meet targets. Regardless, she believes her only choice is to stick it out. While she feels disposable, she’s cautious about seeking employment elsewhere.
“I’m worried that as the newest employee, I’m another lockdown away from being made redundant,” she explains. Katie is also the primary caregiver to a five-year-old child, and while she’d love a job that would give her back her nights and weekends, she says, “I just don’t feel like I can take the risk.”
As uncomfortable as it may be, regardless of our work ethic, intelligence and potential, we do not all start on an equal playing field. Simply put, we do not all have access to the same resources to up and quit our jobs without something else lined up — whether in the form of a financial safety net or affordable childcare.
A 2019 study from Pennsylvania State University looking at the recently unemployed found the middle classes were advantaged in financial capability and ability to respond with greater flexibility. Middle-class men could decide their next steps or enjoy time off unhurriedly. In contrast, hardly any working-class interviewees had the luxury of a laissez-faire attitude in finding their next role.
Perhaps then, we need to consider with a grain of salt the growing rhetoric that you can readily participate in the Great Resignation.
With anti-capitalism sweeping TikTok, search ‘anti-work’, and a video by ‘money tips’ account @steph.and.den with more than 1 million views pops up. It questions why you should work your nine-to-five data analyst job when you could quit and become a dog walker to prioritise your wellbeing. But, after some investigation, it appears the two influencers behind the account are working regular nine-to-five jobs while enjoying additional revenue from their influencer work. This, while falsely peddling their narrative that quitting your daily drudge is definitely the way to go.
Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss
It’s easy for the privileged to shun ‘anti-work’ and focus on their wellbeing when they have the resources. Recent comments from Kim Kardashian come to mind. During an interview with Variety, the billionaire reality star proclaimed, “I have the best advice for women in business. Get your fu***ng ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.”
Her words went viral and the backlash was immediate. Kardashian benefited from a wealthy upbringing with connections; her attitude lacked empathy and consideration for those living in poverty and working two jobs to provide for their families, or individuals with illnesses preventing them from regular employment.
There’s also the fact Kardashian’s successes can be partly attributed to the hard work of low-paid employees and unpaid interns.
Reporter Jessica DeFino spoke out in a Vice article titled, ‘I Worked My Ass Off for the Kardashian-Jenner Apps. I Couldn’t Afford Gas.’ DeFino revealed that during her time as assistant editor for the digital media company the Kardashian-Jenner family hired to create their apps, her annual salary was just $35,000 — despite her prior editorial experience and the cost of living in Los Angeles. “This is what it takes to work with the most famous women in the world, I thought,” she wrote.
“I repeated hustle culture catchphrases in my head like affirmations…It will all be worth it someday. Hard work pays off.” However far from the payrise she hoped, hard work got DeFino a free sample of Crème de la Mer — “If only I could pay my landlord in luxury skincare.”
While work is a necessary evil, for the anti-work movement to be successful, it must address its own privileges to include all workers, not just those who can afford to quit. It needs to consider pay inequalities and the betterment of workplace cultures.
Career coach Walker sums it up when he says, “Society needs to fundamentally look at how we approach work and what we can actually do to make work better.”
