#Quittok: why are young people quitting on TikTok?

Frustrated Gen Z employees are quitting and exposing their toxic jobs live on TikTok, hinting at a generational disconnect between companies and their young workforce.

Whilst some workers still opt for the traditional method of sending a nicely worded notice email , Gen Zers are opting for sitting in front of a camera and airing their work grievances.

These live quitting videos often gather thousands if not millions of views, suggesting lots of other young workers relate to feeling trapped in toxic workplaces.

Research by Rethinkly reveals over a quarter (28%) of Gen Z employees feel they have no voice in the workplace. Further, 23% of Gen Zs confess enduring unmanageable stress and 98% say they are dealing with symptoms of burnout.

Gen Z is expected to make up 27% of the workforce by 2025 so the issues exhibited on TikTok need addressing.

Where does the workplace disconnect come from?

Although recent research shows that 74% of business leaders believe Gen Z is more difficult to work with than any other generation, this can be misleading.

Llive streaming quitting your job is symptomatic of when Gen Z entered the office. Many young workers started their careers online after completing their degrees virtually due to the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

Having to transition between working virtually and coming into the office, experts say young workers struggle to navigate interpersonal relationships, the etiquette of work friendships, and professional boundaries.

According to LinkedIn research, 18 to 25 year olds are the least confident of all generations in their current job or role. Further, a global survey of 10,000 workers found that Gen Zers were unable to switch off from work compared to other groups.

Lack of understanding from older managers can quickly yield frustrated employees and even public resignations

According to Andrew Jackson, co-founder of Rethinkly, “this behaviour is most likely the result of a negative company culture in which mutual respect and communication have completely broken down.”

Bridging the generational gap

What can businesses do to stop frustrated employees from hitting ‘record’ and quitting en masse? The key lies in creating spaces to understand why employees are unhappy and what can be done about it.

“Companies must consider all of the tools and processes they have in place to ensure employees have safe spaces to air their concerns in a healthy way before reaching this point,” advises Jackson.

“It has never been more important for organisations to create the best working environment possible to prevent this from happening.”

Gen Zers have taken to social media to quit in part because they’re digital natives, but importantly, because it’s a platform where their complaints feel validated.

If a platform can be created internally in a company so that employees feel comfortable unveiling their work grievances, lots of potential Quittok videos could be deterred.