It’s QuitTok! Zoomers celebrate their job resignations on social media
It appears that on TikTok everyone likes a quitter.
As national resignation rates hit historic highs amid the pandemic — in a trend dubbed the “great resignation” — Generation Z “unemployees” are flocking to social media to celebrate quitting their gigs. The Zoomers’ occupational adieus are going viral, with the hashtag #iquitmyjob amassing nearly 200 million views on TikTok, reported the Daily Mail.
“Best decision I ever made,” reads the caption to one QuitTok clip with over 1.1 million views.
The ensuing footage depicts user @hunteraleecee putting in her two weeks notice at an undisclosed “toxic” job she’d had for two years. In the clip, the nervous Nellie can be seen composing her resignation letter, hyping herself up in the car on the way to the gig she’s about to leave and then doing a joyous victory dance in the hallway of the alleged workplace after doing the deed.
In another clip, which also boasts 1.1 million views, @rachellouisekelly chronicles how she and her boyfriend ditched their gigs on “the same day.”
“This is proof to quit the job that you hate and do what you want,” reads the caption to the newly unemployed Zoomer’s farewell address.
And while she initially had second thoughts, the jubilant ex-employee claims she’s now “happier than ever,” and even booked a holiday with her beau to celebrate the occasion.
Reasons for their resignations ranged from bad management to a need to focus on their psychological well-being. In one video, user @kileerainbow wrote how she decided to quit the gig after realizing the “job isn’t worth my mental health no matter how well it pays & how loyal I am.”
The quitting phenomenon isn’t limited to clout-seeking Zoomers on social media. According to a November survey by the Labor Department, over 4.4 million people handed in their resignation letters two months ago — the most since December 2000. That same month, the so-called quits rate, the number of workers who resigned as a percent of total employment, skyrocketed to a record-high 3%.
Experts have chalked up the trend, also known as the Great Resignation, to pandemic-related factors, including fear of COVID contamination, burnout and an unwillingness to return to the office as many former desk jockeys haven’t seen their workplace since March 2020. Some business owners even blamed the pandemic stimulus checks over the summer for disincentivizing people from seeking and keeping employment.
“For decades, people have been stuck on the hamster wheel of being disgruntled, underpaid and underappreciated employees,” business coach and self-made millionaire Jenay Rose, 31, told The Post. “But now, since the pandemic, people are no longer willing to go to a job they hate, working for a boss they don’t trust, at a company they don’t respect, to drive a mission they don’t believe in.”
Some quitters are even sharing screenshots of their nightmare employer’s alleged messages on the Reddit forum r/antiwork, which has seen a spike in subscribers during the pandemic, the Daily Mail reported.
In one such correspondence, a screenshot, which racked up over 362,600 likes on Twitter, the sender’s boss wonders why they didn’t come to their “night shift.”
They explain that they need a day off as their dad passed away, to which the alleged supervisor responds, “My uncle died a few days ago, I lost my grandma. Stop being a victim.”
The sender retorts: “Mail me my check. I quit. And go f–k yourself.”
Fortunately, not all the reasons for leaving are negative: Many people are seeking other opportunities that opened up amid the pandemic and changing job industry.
New York City resident Kenneth Chin quit his career as an accountant in January to focus on walking around iconic Big Apple neighborhoods — a hobby that began during the pandemic — and livestreaming what he sees on YouTube.
“New York City really is a city that’s full of life and endless things to do; there’s always new opportunities, new things opening up,” said Chin, 33, whose ActionKid channel has 318,000 subscribers and more than 105.5 million views.
In a more risque phenomenon, droves of US working stiffs are ditching their gigs to become amateur porn stars on OnlyFans. Boston nurse Allie Rae had initially turned to the porno platform to ease the stress she suffered working 14-hour shifts on the front lines of the COVID scourge. However, the 37-year-old mother of three was forced to resign after employers discovered her saucy side hustle, whereupon she became a full-time OnlyFans influencer, making a staggering $200,000 a month, she told The Post.
Nonetheless, while the Great Resignation may seem empowering, experts advise against the glorifying of jumping ship on social media as it could torpedo future job opportunities. Especially as many of the aforementioned QuitTokkers didn’t mention a plan B.
“Advertising your decision to resign on a platform such as TikTok may lead others to conclude that you’ve taken the decision lightly, that you don’t take your career progression seriously or care about how you could be perceived by prospective employers or recruiters,” said UK career change coach Claire Brown in the Daily Mail.
Laura Trendall-Morrison, founder of the UK’s GameChanger Consultancy, added: “Is having your say and the 15 minutes of fame, the congratulatory comments and virtual high fives really worth it, or is it damaging to future job prospects and reputation?”
