Gen Z’s focus on a work-life balance is causing inter-generational divides. But, finds Alaina Demopoulos, there could be something in the popularity of 'Lazy girl jobs'...
First, the pandemic thrust us into a work-from-home revolution, and no one expected to have to endure awkward small talk or eat a sad desk lunch ever again. Then, some companies began forcing workers back into their cubicles. Women who had become used to the benefits of a hands-off workplace were told to give up that freedom. Gone were the days when we could sneak off for school drop-off or to run errands. So, we had to make work work for us again.
Soon after I was called back into the office full-time in my job as a journalist for The Guardian in New York, I had lunch with a friend. She’s Gen Z and graduated from university during the pandemic, which meant she’d only ever worked from home until now. ‘They can make me come in, but I’m counting my hour-long commute as part of the workday,’ she said. ‘That means I get in at 10am and leave at 4pm.’ I’m a younger Millennial and, only a few years ago, I wouldn’t have blinked an eye at staying at work until 10pm as a way to pay my dues. But my friend seemed to be tapping into Gen Z’s collective spirit of making work happen on their own terms.
Welcome to the ‘lazy girl job’, a phenomenon that’s part TikTok trend, part commentary on late-stage capitalism, which has spread across the world. For some Gen Zers, it’s the ultimate get: a high-paying, remote gig with flexible hours, laissez-faire bosses and plenty of break time. But like ‘quiet quitting’ or ‘bare minimum Mondays’, the term has met some controversy.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the outrage comes loudest from the ‘no one wants to work any more’ camp. Bosses equate it to slacking off on the clock. One recruiter at a tech start-up recently took to Twitter to complain about a job interview where the Gen Z hopeful said they did not want to work more than five hours a day. ‘God bless the future of work,’ the recruiter tweeted. Others wonder if putting in minimal effort keeps workers from finding their true calling – the ultimate sign that a role is unfulfilling. ‘Why would you waste your time and talent in a job you didn’t enjoy?’ asked Arit Eminue, a career development coach based in London.
But proponents say it’s a way to finally achieve work-life balance, that elusive concept women have spent generations chasing. They’re still getting their work done and earning their pay while advocating for firmer boundaries at work. And maybe their passion lies outside of an office: it’s just as valid to prioritise time with family, friends, having hobbies and leading a full life.
Gabrielle Judge, a 26-year-old content creator who came up with the lazy girl job term, says, ‘I am not telling people not to do their jobs, I am advising employees to get curious about the work they are currently doing and the return on their time.’
We want a fulfilled life right now, not in 10 years when we finally reach that destination.
LIZZIE BENTON
Some might see the lazy girl job as a backlash against the girl boss era, the type of pop feminism that peaked in the mid-2010s and promoted hustle culture and the nonstop grind. A decade later, many of the avatars of the movement, such as Glossier’s Emily Weiss, Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine and The Wing’s Audrey Gelman, resigned from their posts after allegations of mistreating staff. All three women have issued apologies.
Lizzie Benton, a Millennial progressive culture coach, works with start-ups to help businesses build purpose-driven teams. ‘I’ve noticed that Millennials are gradually learning from Gen Z how to value the freedom they have right now, rather than wait for it to happen further down the road,’ she says. ‘We want to have a fulfilled life right now, not in 10 years when we finally reach that destination.’
Even if you don’t work in an industry where it’s possible to have a lazy girl job; experts say that you can still set boundaries during your 9-to-5 (or 6, or 7...). You can schedule a real lunch break, where you eat somewhere other than your desk. Put your hours in your email signature and remind people you will not respond outside of those times. Don’t knock solid time management skills, either: Sonya Barlow,a diversity business coach and founder of social enterprise Like Minded Females Network, says they help you get your tasks done early, which frees up more time for the things you want to do.
Is it sexist that the lazy girl job title centres on women, implying that none of us want to work hard? Not necessarily, says Barlow. ‘The negative thing about this trend is that it will be perceived by companies as regressive behaviour for women,’ she says. ‘But we’re not saying that women want a more cushy, chilled-out life. We just acknowledge that someone can work on their own time, get their work tasks done and then go live their life.’Done correctly, a lazy girl job isn’t lazy – it just might be a smart way to figure out what you really want to do. Or, as Barlow says, ‘It’s about defining your own version of success.’