it feels like every day a new career buzz word pops up. Tactically procrastinating? There’s a term for that. Feel like you’re on the cusp of burnout? There’s one for that, too. Consider this your ‘back to work’ glossary.
Task Masking
The new quiet quitting, this is all about ‘performance productivity’: procrastinating on tasks while creating the illusion of being hard at work. The colleague who is always messaging on Teams but not getting much actual work done? They’re task masking. A recent poll by tech firm Workhuman found that more than a third of UK workers admit to engaging in ‘fake productivity’.
The Power Pause
Coined by New York author Neha Ruch, a power pause is a phase of life where ambitious women (with the means) ‘deliberately shift time, focus and energy away from their careers toward their children’. What puts the ‘power’ in the pause? Using these years to build a robust community and support network and find clarity on what you want for your future. It should be seen as an ‘enriching chapter’ from which you emerge more driven and focused on your values, so when you return to work it’s on your own terms.
Micro Retirement
The old playbook went: work until 60 then spend your twilight years pottering around golf courses and cruise ships. With the retirement age creeping up and up, however, and people working for longer than ever, enter the micro retirement – instead of waiting to travel the world, take up new hobbies or just, you know, relax, younger workers are taking time between jobs to have quality time out. Essentially, a gap year for adults, it’s gaining popularity on social media, with people chronicling their micro retirements on TikTok. Advocates say it can help you to avoid burnout and rediscover your spark.
Quiet Cracking
Unlike full-blown burnout, quiet cracking is a persistent, low-level dissatisfaction at work caused by stress, bad management and lack of new opportunities. You show up, keep working, but you feel unmotivated and disengaged, aka ‘resenteeism’. A survey by e-learning platform TalentLMS found 54% of 1,000 people surveyed experienced quiet cracking. Time for a micro retirement?
Monk Mode
We’re all guilty of being tempted by a quick scroll on Instagram when we’re meant to be working. One solution is to go Monk Mode: block out all distractions and devote your attention to the task at hand. As the name suggests, the trend is inspired by the disciplined routine of monks – and could be just the solution to getting that report done you’ve been putting off for weeks.
Coffee Badging
We live in a polarised work era; those in the work from home camp and the employers desperately trying to get people back to the office. The result? The ‘coffee badging’ trend, which sees people show face in the office for a few hours – enough time to have a coffee and catch-up with colleagues – before heading to WFH for the rest of the day. Genius skive? Or the smart way to embrace hybrid working?
The Infinite Workday
According to Microsoft’s latest Work Trend Index, the average US employee receives 50 work messages outside of business hours, 40% who are online at 6am are reviewing emails and nearly 30% check emails after 10pm. Sound depressingly familiar? The Labour Government is considering introducing a ‘right to switch off ’, which would protect employees from being contacted outside their working hours (the French introduced similar laws in 2016).
Career Catfishing
When people accept a job offer but don’t turn up for work, leaving their employer in the lurch. According to one survey, 34% of Gen Z and 24% of Millennials jobseekers have committed career catfishing. It’s ghosting for the corporate world. And like its dating counterpart, it’s really not OK.
Bare Minimum Mondays
Ahh, Mondays. The day when we stumble bleary-eyed to our desk still dreaming about the weekend just gone. Little wonder that a 2021 poll by YouGov found that 58% of us say Monday is our least favourite day of the week. The solution? Ease in by doing as little as possible. Sending the odd email? Yes. Any huge deadlines? They can wait.
#Quittok
We’re familiar with revenge quitting – handing in your notice in the pettiest way possible (eg, at 4.55pm on a Friday). Now, Gen Z are taking the trend further by live-streaming their resignations on TikTok – with the videos amassing millions of views. Some record themselves handing in their notice in real time on Zoom calls (awkward conversations and all), while others document the tense moment they send their resignation email. The trend has sparked a wider conversation around authenticity and workplace dynamics.
Reverse Mentoring
This flips the conventional idea of mentoring on its head. The trend sees younger employees mentor their senior colleagues on everything from TikTok to social issues. As digital natives, Gen Z know a thing or too about technology – so they’re worth listening to.
Alice Hall is the Staff Writer at Grazia UK. She was previously a Junior Features Writer for The Daily Telegraph. At Grazia, she writes news and features about pop culture, dating, health, politics and interiors.