3 TikTok trends influencing the workplace 

TikTok might not be the first thought when looking at workplace trends, but viral videos on the subject suggest otherwise. It’s clear that the ways in which people want to work have shifted, with more of an emphasis on self-care, inclusivity and flexibility, and less tolerance for toxic workplaces and stress. We’re also seeing changing attitudes primarily within younger workers, as new phrases like ‘career cushioning’ and ‘rage applying’ gain popularity on TikTok.

With workplace trends and buzzwords frequently changing, it’s hard to keep your finger on the pulse and understand what your employees are looking for. Here, we run through what trends like quiet quitting, career cushioning and rage applying means for employee engagement and what you can do to combat them.

Quiet Quitting 

Definition: The term “quiet quitting” refers to employees who put no more effort into their jobs than absolutely necessary, which tends to be a sign of employee burnout and exhaustion. 

What does quiet quitting mean for employee engagement?  

The phrase ‘quiet quitting’ is everywhere, and there’s a reason for this. Perspectives have changed from being invested in where we work, to working just to make ends meet due to the looming economic crisis. For employers, this could be a warning sign that their employees are losing their sense of purpose.  

What can you do to improve employee engagement for those quiet quitting?  

To counteract quiet quitting, you’ll have to reinstate employees’ sense of purpose and there are a number of ways that you can do this:  

1. Check-in with them regularly about their goals and see what training or courses would be beneficial based off of this. Do this with both professional and personal goals in mind as showing an interest into personal goals will demonstrate your investment in them as an employee. 
2. Check-in with employees about their objectives more frequently than scheduled to sense check how their feeling about them and whether they are concerned about any before the ‘official’ meeting.  
3. Provide support for the tough times, like the cost-of-living crisis, and invest into employee wellbeing benefits. There’s a range of employee wellbeing benefits, from fitness to mental health but it’s important to sense check what your employees would benefit from the most.  

Career cushioning 

Definition: Career cushioning is essentially giving yourself a plan B, a safety net, or an alternative option to your current job. 

What does career cushioning mean for employee engagement?  

Career cushioning is all about planning for worst case scenarios and because of this, employees are spending their time to upskill, search for jobs in more stable sectors, or start up freelance/ side business. For employee engagement, this means time invested into their work and the business is often taken away and placed into these actions instead.  

What can you do to improve employee engagement for those career cushioning?  

 As an employer, you understand the world is uncertain and supporting employees and helping to  ease their anxieties around this, strengthens employee engagement. Here are some ways in which you can do this:  

1. Provide upskilling training that will greatly aid their careers long term, for example, teaching developers a new coding language or providing UI/UX training for a product manager. These skills will not only help their career development in the next 5-10 years but can be beneficial to your company.  
2. Be transparent and communicate with employees often. Host monthly all company meetings and present how your company is financially stable by showing them profit and budgeting plans for the next 3-5 years.  

Rage applying 

Definition: Rage applying is when work, for an employee, gets so bad that they, without much thought, apply to a number of jobs in a short period of time.  

What does rage applying mean for employee engagement?  

Since the beginning of 2023, 60% of white-collar professionals have admitted to rage applying, with 56% claiming that toxic workplace culture is the primary reason for this.  

Rage applying has been on the rise and is mostly actioned by younger generations due to its popularity on TikTok. It’s being presented as an option for those looking for a salary bump, promotion or are in a toxic workplace environment. High staff turnover could signal that your workplace culture is driving people out.  

What can you do to enhance employee engagement for those rage applying?  

As rage applying is triggered by ‘the grass is greener’ mentality, here’s how you can make sure your company is always the better option:  

1. Manage toxic workplaces by conducting an employee survey to understand the root causes. There are many factors that can contribute to a toxic working environment, so it’s best to ask employees exactly how they are feeling in order to put the right actions into place.   
2. Ensure that you have clear career paths set out that are accessible for all to review. These should have objectives and responsibilities mapped out so that employees can see exactly what they need to be doing to achieve a promotion and pay rise.  

It’s important as leaders that we don’t brush these off as ‘trends’ or ‘fads’ that will be forgotten about as quickly as they rose to popularity. The workplace will continue to change and it’s essential for both employees and employers to embrace emerging trends to fully understand the impact they may have on employee engagement, especially with Gen Z employees.  

By taking the time to understand and empathise with younger generation employees, employers ultimately will strengthen employee engagement and attract top talent into the company.