Buzz Wordy

There’s no denying that our workways are changing fast, and one worker has had enough of the endless roller coaster that comes with trying to get ahead in a modern workplace.

Meet Andrea Shindell, a retail logistics worker from Inglewood, CA. She says things have gotten so bad at her job that she doesn’t see a reason to try anymore.

“They expect maximum effort all the time,” says Shindell, “but they’re not paying us any extra. So I figured, if they’re just going to give us the bare minimum then I’m only going to give them the bare minimum.”

The phenomenon Shindell is talking about is called Quiet Quitting, and it’s been all the rage with millennial and Gen Z workers on social media.

Basically, Quiet Quitting, also known as Acting Your Wage, is when employees no longer go “above and beyond” for employers who don’t show proper appreciation, and it’s got many managers in a tizzy.

“It’s like all you get for doing a good job is more work,” says Shindell. “Like why would I put myself in a position to do the job of someone else just so they can avoid scheduling another person, you know?”

The concept she’s referring to is known as Quiet Hiring, and workers across platforms like Reddit and TikTok are all talking about it.

Quiet Hiring, also known as Performance Punishment, is the act of management giving their employees extra tasks on top of their regular jobs. Some workers see this act as just another to squeeze even more labor out of them without the raises or titles that should come with those tasks, and some workers are feeling bitter about it.

“But what can you do?” asks an exasperated Shindell. “I don’t want to have to go out and find another job right now, not with how things are. I figured the best thing I could do is just do my time and go home. Yeah, it sucks here, but I don’t have anywhere else to go right now.”

The notion Andrea is expressing here is called Grumpy Staying, also known as Resenteeism, a popular topic on all the worker forums.

In short, Grumpy Staying is when a worker is unhappy with their position but chooses to stay either because there aren’t enough positions out there or they’re just afraid to try something new, and employers are not happy with it.

“I guess they noticed my heart wasn’t in this job anymore,” says Shindell, “and started cutting my hours back. Sometimes it feels like they’re trying to get me to leave without bothering to fire me themselves.”

Management’s actions suggest they’re engaging in Quiet Firing, also known as Quiet Retaliation, and all the microblogs have been buzzing about it.

Quiet Firing is the practice of excluding workers from growth opportunities, thus making it difficult for them to develop new skills and move up, or giving them an unsustainable schedule. It’s a way to avoid the hassle or confrontation of having to discipline or dismiss an employee directly, and many workers are up in arms about it.

“It’s definitely some bullshit,” says Shindell. “Honestly, I’ve just been spending all my breaks looking at other jobs on Indeed because I am so sick of this place.”

This behavior is called Rage Applying, and it’s the talk of the town over on the social media.

Rage Applying, derived from the term Rage Quitting, is the act of applying to jobs out of anger. It’s usually just a small act of defiance, but it may lead to some workers getting new jobs they normally wouldn’t have applied for, and some employers are finding it no bueno.

“It just seems smart to know,” adds Shindell, “that if anything does happen here, that I have other options.”

Oh wait, hang on, I know this one! That’s Career Cushioning, and it’s the new hotness over on LinkedIn and maybe even Discord, I don’t know, I’m not on Discord.

Career Cushioning is a proactive approach to working in an unstable environment, so that you have something to fall back on, like a cushion (get it?!), and some workers have found this comforting.

“I even have some friends,” says Shindell, “who keep changing jobs because they keep finding ones that pay more. I mean so many people are–”

Job Hopping! That is totally Job Hopping, I read about it over on TikTok, ever heard of it?

Job Hopping is where workers voluntarily move from job to job in search for better pay or opportunities as many companies dump more resources into obtaining new staff than retaining existing employees, and some job recruiters are being kind of pissy about it.

“–leaving their jobs right now,” says Shindell, finishing her sentence. “Like a lot of people.”

The situation Shindell is alluding to is known as The Great Resignation, also known as The Big Quit or The Great Reshuffle, and I bet you’re honestly sick of hearing about it.

Essentially, the Great Resignation is a mass movement of people choosing to leave their jobs, not unlike the biblical exodus. They probably didn’t call it an exodus because we constantly have to dumb everything down for you people or you won’t click our links. The Great Resignation first kicked off during the covid-19 pandemic, and it has many employers scrambling.

“I don’t know though,” adds Shindell, “because as much as this place sucks, some of those people do end up coming back.”

These people of which she speaks are known as Boomerang Employees, also known as Come Backers, a subject often discussed across the interwebs.

Boomerang Employees are like, okay, so you know how a boomerang is supposed to come back when you throw it? It’s like that only with employees, like they leave and then come back, but you probably already got that from context. Look at you, you’re so smart you probably don’t even need me to explain these to you, huh? Anyway, these workers are back at their old haunts and some managers are… well, probably okay with it because why else would they hire them back if they weren’t? 

“Sometimes I feel like taking a lesser position here,” says Shindell, “like in returns. It would pay less but be so much less stressful.”

The practice Shindell is referring to is called Up the Down Upgrade, and it’s very popular on internet message boards and in chat rooms.

Oh my god, I just made that one up. You probably thought it was real. Can you even tell anymore, or do you just assume it’s a thing because we say it is? That’s sad. That makes me sad for you.

“I really can’t wait for the day I leave this job for good though” says Shindell. “I really wanna fuck this place up before I go, you know? Like let everyone know how they doing us down here, maybe get some to talk about organizing or leaving themselves.”

The actions Shindell describes are known as Loud Quitting, and Millenial and Gen Z workers have been all about that shit on their internet-capable phone device tablets.

Loud Quitting is exactly what it sounds like, genius. No, just kidding, Loud Quitting, also known as Scream Resigning, is the act of putting employers’ bad practices on blast before leaving, getting other workers to follow suit, or generally causing disruptions to the workflow on one’s way out, and it has vexed many a manager.

“I’m done bending over backwards for this company,” says Shindell “and they can’t fire me for only doing my job, feel me?”

The phenomenon Shindell is referring to is called Quiet Quitting, and it’s all the rage on– wait, fuck, we did that one already. It was the first one I think. Sorry, my bad, it’s hard to keep up.

“Oh, I don’t do hardly anything on the shift after my day off anymore,” she adds, “like you gotta ease into your week, don’t go in full throttle all at once, right?”

Oh, easy one! The thing there that Shindell is talkin’ ‘bout Willis is known as Bare Minimum Mondays, which directly follows Sunday Scaries and precedes Try Less Tuesdays. I thought there was one for Thursday but I can’t find it now. Also, Friday is Fuck It Friday except for Cure Fans who celebrate Friday I’m in Love that day. Does anyone do a Manic Monday? Like the Bangles song? Anyway, this is another TikTok one I think.

Bare Minimum Monday is the habit of not doing much work after taking a– oh, is Thursday just Friday Eve now? Sounds stupid. Anyway, people just aren’t working on Mondays now, and it’s got some managers all higgledy-piggledy.

“I’d really just like to find a job,” says Shindell, “Where I’m not just banging my head against the wall all the time, like a job where I really like what I do and have the opportunity for some growth if I want.”

Such a prospect is known as Quiet Thriving, and it’s being talked about all over the blogosphere, sliding into DMs, blowing up mentions, and trending up all the popular socials.

Quiet Thriving, also known as Job Satisfaction– oops, shit, I accidentally used a real term there, hang on…. Quiet Thriving, also known as Saltine Whistling (better!), is the hard to obtain situation where a worker can shape their work habits and projects around staying engaged with their job and being creatively fulfilled with one’s duties. But uh, that’s not a real thing, right? Like nobody actually feels that way, what the hell would that even job be, a jelly bean taster? The fuck!?

“Okay,” says Shindell, “You need to chill. You have a good job right? You get to write and express yourself. Isn’t that pretty cool?”

Yeah, I guess. But it’s all this buzzword bullshit, like I’m supposed to write six of these a week, six! I don’t have time to write about anything I actually care about, it’s all just scouring TikTok and Reddit and stealing whatever they’re talking about for easy content. Kind of feels like exploitation when I say it out loud.

“Well, I mean,” says Shindell, “why don’t you just look into something else if you don’t like it? Maybe talk to your boss about reassigning you to something else.”

Yeah, I don’t know, maybe, that could work.

“Yeah,” says Shindell, “sometimes it just helps to let them know you’re unhappy and looking for a change.”

he crazy new approach Shindell refers to is…. You know what, nevermind, whatever. Nobody reads these anyway, they just screenshot the headline and post their opinion based on that alone. Management really doesn’t care as long as we get engagement.

“Okay,” says Shindell, “but what I think– oh, okay, so you’re just leaving now. Yeah, that’s fine, whatever. I gotta get back to work anyway, I’ve been off the floor for like 45 minutes.”