While older generations can spend their free time talking to their colleagues at the water station, it is using free time on its “9 to 5 jobs” supporting their cell phones and recording videos on Tiktok.
In the videos, younger workers demonstrate the routine – not with viral corners or dances, but with the same trivial meetings, crackling keyboards and lunch breaks that any other office worker participates. And they transform these daily activities into viral videos, accumulating hundreds of thousands of views.
One of the most popular trends recorded? Eat at the desk.
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“What I ate on a day at my working hours from 9 to 5,” he posted a Tiktok user, known as Meredith Louise. With no conversation, the video shows some eggs, a sandwich and an apple. It sounds like a very normal day, but the video accumulated 918,000 views.
Similarly, the user @jakezach0 posted “everything I consumed from 9am to 5pm”. The video shows him by drinking buzzing water, coffee, a “bowl of death, taxes and yogurt”, gum, ground beef and avocado, and more. The video accumulated almost 4 million views.
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Another user, @loewhaley, although now older than generation Z, began posting content about the “day of my life” at work when most of her work has become virtual in 2020. Since then, her account has 4 million followers, and she spends her free time taking care of social media and content, which led to paid partnerships such as Canva and Microsoft
Generation Z, tired of low wages, resorts to the content
In addition to sharing parts of their lives on social networks just for fun, generation Z is also known as the generation of those who make extra money, finding ways to complement income outside their regular jobs.
A 2024 Glassdoor-Harris survey revealed that 39% of employees have parallel work, an increase to 57% in generation Z and 48% in generation Y. And generation Z is a true parallel work generation, where professional identity extends beyond traditional employment.
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By publishing online content, creators can make money from partnerships with brands. The average price of a sponsored video on Tiktok is $ 2,700, according to a survey of. Those who are “macroinfluencies”, ie users with 501,000 to 1 million followers, can earn from $ 5,000 to $ 10,000 per publication.
“If they can get an extra buck while they do it, then more and more power for them, I think,” said Daniel Zhao, Glassdoor’s chief economist.
Another reason why generation Z spends working days showing your lunch items throughout the day? The reputation of the brand.
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“Someone who has won followers can take advantage of this to find future opportunities,” he added.
Younger workers are also becoming less and less engaged. With salaries unzipped with inflation and stagnant white collar job market, generation Z can look for exciting projects that are more promising than a promotion.
In fact, there is a term for workers who hesitate to strive to climb the corporate hierarchy and get that singing office: it is called the “conscious unconscious.”
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Instead, generation Z is feeling more comfortable with the norm and adopting “career minimalism”, a concept that Glassdoor describes how to prioritize balance and safety instead of the constant rush. Instead, they can follow different directions, such as online content.
“We are seeing a growing disinterest of employees because of the current state of the job market,” said Zhao.
Although social media may be an opportunity for younger workers to express themselves, they may want to think twice before pressing the button from recording that video of the “Day of My Life.”
Greenwood Law highlighted a case in which a Tiktok creator was fired after posting a video with the phrase “Come Work with Me” during his shift at a Mac cosmetics store on Lax. The video included images of restricted areas in the back and the money handling process, which led some viewers to label him as a “massive security violation.”
Some managers may not be very happy when people start recording in their work, as certain environments may contain very visible confidential information.
In the new age of social media, Greenwood explained that employers should update their policies and regularly remember employees about confidentiality obligations, including the risks of misuse of social media.
“Most employees are linked to written contracts, workplace policies or confidentiality agreements,” the law firm said. “Recording internal processes, customers or colleagues without consent can violate these obligations.”
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