One young worker is calling out unrealistic expectations some managers place on young people to do more than they’re required at work.
In a video posted to TikTok, Lynese (@ssharkkbait) comments on how managers expect young people to take their jobs seriously.
“This job is not my craft,” she says. “This job just pays my bills. This job is not my life. I’m here, I do my job, I go the fuck home. What more could you want?”
“No [because] the job [doesn’t] even pay enough for the bills lmfaoo,” one commenter said, to which, to which Lynese replied: “It barely be making the cut.”
Lynese didn’t specify in the video what type of job she was talking about, but the some of the hashtags she captioned the video with—#officelife and #officejobsbelike—give an indication as countless videos with the hashtag shows people complaining about office work and corporate jobs.
@ssharkkbait NOT TOO MUCH 🤨🤨 #fyp #ihateworking #officelife #officejobsbelike #managersbelike #blacktiktok #iminmybag #relatable #befr #nottomuch #foryoupage ♬ original sound – Lynese
“It’s kinda sad [because] it is their life and they just cannot fathom it not holding as much importance in our lives,” one commenter said about managers’ outlooks on jobs.
“I refuse to be bald and [out of] shape [because] of stress over a job that can’t even pay me enough or treat me equally,” another commenter said.
The pandemic has led to what’s become known as the “Great Resignation.” Workers have quit their jobs at record rates, citing low pay, little flexibility, and a lack of advancement opportunities.
In 2021, younger adults aged 18-29 and people with lower incomes were more likely to quit their job, according to Pew Research Center. Even before the pandemic, young workers have increasingly been pushing back on obsessive work culture and requesting greater work-life balance, the New York Times reports.
Update 10:43am CT, Sept. 13: @ssharkkbait told the Daily Dot she shares her opinions on TikTok and found that, after looking through the comments, many viewers agreed and resonated with this particular video. She said she’s had a few jobs with unreasonably high expectations.
“A 15 second tiktok is not enough time to fully express my view on the topic of employment in America and ‘quiet quitting,'” she said. “I just wanted to express that I’m simply working like my wage. … If you expect me to do more at said job then you need to pay more.”
She said she wants “people to know that employers have many tactics to use and abuse workers and we are standing up for ourselves.”
“They claim by adding more tasks to our job they are simply training us to climb the ladder, but you’re adding tasks while paying us the same (MINIMUM wage ) which is unfair,” she reiterated. “If they want someone to do things outside of their job description then they need to pay us for it. Why does an employer get to pay MINIMUM wage but expect MAXIMUM effort.”
She said that while her video addresses “young people,” it’s for all workers whose pay doesn’t match their workload or what their worth is.
“The video was a general statement,” she said. “I simply just want to go to work and go home because the job is just a job, not MY intended career… JUST a job it shouldn’t consume me.”
She added that her craft is being an artist.
“I personally cannot put the same energy that I would in a craft in a JOB that just sees me as disposable,” she said. “I enjoy creating things that I’m passionate about. Painting, photography, videography etc. i enjoy being a creator THAT is my craft.”