The way we leave our jobs is changing, with social media playing a more prominent role in the professional world. A new trend among young TikTok users is redefining traditional exit strategies from employment. This trend, known as ‘Quit-Tok’, starkly contrasts with ‘Quiet Quitting’ where employees do the bare minimum required by their roles and keep a low profile to secure their positions.
Numerous young workers are using social media to announce their job resignations
In the Quit-Tok trend, numerous young workers are using social media to publicly announce their job resignations, performing these farewells live for a vast online audience, rather than sending a standard resignation letter.
One notable example is Christina Zumbo, a former employee of the Australian government, who posted her resignation on TikTok. She shared her nervousness about waiting for her boss’s video call after posting. Her resignation post on TikTok, where she discussed her mental health struggles related to her job, resonated with many viewers, who then shared their own experiences in the comments.
“I really struggled with making this decision to leave, feeling like I was letting my team and manager down, and the thought of being without work without something lined up, into a tumultuous job market at the time. I decided to share this journey online because it simply isn’t talked about enough,” Zumbo reportedly told a UK media outlet.
“I had no idea so many people would see, relate to, and share their own stories – or their fear of leaving their current workplace, or their strong desire to do what I did. It’s always surprising in the best way, the sense of community you feel if you open yourself up to showing real, relatable vulnerability online,” she added.
What follows after Quit-Tok?
Despite the initial excitement of posting their resignations, many individuals who participate in Quit-Tok end up regretting their decisions. Reports indicate that experts are concerned about the repercussions of these public resignations and their impact on individuals’ future employment opportunities. Jessica Roper, a career services director at the University of Phoenix, acknowledges the intense job market competition but advises against such dramatic exits that could harm one’s future career prospects.