Quitting has been quite popular in recent years. In fact, both 2021 and 2022 broke records regarding the number of people that are willingly quitting their jobs. A staggering 47.8 million people did so in 2021, a number which was instantly bested with 50.5 million in 2022. This phenomenon has been dubbed “the great resignation.”

The cause for such a surge was the pandemic. The extreme circumstances were a wakeup call to many who realized how much they value fulfillment at work. They handed in their resignation letters because of low pay, the lack of opportunities, and feeling disrespected at work. 

It’s also worth noting that the boost in confidence and employee self-worth is a contagious thing. Once a person sees their colleague taking charge of their career and quitting because they are unhappy at work, they are prompted to do the same, too. This is especially true when the people who are leaving (or getting fired, for that matter) are top performers or team members who have been loyal to the company for years. 

The good thing is that leaving en masse actually worked to benefit the workers. The employers seemed to respond to the demands of the disgruntled employees who were seeking change. Suddenly, salaries started growing, showing the biggest jump in 20 years. Companies also started offering more benefits to new employees, hoping to get the work force back.

One big negative of the massive exodus that was seen in the US was the lack of productivity. This terrified employers who got worried that they wouldn’t be able to meet their goals. This caused companies to invest more in robotics and start replacing people with automations and AI.

If you’re not ready to quit your job or don’t feel like upending your career in one fell swoop, you might want to jump on another trend—quiet quitting. The term that’s making managers everywhere shake with dread is nothing more than giving the company what they are asking for—no more, no less. Technically, people aren’t actually doing less than it’s expected of them, they are simply refusing to be proactive and go above and beyond what’s needed.

Career experts are applauding the quiet quitting trend, saying that expecting the employee to do more than what’s in their job description is unfair anyway. They are pleased to see employees feeling empowered enough to say no to unnecessary effort and overtime. It is only fair to work as much as you are paid for. It’s prime time to reject the hustle culture. 

It is important to point out that it is not just the worker’s attitudes that are instigating the quiet quitting trend. Employers are obviously not incentivizing their staff enough for the team to feel fired up about their work. They just expect them to volunteer for extra work, be available and responsive outside of work hours, and take on tasks outside of their job description with nothing to offer for the effort.

If your work environment is toxic but you cannot afford to quit right away, maybe you should start rage applying. This is another trend where employees, fed up with their passive aggressive managers, unappreciative bosses, and uncooperative co-workers are actively applying to other jobs while still working. 

The “rage” usually comes in when an employee is provoked by yet another thing that puts them down or increases pressure on them. Disappointed and angered, they start sending out resumes hoping they can change jobs before they start fully hating every minute in their current position.

A similar phenomenon to rage applying is career cushioning. People that do it aren’t usually actively looking for a new position, but they are working on their Plan B. This usually involves taking classes, brushing up on their skills, boosting their networking presence, and trying to learn new things that would enrich their resume. They often do all that because of uncertainty in their current job. 

So, if you wish to change jobs right now, you need to start by putting together a plan. Start by “cushioning” your career. Then, dip into quiet quitting while rage applying on the side until you find something worth actually quitting for. Don’t forget to craft a memorable resignation letter and get pumped for the new position. And enjoy it, because in a few years you’ll have to repeat this all over again.