Beware The “Dream Job” Hype On TikTok 

Did you hear the one in regards to the Microsoft worker who works 15 hours every week for an annual wage of £225k?

Tales of low-effort, high-paid jobs are racking up hundreds of likes and feedback on social media websites like TikTok and X. Normally coming from individuals who declare to work within the tech sector, they’re the trendy equal of El Dorado for wired workers.

Whispers of a six-figure wage for a ten hour workweek even seem like making some on-line customers think about a profession change to a ‘dream job’ with good work-life steadiness.

However such Previous Employee’s Tales stand in stark distinction to the truth of as we speak’s jobs market. Whereas workers describe straightforward workdays, Silicon Valley’s most interesting are shedding staff in droves. And this battle of narratives is inflicting a disconnect between workers and executives.

Microsoft myths

The X publish that went viral earlier this month claimed {that a} Microsoft worker works solely 15-20 hours per week whereas incomes a wage of $300,000 (round £225,000).

“Speaking to my good friend who works at Microsoft & apparently he works 15-20 hr weeks & performs [the video game League of Legends] the remainder of the time & will get paid $300k for it”, reads the publish, which shortly amassed over two million views.

This anecdote is considered one of many viral web folks tales that describe dream employment eventualities. Final month, an Amazon supervisor on the careers discussion board, Blind made headlines after he revealed he earned $370,000 a yr for working eight hours every week.

Every is normally accompanied by feedback keen to listen to how they will be a part of this supposedly all play, no work profession. “What are the reqs for this job and any open positions?” reads one.

Behind the screens

Sadly, as a result of the workers these posts describe are nameless, there isn’t a method to confirm in the event that they actually do spend hours of the workday slumped over a online game console. It’s price displaying scepticism, nonetheless, given the state of the tech business as we speak.

Microsoft laid off over 10,000 workers final January, and redundancies have snowballed since then. These should not simply assist roles. In June, 1,000 engineers misplaced their jobs. The truth is, globally, over 100,000 IT jobs have been let go within the second half of this yr alone.

That makes the promise of a straightforward tech position look a lot much less plausible. With corporations loudly slashing the workforce to avoid wasting money, the concept companies comparable to Google, Microsoft, and Amazon are shelling out thousands and thousands on unproductive crew members appears laughable.

Analysis means that the common tech employee could be very totally different from their lazy viral personas. In August, a Workday survey into workers burnout discovered that 23% of tech companies are actually high-burnout-risk organisations. That’s an 8% improve on the earlier yr’s evaluation.

TikTok vs. Actuality

Usually, ‘dream job’ rumours begin on social media. Many originate from #CareerTok, a HR subsect of TikTok. This on-line neighborhood will be constructive, producing content material that teaches youthful customers learn how to get up for themselves at work or talk higher.

However some self-proclaimed HR specialists on TikTok are cavalier about advising viewers to interact in anti-work practices comparable to quiet quitting (phoning it in by doing the naked minimal at work) or presenteeism. These could also be enjoyable traits to observe outdoors of labor. Offline, although, they’re extra prone to harm profession prospects and trigger battle with managers.

They’ll even have a psychological affect. The creator of the quiet quitting pattern now admits he regrets beginning the pattern after he discovered it left him demotivated and remoted within the workplace.

Plus, these posts can inadvertently contribute to the return to work debate. Bosses try to power workers into the workplace amid considerations they’re slacking off at house. And who can blame them, when workers are bragging (with out proof) that they work simply 10 hours every week?

Let’s be reel

Whereas social media feeds are crammed with tales of workers seemingly coasting via their workdays, the truth is much extra advanced.

Tech giants are more and more resorting to layoffs, and the stress on workers to carry out is mounting. The hole between these on-line fantasies and the tough realities of the job market can result in frustration, disappointment, and even higher detachment from work.

To deal with the disconnect, bosses ought to encourage open communication between staff and administration. It will assist to construct a firm tradition the place workers really feel snug discussing their considerations and expectations, and may flag if the workload feels unachievable.

And, when you suspect an worker is bunking off at 3pm, take a step again earlier than you start a efficiency evaluation. Even bosses can fall sufferer to the filter impact. If the duties are being completed effectively, and workers are blissful, then managers should belief within the workforce.