Gen Z employees are ‘career catfishing’: A new trend of power move in corporate culture | Trending

Generation Z’s entry into the corporate workforce has been marked unique behaviours, from “annoying” workplace habits to instances of parents accompanying them to interviews. Now, the youngest members of the workforce are making waves with a new trend called “career catfishing.” Gen Z employees are accepting job offers but not showing up on their first day without notice.(MetaAI) According to a report CVGenius, an online résumé platform, this phenomenon involves Gen Z employees accepting job offers but then failing to show up on their first day without informing their employers. The report highlights this as a rising act of defiance among workers under the age of 27. Work-life balance“Our survey found that Gen Z workers, in particular, reported opting for creative ways to put themselves first before their jobs,” explained the UK-based researchers after polling 1,000 employees from various age groups. Also read: ‘How long can you stare at your wife?’: L&T chairman says he wants employees to work on Sunday too The study revealed that 34% of Gen Z workers admitted to skipping their first day of work without notifying their employers, viewing it as an assertion of their independence. This behaviour comes in response to the frustrations of the job hunt, which often involves lengthy applications, multiple interviews, and delays from hiring managers. Through career catfishing, Gen Z workers aim to shift the power dynamic in their favour. The trend isn’t exclusive to Gen Z, though. Millennials, aged 28 to 43, are also participating, with 24% admitting to the practice. Meanwhile, only 11% of Gen X employees (44 to 59 years old) and 7% of ba boomers (aged 60 and above) have adopted this tactic. For Gen Z, prioritising personal goals and well-being seems to outweigh the traditional demands of corporate life. This mindset aligns with other workplace trends, such as “quiet quitting” — doing the bare minimum at work — and “coffee badging,” where employees show up just long enough to grab a coffee and swipe their badges before working remotely. Alice Raspin, a job-seeker in her 20s, recently made headlines on TikTok for rejecting a job offer of $37,500 ( over INR 32 laks) per year. In her video, which garnered over 234,000 views, the Australian questioned how she could sustain herself on such a salary during a global inflation crisis. “What bills am I paying with that?” she asked. “A full-time job for [$37,500] a year? You’re dreaming.” This defiance underscores a generational shift, as younger employees refuse to settle for roles or salaries that don’t meet their expectations, even if it means staying unemployed until the right opportunity comes along. Also read: L&T chairman SN Subrahmanyan paid ₹51 crore as salary in FY24, while median salary of employees was…