Yahoo Finance Young Aussies quitting in droves over bleak new workplace trend: 'I just can't'
Workplaces have been warned to ensure their workers are happy to prevent them from throwing in the towel.
If you're feeling a little unhappy at your job at the moment, fear not, you are not alone. A new study has shed light on the happiness levels of Aussie workers and it's a bleak landscape, particularly for young people - so much so that many are throwing in the towel.
SEEK's inaugural research into the topic found Gen Z to be the unhappiest in their current roles, followed by Gen X, then Millennials and then Baby Boomers. High school teacher Bridgette Keely told Yahoo Finance she quit her job recently because she was so unhappy.
"I think some people can just put up with it and grin and bear it," she said. "But for me, I just can't push through that, like my happiness is the most important thing."
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She moved from the Gold Coast to teach at a new school in Wollongong, New South Wales, earlier this year. The 31-year-old said it only took a month for her to realise she needed a career switch.
She's dropped down to teaching part-time and is developing her empowerment coaching business.
Keely told Yahoo Finance that several factors impacted her outlook on her job and that she eventually realised she didn't want to keep flogging a dead horse, even if the job market is rough.
Don't stay stuck if you're unhappy - but sometimes it's not that easy
Ally Hallahan did the same thing recently and quit her job as a receptionist because she wasn't happy.
"If in one aspect of your life, whether that's your job, what you're studying, your relationships, your living arrangement if you simply just decide that you don't want that for yourself anymore, that is 100 per cent a valid and a reason to do something about it," she said on TikTok.
"If you are not happy in your day-to-day life and there's something that you want to change...we're never stuck where we are."
Keely and Hallahan were flooded with comments from people who said they have also recently ditched their "safe" full-time jobs to prioritise their happiness.
"NZ teacher moved to Australia in January. Big mistake. I'm quitting and going back home to work out what I want to do," said one person.
"I quit last Friday.. so happy," added another.
"I finish up at my safe FT job next week with nothing else to go to. After 8 years I got to the point where I was done and now I can choose what I want to do," wrote a third.
But some languished that the cost-of-living crisis, along with other responsibilities meant they couldn't just up and leave without securing another role somewhere else.
"I’m miserable but I have bills to pay and can’t find another job," said one Aussie.
Another wrote: "I wish I could!! I have a one year lease and can’t leave otherwise I would!!"
Why are Aussies so unhappy at work?
SEEK's Workplace Happiness Index found the things that contribute to an Aussie worker's outlook is different for each generation.
In terms of who is happiest, it's the oldest workers, the Baby Boomers, who are most content with where they are at.
Baby Boomers: 61 per cent happy
Millennials: 58 per cent happy
Gen X: 51 per cent happy
Gen Z: 50 per cent happy
For Baby Boomers, the most important aspect that drives happiness is purpose at work, followed by stress levels, company values, their manager, and company culture.
The youngest workers, Gen Z, who are 18 to 27, were a little different. Their biggest factors were day-to-day responsibilities, senior leadership, their team and colleagues, work-life balance, and career progression opportunities.
In between these two generations, millennials said their happiness depended on stress levels, workload demands, company culture, responsibilities and senior leadership, while Gen X focused on their manager, their purpose, and work-life balance.
Aimee Hutton, SEEK's head of marketing and customer insights and strategy, told Yahoo Finance that across the board, the most important aspect that determined happiness was purpose.
"We know that when we feel that our work has meaning and it really contributes to something larger than ourselves, we are more motivated, engaged and committed to achieving our goals," she said.
Another recent study that looked into workplace behaviour revealed that being stuck at your desk can have a big impact on your mental health.
ASIC's State of Mind report found that after just two hours of continuous desk work, mental health begins to decline and stress levels rise. After four hours, workers’ stress levels increased by 18 per cent.
The study found that a 15-minute break where you remove yourself from your desk can help reverse these effects. Participants' mental state improved 22.5 per cent, lowered stress by 14.7 per cent, boosted productivity by 33.2 per cent and upgraded focus by 28.6 per cent thanks to that short break.
It might not help change some of those big motivating happiness factors, but it can alleviate those short-term stressors.
Finding purpose is crucial to improving workplace happiness
Gen Z workers focusing so much on what they do each day can come down to how junior they are in the office and how they might not have any major responsibilities.
"What it really tells us is that for the younger generation, they're still navigating what work looks like, and work is a job, it may not be a career yet, so understanding what their day-to-day looks like is a lot more important," Hutton explained.
"Having an organisation or a leader who helps remove the ambiguity and focuses on explaining 'This is what you'll be doing in the day', or even, 'This is what you'll be learning', can really help Gen Z improve their happiness at work."
Keely echoed this sentiment and said if you're lacking purpose, then you should look elsewhere and that can take many forms.
"Figure out what your interests are, what your values are, and what you want your routine to look like, and then look for courses that align to those your interests, and see if you can study part-time, or create a bit of a side hustle before you leave," she told Yahoo Finance.
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