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The newest trend in town is 'Rage Applying', thanks to some of the woke millennials and GenZs, this trend no longer remains a secret. The start of 2023 highlighted a new hiring trend that was never seen before. So apparently, you might have heard of people quitting jobs cause they did not like the work environment or people finding jobs worth applying to. But, rigorously applying to as many jobs as you see on the internet the minute things fall apart at work is what ‘Rage Applying’ is, and this trend is taking over.
What is Rage Applying?
The world is changing and the young generation who started working jobs recently does not seem ready to accept anything below their standards. So when employees feel like they are being mistreated on any parameter they don’t just start a job hunt, they start applying anywhere and everywhere that fits or barely fits as well.
The trend picked up and got highlighted recently and since then many people have shared their stories of success and huge hikes they have received after a stream of rage applying. Yet, why has the world suddenly fallen into this, here are a few answers:
Lack of a positive work environment with the constant workload, disrespectful treatment, lack of proper working hours, and feeble chances of growth.
The pay structure is not acceptable to the employees in comparison to the workload and responsibilities. This usually happens when an organization surpasses a person’s ‘Key Responsibilities’ and expects work beyond working hours.
The urge to earn more and higher and as quickly as possible, and feeling left out of the race when more opportunities are being opened up
Looking for freelance jobs to create a side hustle or a second job to earn more, this means you will be employed based on a contract
Each of the points stated above gives rise to a separate category of ‘Rage Applying’. While one kind pushes a person to get back to the current office by spending time doing contract-based work for other organizations, the other kind simply pushes a person to take up a job with higher pay and leave at the soonest.
What does the ‘Doc’ say?
After this trend picked up many psychologists from the world over gathered to discuss the causes that lead to this behavioral change. The answer to most of them was very direct and simple. They said that with the changing times, the world has grown and the new generation was raised with standards of respect and value. A generation that thrives on freedom and respect cannot be expected to tolerate toxic work culture. This is where rage application acts as a cooling agent for the youngster.
Rage Applying does not mean one might get a job in a week or that they would go for the first job they are offered, it rather acts as a psychological comfort that they still have options and they can choose to leave as they wish.
Why a sudden growth?
One might ask why of all the times people refused to tolerate organizational discomfort why this surge is being noticed now. Well, the answer lies in the question itself here.
Rage applying was not possible ten years ago or even five years ago simply because there wasn’t much to apply to. With the Advent of platforms like LinkedIn, the gap in accessing relevant people or checking out useful openings has been bridged. Now, new jobs come up every day and you can even sign up to get notified for your role.
Therefore the key to sudden growth is sudden access to growth per se.
Managing ‘Rage Applying’ in your office
Having read about this trend does scare one that what if their employees are secretly rage applying and planning to bid farewell sometime soon. However, some companies in every sector hold a strong ground of making the employees stick and be satisfied!
Here is what you need to do to make things right:
Improvising Pay Structures: One of the biggest reasons for this trend is the declining pay structures. The advent of Covid followed by the Russia-Ukraine war simply gave way to organizations facing losses. This has reduced the industry standards while the work is still equivalent or more than before. To retain your valuable resources, you need to offer packages that are well deserving.
Investing in Out Sourcing Projects: The key is to spend less on permanent employees and pay more while you invest in Flexi workers for smaller assignments. Find out how to create a workforce that also includes bench resources.
Communicate: Based on recent surveys the employees have pointed out how they need to appreciate communication via call or email and would rather have a face-to-face talk. Thus the goal is to talk and discuss if your employees are unhappy with anything or vice versa. Once you get a chance to establish healthy communication and become their confidant and the employees simply feel more wanted in that place.
Learning Opportunities: So this hack might save you from all the resignations you are about to get. These youngsters are here to learn as they trust the process of growing and will simply not stay in a dull work environment just if the pay structure is good. Yet, the minute they realize that a particular job has opened gates of responsibilities and learning, they will stick by your side no matter what.
To conclude this discussion, Gen Z might have started the trend but the resources lie with all and one needs to understand the good and bad consequences of a certain job application. For a person frustrated with their job and looking to apply rigorously, the doctors suggest that you need to take a day to think before entering this cycle.
The day should be spent revisiting the answer to the question, why did you choose to work here? Once you find the answer let that guide you until everything goes out of hand.
