What’s Trending: Rage Applying

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How is work treating you? Are you satisfied with the way your workdays pass? Or are these questions filling you with existential dread? Is the way out to get a different job? That might not be the answer, especially if you’re leaving all work meetings and conversations filled with rage and directing it to a job hunt.

Rage applying is a new term that has risen among young workers who want to express their dissatisfaction at work. But is it good to leave work for any opportunity that opens up, or is it hindering their career?

Read this mini article to find out what top publications are saying.

Reader’s Digest

In an article by Jamie Stathis in Reader’s Digest, she attempts to answer the newest gen-Z lingo hitting the street: What is rage applying?

Rage applying to jobs is when currently employed people apply to several jobs all at once to get away from the job they have at the moment. This happens when they are frustrated, disengaged, or burned out. This phenomenon is especially prevalent among younger workers, such as gen Z and millennials.

That is to say, gen z and millennial rage has been both tamed and fanned by the economy, as they are better at recognizing toxic environments and have a lower tolerance for it, but they still need to find another job before rage quitting.

“Although rage applying can yield positive results, it’s generally wise to process one’s anger and frustration before taking action.”

But what are the reasons people job hop, the benefits they might get, or the risks that people open themselves to by rage applying to jobs?

The truth is that there is some power in trying to get out of a toxic situation, but sometimes it’s just swapping for more of the same. Experts like Dr. Carla Marie Manly point out that you must be careful when you’re rage applying, as the problem might not be the job. A bad boss, a toxic environment, or an unsatisfying job can be resolved by change, but maybe that’s not where the problem is. If you’re constantly thinking, “I hate my job,” no matter how many companies or industries you’ve tried, maybe it’s time for self-reflection.

Time

Rage applications have raised flags from many managers who believe they have something in common with quiet quitting, acting your wage, or quiet firing. Anisha Kohli disputed this in an article for Time Magazine.

Rage applying is not the new quiet quitting, but it does signal a larger dissatisfaction at work on the employees’ side. The US job market has been relatively resilient, even after the pandemic and the Great Recession, hitting the lowest unemployment rate in 50 years this January. So what’s going on?

The pandemic gave rise to remote and hybrid work on a scale never seen before, so it makes sense that younger workers, especially those new to the workforce, preferred it to the alternatives of the past.

Career advisors warn that even if rage applying might feel good, you must consider its long-term implications and whether switching jobs is a good career move. It is often better to stay and work out whatever’s bothering you rather than start applying from scratch.

“Instead of walking around with resentment, frustration, or feeling like you need to quit, what do you need to stay?”

So, how can workers find their footing before making any rash decisions? It all comes down to four steps: Talking the problems out before any rage applying happens, prioritizing true needs over perceived hurts (meaning, financial, personal, mental health or advancement needs over just wanting to get away), applying carefully to jobs they actually want or could be good for career advancement, and networking to keep their eyes open for good opportunities.

Workable

Now, Suzanne Lucas attempts to answer what is the meaning of rage application on Workable’s blog. The main thing that Lucas touches upon is that probably many employees are rage applying to jobs and there is nothing employers or managers can do about it.

Not all applications are rage applications, of course, and managers can’t stop people from applying to other jobs. A lot of the time, people are just looking for a different opportunity. So when does the rage apply? Mostly, it happens when there is employee burnout or disengagement.

Disengaged employees are more likely to leave a job, while 87% of highly engaged employees are less likely to quit.

“If your good employees are not engaged and are frustrated with the managers or their jobs, then you want to do something.”

So, if high engagement is the best shot at keeping employees around, how can companies increase engagement to lower rage quitting? According to the University of Chicago, engagement has four main parts: a variety of learning and advancement opportunities, a good working environment and relationships, reducing stress when possible, and extrinsic benefits like high compensation.

The takeaway

Rage applying is something that happens, and managers can’t stop it once the worker is ready to move on. Any opportunity to dissuade a rage application should be taken before it reaches those limits, whether it is by focusing on the organization’s shortcomings once the anger passes or trying to improve for other workers once the raging one makes it known. Working on engagement at the workplace is crucial to keep employees happy.

On the worker’s end, they should consider the pros and cons of rage applying. Sometimes, they need to get away from a toxic environment after frustrations have piled up and they’ve tried everything, but a job change might not be the answer. Some introspection, especially if the main problem follows them from job to job, is needed to ensure that it’s not an individual problem.