What is 'career minimalism'? Here's the Gen-Z trend taking over the workforce

Every so often the Internet serves up a fresh complaint about Gen Zrsquos supposedly ldquolazyrdquo and ldquoentitledrdquo work ethic The youngest entrants in the workforce have earned a reputation for being unreliable and unwilling to climb the ladder the way previous generations did But according to Glassdoor perhaps theyrsquore just misunderstood Behind this approach is a simple philosophy career minimalismTraditional aspirations such as becoming a manager staying loyal to a company or waiting years for a promotion are no longer at the top of this cohortrsquos wish list Instead many young workers treat their fulltime jobs as tools for financial stability while real passion and professional identity are channelled into side hustles freelance work or entrepreneurial projects Glassdoor found that 68 per cent of Gen Z respondents would not pursue a management role if not for the salary or title attachedThe logic is straightforward why be loyal to a corporation that may not return the favour In an economy where mass layoffs dominate headlines and job security is increasingly uncertain Gen Z would rather diversify their income than put all their eggs in one corporate basket So while they are often dismissed as ldquolazyrdquo many are working well beyond the traditional 9to5 mdash just not within a single organisation That constant hustle however comes with its own consequencesVasai resident Reeha Tuscano pursued a media degree even though ldquothe degree isnrsquot as glorified as a doctor or an engineer among those around herrdquo she says The need to prove herself was twice as much and so she started working in college itself Now 20 Tuscano hasnrsquot taken a single holiday in the last three yearsWhen looking for a job after her graduation earlier this year Tuscano was very clear ldquoI only wanted a job with the flexibility to choose what time I go in and leave because my side hustles are very importantrdquo Tuscano works fulltime at an events organising company NR Talent and Event management and as a wedding content creator on the side filming and editing content for couples on their big day ldquoWhat I make in a month at a fulltime job I can make in three days at a weddingrdquo she saysPratik VaidyaDelhi resident Mouli Chakraborty joined an NGOrsquos communications team in Mumbai after graduating Soon she realised that the growth in that position did not align with her future plans She says ldquoI was working with local governments and my limited Marathispeaking ability was a roadblockrdquo She found she was more interested in policy and international relations So she moved back to Delhi and joined GIZ German Agency for International Cooperation a federal enterprise that supports sustainable development and international cooperation for the German government across various sectorsIn her stint at the NGO Chakraborty realised ldquoI needed to find more work that would be fulfilling enough and aligned with my idea of growth and impactrdquo She decided to take up extra work on the side and got a remote contractbased project to do design and communications work for a bankAlongside this Chakraborty is also helping build Xavierrsquos Media Alumni a collective of media professionals who have graduated from St Xavierrsquos College her own alma mater ldquoWe bring together alumni students and faculty of the St Xavierrsquos Mass Media Department to share knowledge strengthen relationships and give back so that we can help each other find successful and fulfilling careersrdquo she addsTuscano manages two jobs at the same time and hasnrsquot taken a holiday in two years PICNIMESH DAVEBut why so many things at once ldquoBecause I can I think the purpose behind working has changed When previous generations worked to make a living for Gen Z the most important thing is growthrdquo she saysldquoJob market dynamics are also somewhat changing I canrsquot imagine staying in the same job for 20 years as my parents did If Amazon is laying off 30000 employees that means 30000 more people are now my competition in the job market And these 30000 people have an lsquoexAmazonrsquo tag that I donrsquot haverdquo she says ldquoAs they say it is the age of the gig economyrdquoThe flip side of this is that Gen Z is in a constant state of anxiety wondering if they are doing enough and whether their work is good enough The gig economy also means a lack of perks like gratuity and health insurance that a regular jobldquoI am in a position of privilege as well because my parents worked stable jobs I can quit any job at the drop of a hat because my parents chose stability They can still take care of my life and health insurancerdquo Chakraborty says ldquoAlso there are systems in place now where you can set up your own autodebit retirement fund if you have enough income from two to three gigsrdquoIt took Shreeum Rakheja nine years to be able to build a stable careerWhat feels thrilling at 20 when you have no past CTC to measure against and every rupee earned feels like a win can look very different a few years down the line Shreeum Rakheja now 25 has been working since she was 17 starting with bussing tables during her undergraduate degree in Psychology and Business in Canada ldquoI am an elder sibling This was my first taste of financial freedom I loved paying for my younger siblingsrsquo little luxuries and I didnrsquot want to stop thatrdquoThe pandemic hit during her degree and she had to fly home to Delhi ldquoI hit up everyone I knew Somehow I ended up on a set with a styling job at the age of 18rdquo she says ldquoI had no background in fashion whatsoever But the vibe of a set just clicked instantly for merdquoFor a year and a half Rakheja kept assisting stylists and before she knew it she was heading styling teams herself But then the pandemic ended and she had to go back and finish her degree ldquoI couldnrsquot get a job in Canada because my visa only allowed me to work 20 hours a week there At this point I had some good experience under my belt I realised that I was spending more money on this degree than I would earn if I would just start working So I dropped outrdquoThis time she came to Mumbai ldquoI started styling again and also began working for a few digital agenciesrdquo she says At an influencer management company she met her now business partner Appurva with whom she started their agency Shersquos Aces She adds ldquoWhen people say you have to be at the right place at the right time the missing link is you also have to talk to the right people That only happens when your eggs are in different basketsrdquoHowever Rakheja also faced burnout and anxiety ldquoI had so much on my plate that it was more a banana leaf than a plate at that point The instability of not knowing where your next paycheck is coming from whether what yoursquore investing your time into is worth it mdash those questions keep you up at night Irsquove gained the most weight in the last two years when work took precedence over working outrdquo she says ldquoOne workout wonrsquot show results tomorrow but one pitch mightrdquoRakheja warns those who might look at switching jobs as frequently as she did ldquoI lost a lot of friends because I was wrapped up in building my career for nine years Now Irsquom at a place where I can call someone and get a gig I wonrsquot go broke but for most people two years or so is more than enough to get to that stage in a traditional trajectoryrdquo But is it for everyone Rakheja is quick to add ldquoI do reccomend it for the right kind of personrdquolsquoThe gig economy is a Western conceptrsquoPratik Vaidya Managing Director and Chief Vision Officer Karma Management Global Consulting Solutions Pvt Ltd a labour law compliance firmldquoIn the short term multiple gigs feel exciting but the bill usually comes later Fragmented careers often mean fragmented benefits PF accounts remain small or scattered gratuity never really builds up because service is not continuous with one employer and health cover may be a patchwork of basic group policies and temporary arrangements If a young worker is injured while on an assignment or faces harassment in a client environment which entity is answerable mdash the platform the contracting agency the end client or lsquono onersquo because it is all framed as independent contracting ldquoThe average person in India canrsquot assume that lsquothe State will take care of my healthcare and pensionrsquo Even Ayushman Bharat which offers up to R5 lakh health cover for vulnerable families does not automatically cover the entire aspirational middle class that is driving this gig waveldquoFormal employment still has a very important place The compulsory PF contribution the employerrsquos matching share group health insurance and even things like professional tax ESIC and gratuity are not just deductions mdash they are structured ways of building a buffer for the futureldquoSide gigs and multiple projects are not the enemy The real risk is when lsquoliving for todayrsquo is imported from Western culture without recognising that in those countries the State quietly carries a large part of the longterm riskrdquo6837Gen Z respondents who would not pursue a management role if not for the salary or title attached