Australian workers have been caught out taking part in a new work trend with some using company time to focus on their side hustle.
Millennials and Generation Z workers are among the group of employees across the country who have openly admitted to practicing the trend.
It comes as young workers look for ways on improving their work life balance with ‘quiet quitting’ and ‘bare minimum Mondays’ among the trends taking off.
Other workers have been forced to take on a second job in order to make ends meet as cost-of-living pressures continue to mount.
Melbourne worker Amy claims she is past the point of asking for a pay rise and works on her side hustle while on the clock with her primary employer.
A new work trend is overtaking the controversial practice of ‘quiet quitting’, with employees who work the bare minimum now using company time for their second job (stock image)
‘I make art for my side hustle on company time and fully take advantage of flexible hours,’ she told news.com.au.
‘In my company, most people are doing 10am to 6pm, and I supposedly work 9am to 5pm, but as long as I look like I’m online at 9.55am, no one knows any different.’
Amy also takes personal time by scheduling fake half-hour meetings before or after lunch and just before the end of her work day.
A survey by comparison site Finder revealed 4.8million workers either have a second job, work longer hours or have come out of retirement early to make ends meet.
Managing Director of QA Australia Lyndal Hughes explained young workers feel they are not paid enough to give work their undivided attention and commitment.
‘Research has shown that we balance our effort based on the perceived equity of the reward,’ Ms Hughes said.
‘Wages mean more than money, they are also an indicator of how valued we are in an organisation. Not getting an increase in wage hits morale and sense of worth, especially within a backdrop of increasing cost of living.’
Melbourne career expert Sue Ellson told FEMAIL the trends which focus on only working the bare minimum could backfire if the change in behaviour is noticed by others, particularly managers.
Growing trends such as ‘Bare Minimum Monday’ and ‘quiet quitting’ have grown in popularity fuelled by Millennial and Generation Z workers who refuse to work more than they are contractually-obliged (stock image)
Ms Ellson said while the concept of quiet quitting isn’t new, technology and working from home has been able to track what is done each day.
‘Quiet quitting is a prompt to increase your personal productivity across your entire day, then I can move on to my other priorities,’ she said.
‘However, if you are perceived as ‘slacking off’ after previously over-extending yourself, communication is key.
‘You may need to explain why your behaviour has changed and be ready to do so. Reacting in frustration and saying that you are tired of doing more work than everyone else in the heat of the moment is not the answer.’
Ms Ellson encouraged workers to be prepared and indicate your priorities.
Australian inflation remains high at seven per cent despite 11 consecutive interest rate rises from the Reserve Bank.
The Reserve Bank of Australia surprised experts and homeowners by raising interest rates by 0.25 percentage points on May 2, taking the cash rate to an 11-year high of 3.85 per cent.
The latest consumer price index data shows inflation stubbornly above the Reserve Bank of Australia’s 2 to 3 per cent target.
Australian inflation still remains high at seven per cent despite 11 consecutive interest rate rises from the Reserve Bank (pictured)
In the year to March, it rose by seven per cent, with food prices continuing to soar by double-digit figures.
March quarter inflation figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed a 9.8 per cent annual surge in housing costs, which covers rents and building costs.
Recreation and culture costs increased by 8.6 per cent, compared with 6.5 per cent for insurance and financial services.
Annual food inflation eased to 8 per cent, down from 9.2 per cent but dairy product prices and bread/cereal prices were still up 14.9 per cent and 11.8 per cent respectively.
