While older generations may spend their down time chatting up coworkers at the water stand, Gen Zers are using spare time at their 9-to-5s propping up their phones and filming videos on TikTok.
In the videos, younger workers are showcasing the grind—not with singing or viral dances, but with the same mundane meetings, keyboard clacking and lunch breaks any other office worker partakes in. And they’re turning these everyday activities into viral videos racking up hundreds of thousands of views.
One of the most popular trends recorded? Eating at their desks.
“What I ate during my 9-5” posted one TikTok user who goes by Meredith Louise. Without any talking, the video takes viewers through some eggs, a sandwich and an apple. Seems like a pretty normal day, but the video amassed 918,000 views.
Similarly, user @jakezach0 posted “Everything I consumed at my 9-5 job.” The video shows him drinking flavored water, coffee, a “Death, Taxes, and Yogurt Bowl”, chewing gum, ground beef and avocado, and more. The video racked up almost 4 million views.
Another user, @Loewhaley, although now older than Gen Z, started posting “day in my life” workplace content when most of her work moved virtual in 2020. Since then, her account now has 4 million followers, and she spends her 9-to-5 doing social media and content, leading to paid partnerships with brands like Canva and Microsoft.
Gen Z, tired of low wages, turns to content
Aside from just sharing parts of their lives on social media for fun, Gen Z is also known as being the side hustle generation, finding ways to supplement income outside of their regular jobs.
A 2024 Glassdoor-Harris poll found that 39% of employees have a side hustle, rising to 57% for Gen Z and 48% of Millennials. And Gen Z is a true side hustle generation where work identity lives outside of traditional employment.
By posting content online, creators could earn money from brand partnerships. The average price for a sponsored TikTok video is $2,700, a survey from Shopify found. Those that are “macro influencers,” or users with 501,000 to 1 million followers, could earn $5,000 to $10,000 per post.
“If they can make a little bit of money on the side while they do it, then more and more power to them, I suppose,” said Daniel Zhao, chief economist of Glassdoor.
Another reason Gen Zers are spending their work days making a glorified show-and-tell of their lunch items throughout the day? Brand reputation.
“Somebody who has developed a following is able to leverage that in order to find those future opportunities,” he added.
Younger workers are also becoming increasingly less engaged. As wages fail to keep up with inflation and the white collar jobs market freezes, Gen Z could pursue passion projects that are more promising than a promotion.
In fact, there’s a term for workers that are hesitating to put effort into climbing the corporate ladder and get that corner office: it’s called “conscious unbossing.”
Instead, Gen Z is becoming more comfortable with the norm and embracing “career minimalism,” a concept Glassdoor describes as prioritizing balance and security over nonstop hustle. Instead, they may go in different directions, such as online content.
“We are seeing rising disengagement from employees because of the state that the job market is in right now,” Zhao said.
Could recording #DIML videos damage your reputation?
Though social media could be an outlet for younger workers to engage in expression, they may want to think twice before pressing record on that “day in my life” video.
Greenwood Law highlighted a case where a TikTok creator was reportedly terminated after posting a “come to work with me” video while on shift at a MAC cosmetics store in LAX. The video included footage of restricted backroom areas and the cash-handling process—prompting some viewers to label it a “massive security breach.”
Some managers may not be thrilled when people start recording at their jobs, since certain environments could contain sensitive information in plain sight.
In the new age of social media, Greenwood explained that employers should update their policies and regularly remind employees of confidentiality obligations, including the risks of social media misuse.
“Most employees are bound by written contracts, workplace policies, or non-disclosure agreements,” the law firm said. “Recording internal processes, client interactions, or colleagues without consent may violate these obligations.”
