For the youngest generation of workers, it is crucial that companies emphasize healthy working conditions not only in their external messaging but also in their internal communication—and that they operate transparently and consistently in this area. Climbing the corporate ladder is less appealing to them; instead, the focus is on work-life balance and wellbeing. The term “Lazy Girl Job” has gone viral, but Gen Z’s strong message behind it is far from promoting laziness.
A few years ago, Gabrielle Judge, a twenty-something overworked employee from Colorado, coined the term “Lazy Girl Job” on TikTok. She likely didn’t anticipate the overwhelming response: the videos racked up tens of millions of views in a short time. The media—from The New York Times to Bloomberg—picked up on the trend, and Gabrielle even shared her thoughts and experiences in a TEDx talk.
Despite the name, the “Lazy Girl Job” trend is not about celebrating laziness. Instead, it highlights a shift in Gen Z’s career values and has sparked important discussions.
Mental health and work-life balance are getting more attention than ever before. Traditional career paths often led to burnout, toxic levels of overtime, and the complete blurring of boundaries between work and personal life.
Behind the concept of the Lazy Girl Job lies a mindset and work culture where the employee is more conscious about protecting their wellbeing. They seek out roles where burnout is less likely, where there isn’t constant pressure to overperform, and, if possible, prefer to work remotely.
In reality, the Lazy Girl Job trend is an important piece of feedback from Gen Z to employers: we want to work, but not at any cost.
Not everyone prioritizes fighting their way up the corporate ladder for decades, collecting new titles and promotions, or sacrificing evenings and weekends for work projects. This isn’t a sign of laziness or lack of ambition, but rather a reflection of a desire for security, flexibility, and predictability.
In this sense, the Lazy Girl Job trend redefines what a good job means: working within healthy boundaries, more flexible approaches, transparency, and sustainability. (And it's not just for women—it applies to all employees.)
The arrival of Gen Z in the labor market marks a clear turning point for employers. The old ways no longer suffice—employers and employees can’t continue to operate at the same pace or with the same expectations as before. One-way internal communication is a thing of the past.
This generation of workers brings clear demands: they expect their employer to define expectations clearly and to communicate with a human tone, honesty, and directness—even from leadership and management.
Clear articulation of expectations starts with precisely defined roles. When responsibilities and scopes aren't clear, employees may rightfully feel that criticism or accountability is unfair—leading to quiet resistance (or even the now-familiar phenomenon of quiet quitting).
From the moment of onboarding, companies should allow space for questions, clarification, discussion, and regular feedback built into workflows.
Even just granting access to internal communication platforms shows openness to dialogue. Gen Z expects fast, direct, and informal communication in the workplace. Overly formal formats and tones are losing effectiveness. Efficiency can be enhanced with concise, clear messages and a personal tone.
One of the cornerstones of the Lazy Girl Job trend is doing everything possible to prevent employees from silently burning out. This can only happen if the entire company culture is built on honest, tolerant, and human conversations. From leadership to HR, internal communication teams, and peer relationships, an empathetic tone should be present at every level. Feedback, responses, and healthy conflict management help create shared responsibility in this area.
The importance of internal employer branding has grown significantly—not just because of the Lazy Girl Job trend. Retention is no longer something solved in Excel sheets—it’s the employer’s caring, dialogue-driven attitude that makes a difference.
Balance is a value, and for some, it doesn't mean they’re ready to take on more pressure—and this should be communicated clearly to employees. Flexibility, mental health support programs, internal communication that celebrates teamwork and promotes sustainability can all help. When companies don’t only reward extreme performance, overtime, and exceptional results, the pressure on employees may ease.
The huge resonance of the Lazy Girl Job trend is mostly due to one thing: it gave voice to a generation’s perspective—we’re not lazy, we just have a very different idea of what healthy work looks like.
