Daisy Jones’s piece resonated with me (Gen Z want to work ‘lazy girl jobs’. Who can blame them?, 9 July), although, as a millennial who hasn’t figured out TikTok yet, I wasn’t aware of the trend. Like quiet quitting last year, I applaud it. I left my corporate career a year ago to go freelance, after 17 years spanning two employers and several promotions. I had no hobbies left, barely did any exercise, and I had no time or energy to cook properly for myself or my family – things I previously enjoyed.
To anyone who can get a “lazy girl job” that – while it may not provide fulfilment – pays enough, can be done without excessive stress and doesn’t violate their personal values, I would say that is living the dream. Find fulfilment in hobbies, activities, volunteering, family and friends, and just work to live. Perfect.
The piece states: “The posters appear to be unanimously women – I’ve seen no evidence of a ‘lazy boy jobs’ hashtag.” I suspect this isn’t a trend for men because many men mastered the art of elegantly doing the bare minimum to serve the life they want a long time ago. My husband and male friends keep that level of deep-dive discussion for sport wherever possible, proving they are comfortable spending their friend time and energy on things they find fulfilling outside work.
Helen Wood
Stretford, Greater Manchester
I must admit that I find myself quite torn between a genuine hatred for hustle culture (we run a four-day working week at the marketing agency I co-founded) and a mild distrust of concepts such as quiet quitting and lazy girl jobs.
Hustle culture is a straightforward enemy – it’s a symptom of late-stage capitalism that isn’t healthy for humans, the planet, nor companies looking for a sustainable workforce. But the ethos that undergirds quiet quitting and lazy girl jobs is also somewhat problematic. As someone who employs a young and diverse team, it just doesn’t feel fair to our clients, nor our broader team, if someone is willingly phoning it in.
Such behaviour puts more work on to the plates of their colleagues and breaks the promise we make to our clients – to deliver for them.
I suppose my hope is that we can find a good balance between these polarities.
Paul David
CEO, Literal Humans
I don’t think they should be called lazy girl jobs but rather “work/life balance jobs”. After working for more than 40 years in a stressful profession, my advice to anyone would be do whatever makes your life easy so you can really enjoy your friends, family or pursue interests, as you’ll never get that time back.
Janet McCormack
Great Sankey, Cheshire
Could Daisy Jones please direct me towards these lazy girl jobs she writes about? Particularly those that involve “making a few coffees, gossiping idly and taking home generous tips”. Having worked in the industry myself, from washing dishes to managing hospitality, my experience is of rushing around from dawn to dusk, flopping on the sofa when I get home, and tips are non-existent. As for the pay, on top of my full-time job, I work around another 20 hours a month in a second job to cover the bills.
Maybe this sounds chippy, but I can’t help feeling the article reflects an attitude from the middle classes who flirt with such roles while at university.
Feona Bowey
Cramlington, Northumberland
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