New Delhi: A resignation that was written by a member of the Gen Z generation has received a huge amount of attention from social media, because the resignation was sent in a tone of strong, humorous and honest writing. The email has led to increased online dialogue about staff burnout and low wages, as well as workplace pressure, for many millennials.
Pratishtha Gupta, the employee, allegedly worked as a content marketing strategist with a company in Lucknow. She posted pictures of resignation letter on the social media website Instagram, whose virality was quickly and spectacularly achieved by the humorous and insightful tone made by the content. She reportedly resigned right away and used internet “slang” in the email to convey her frustration.
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The following line in the email seemed to interest everyone: “The math has stopped mathing.” She used the term to refer to the quantity of service she provided did not equal the compensation she earned. Gupta also said it has become an “ROI on my sanity is in the negatives,” indicating the post was affecting her mental health.
On the viral post Gupta stated she was getting the job done for several people at the company. She talked about tasks including content writing, video editing, graphic design, search engine optimization control, WordPress management, and analytics. She joked that she was up against “a ‘5 man battle royale as a single traveller’ so she was very active.
The social media response was overwhelming, and many of the young in the workforce expressed their appreciation of her experience. Some users admired her because she didn’t go under the radar, but she did speak out instead. Some interpreted her departure as a statement about the discontent of the younger generation of workers among the digital age’s expectations that they carry multiple JOBS on one paycheck.
Meanwhile, others wondered if these resignations were being entered in public in a professional manner. There were mixed reactions in online forums and Reddit about this. Some indicated that they felt employees should stand up for bad working conditions, but that could also have an impact on future job opportunities if it came out of the mouth of the employee.
Gen Z’s work ethic isn’t a new phenomenon to make the rounds of social media. In the last several months, several reports have surfaced of younger employees communicating openly with their employer regarding stress at work or the use of “straight talk.” This is said to be because of the growing work culture transition where youth are more wary of mental health, work-life balance and transparency as compared to the older ones.
The viral resignation email has since been part of a broader discussion of toxic work cultures in the rapidly evolving workplace, and whether businesses should evolve or not.
