What HR should know about the TikTok workplace trend ‘QuitTok’

Employees aren’t just quitting their jobs—they’re filming themselves quitting, and posting the videos on TikTok.

The trend, dubbed “QuitTok,” has resulted in over 2,500 videos with 82 million views. Some videos are creator’s covert recordings of conversations with their managers, while others are post-resignation reflections. Most show that when workers are fed up with their employment experience, they’re not afraid to go public.

“Quitting is this really uncomfortable thing that happens in organizations…and, like all good social media, [QuitTok] is exposing the thing that we don’t often talk about or that are in the shadows of what happens in organizations,” said Hannah Yardley, CHRO at software company Achievers.

Yardley shared with HR Brew what people leaders can learn from QuitTok.

It’s a mirror. Yardley said HR leaders should keep an open mind when watching these videos. Although some creators seem more disgruntled about the type of job itself, as opposed to management, how employees feel about their jobs can be a reflection of their employer.

“Something that we don’t often get in HR, or in any parts of our lives, is seeing the other perspective on the other side, so I think any person in HR should be watching these to help get a better understanding and perspective of their most important group, which is the employees,” she said.

Yardley suggested HR pros watch these videos and take note of where other companies went wrong. Usually, she said, employees quit because they’re unhappy with compensation, career progression, and flexibility. HR pros can work on these areas at their own companies to help ensure their employees don’t quit.

If it’s you. For HR pros who may come across QuitTok videos posted by their own employees, Yardley encouraged having humility and empathy, asking themselves: How would I feel if I were in their shoes?

If there’s an opportunity to have a conversation with the employee, “Show emotion. You can show that you respect how they’re feeling, and allow them to exhibit those feelings, so that they can feel like they’ve got their trust into a human on the other side,” she said. “You have to let the person feel the feelings they have to try. Don’t shut that down. Allow it to happen.”