Employees rage-apply for new jobs to escape ‘toxic’ workplace

A significant portion of South Africa’s working class is currently rage-applying for positions. This is the instance where workers will apply for any job at random in hope of escaping their current work place.

But why would anyone do this? According to reports, this is what unhappy workers are resorting to, to escape toxic work environments.

Rage-applying is so much more drastic than just quiet-quitting. According to Investopedia, quiet-quitting was when an employee opts to do the minimum requirements of one’s job and putting in no more time, effort, or enthusiasm than absolutely necessary.

ALSO READ: Are you quiet quitting? Here’s how to ensure a good work-life balance

Rage-applying is where the same employee is actively looking to escape an environment.  

TimesLive reported that a survey by Robert Walters South Africa says 62% of professionals, particularly those working in the administrative sector, are “rage-applying” in search of new jobs as frustrations at work reach a peak.

Not the best method

But Andrew Seaman, a Senior Managing Editor for Jobs and Career Development at LinkedIn News, rage-applying might not be the best method to get a new job.

“The name is new but the technique is probably as old as job hunting itself. In fact, I’ve referred to this technique many times before as the “spray-and-pray” method. You send out as many applications as possible and hope for the best.

“The approach (regardless of what you call it) works out for some people, but I’m still a big proponent of targeted job searches. A targeted job search leads people to roles that are right for them — not just any job,” he said.

Meanwhile, Brandi Fowler, an Experienced Fashion and Beauty Editor, described it as “a derivative of this generation that sometimes wants to prove that, ‘Hey, I don’t really need this job. There are other job opportunities for me’”.

ALSO READ: The great resignation and quiet quitting spinoff: ‘Act your wage’

Fowler believes that the notion of rage-applying has been gaining momentum ever since the pandemic, where people started looking at their work lives differently.

Can companies tell if you are rage applying?

Unless the company has advertised more than one position and you have applied for both, regardless of the fact that your qualifications might not meet both, most companies cannot actually tell if you’ve been rage-applying.

According to experts, this could be beneficial to a job seeker. You CV might just fall into the right hands. But as Prof Bruce Lee – a health expert – has advised, it might just be a short-term solution and it is better to be thoughtful about how and where you apply.

“Before rage applying, calmly determine why you are unhappy with your job and whether you really need to start applying for other jobs,” he advises.