[Global] TikTok made ‘quiet quitting’ trend now here comes ‘Act Your Wage’

On TikTok, videos with the hashtag #ActYourWage currently have more than 63.3 million views. Insider takes a closer look at the work-life balance phenomenon.

The phrase is one of a number of trending buzzwords that have been used to describe evolving attitudes to work and the workplace in recent years, together with "quiet quitting" and "antiwork." 

TikTokers have been posting about what it means to act your wage. Some of those taking part told Insider that they believe the growing trend provides an alternative way to avoid workplace exploitation without necessarily involving leaving your job.

“Quiet quitting,” a term that has also been used to describe doing the bare minimum at work, had a comparatively short-lived run of popularity on social media but TikTokers who promote "Act Your Wage" say the concept has the potential for greater and more lasting success without the negative connotations.

“Act Your Wage” has been picking up steam as the popularity of “quiet quitting” fades

The concept of “quiet quitting” reportedly blew up on TikTok after it was used by career coach Brian Creely who, in a March 2022 video, showed an Insider article written by senior correspondent Aki Ito. 

The headline read, "Fed up with long hours, many employees have quietly decided to take it easy at work rather than quit their jobs." Creely described quiet quitting as "kicking back and taking it easy," or even as being "lazy" at work.

As the term rapidly gained in popularity, it became primarily associated with young people, feeding into the stigma of younger workers being less hard-working than older generations, leading Gen Z TikTokers to turn against it. 

Then came "Act Your Wage."

The term appears to have first gone viral in 2020 when TikToker Stephanie Anne used it to talk about her work life.

"Sometimes I have to remind myself to act my wage. Like, if I've been doing too much at work, I'll have to be like, Stephanie, go sit in the bathroom and scroll on your phone for 25 minutes," she said in the video, adding, "they only pay you $7.25 an hour."  The audio was an instant hit and has since been used in hundreds of videos. 

In recent months, videos using the hashtag #ActYourWage have reportedly re-entered the TikTok zeitgeist, receiving millions of views.

“Act Your Wage” is not about hating your job

Maddie Machado is a career coach who posts advice about acting your wage on TikTok. She told Insider that there is a subtle difference between "Act Your Wage" and quiet quitting that makes the former a more appealing choice for people who do not want to leave their jobs. 

Ms Machado believes that the majority of people who confess to quiet quitting, on TikTok, say they are doing so because they are unhappy with their job or are hoping for a new one. "Act Your Wage", however, applies to people happy with their roles who simply want to avoid burning out.  

Ms Machado said the connotations of "Act Your Wage" are more positive, and unlike in Mr Creely's original "quiet quitting" video, it does not encourage people to be "lazy." 

"I'm not telling you not to do your job and I'm not telling you to do a bad job," she said. "Not everybody wants to get promoted. Not everyone wants to get raises, and the people who act their wage are doing their job and understanding that they don't need to go above and beyond," she said. 

Ms Machado says she prefers to think of "Act Your Wage" as not related to the antiwork movement, "Because we still want and need to work to get money." 

Jason Matthews is a TikToker who posts comedy skits about what it looks like to act your wage. He agreed that the concept of acting your wage puts a more positive spin on challenging working norms.

He told Insider that people tend to talk about "quiet quitting" as a response to a "toxic work environment," when a person in a workplace is "not wanting to be there" anymore, but "Act Your Wage" is used more in the context of "protecting your mentality and setting boundaries at work so you can have a life afterwards.

"Act Your Wage" represents a broader shift in attitudes to work across the labour force

Mr Matthews (39) told Insider that while quiet quitting became associated with young people and was seen as a Gen Z TikTok trend, he hopes to prove that "Act Your Wage" is something that people of all ages and classes can do to prevent workplace burnout. 

In a number of his comedy TikToks, Matthews plays a character called "Jeffery" who is in his 60s and works in a factory. The character has "been working there for so long" that he is no longer interested in taking on extra work, Matthews said. 

Matthews told Insider he thinks that acting your wage can appeal to workers of all ages because wages are rising at a much slower rate than inflation — and that affects everyone.

"The price of everything is not being reflected in wages," said Matthews, adding he hopes that "Act Your Wage" will only become more popular on social media as a response to inflation and low pay. 

"If you're earning minimum wage, then you're going to put in minimum effort," he said. 

Ms Machado told Insider she wants to use her position as a career coach to keep encouraging people to act their wage rather than take on more work and responsibility. 

"Growing up, everybody told us that we had to go above and beyond to have the highest GPA at school and to get promoted at work and get raises. But we're now learning that that might not actually get you a raise," she said. 

"It's about giving people permission to not go above and beyond and that it's OK if life is primary and work is secondary."

Source: Insider

(Links and quotes via original reporting)

On TikTok, videos with the hashtag #ActYourWage currently have more than 63.3 million views. Insider takes a closer look at the work-life balance phenomenon.

The phrase is one of a number of trending buzzwords that have been used to describe evolving attitudes to work and the workplace in recent years, together with "quiet quitting" and "antiwork." 

TikTokers have been posting about what it means to act your wage. Some of those taking part told Insider that they believe the growing trend provides an alternative way to avoid workplace exploitation without necessarily involving leaving your job.

“Quiet quitting,” a term that has also been used to describe doing the bare minimum at work, had a comparatively short-lived run of popularity on social media but TikTokers who promote "Act Your Wage" say the concept has the potential for greater and more lasting success without the negative connotations.

“Act Your Wage” has been picking up steam as the popularity of “quiet quitting” fades

The concept of “quiet quitting” reportedly blew up on TikTok after it was used by career coach Brian Creely who, in a March 2022 video, showed an Insider article written by senior correspondent Aki Ito. 

The headline read, "Fed up with long hours, many employees have quietly decided to take it easy at work rather than quit their jobs." Creely described quiet quitting as "kicking back and taking it easy," or even as being "lazy" at work.

As the term rapidly gained in popularity, it became primarily associated with young people, feeding into the stigma of younger workers being less hard-working than older generations, leading Gen Z TikTokers to turn against it. 

Then came "Act Your Wage."

The term appears to have first gone viral in 2020 when TikToker Stephanie Anne used it to talk about her work life.

"Sometimes I have to remind myself to act my wage. Like, if I've been doing too much at work, I'll have to be like, Stephanie, go sit in the bathroom and scroll on your phone for 25 minutes," she said in the video, adding, "they only pay you $7.25 an hour."  The audio was an instant hit and has since been used in hundreds of videos. 

In recent months, videos using the hashtag #ActYourWage have reportedly re-entered the TikTok zeitgeist, receiving millions of views.

“Act Your Wage” is not about hating your job

Maddie Machado is a career coach who posts advice about acting your wage on TikTok. She told Insider that there is a subtle difference between "Act Your Wage" and quiet quitting that makes the former a more appealing choice for people who do not want to leave their jobs. 

Ms Machado believes that the majority of people who confess to quiet quitting, on TikTok, say they are doing so because they are unhappy with their job or are hoping for a new one. "Act Your Wage", however, applies to people happy with their roles who simply want to avoid burning out.  

Ms Machado said the connotations of "Act Your Wage" are more positive, and unlike in Mr Creely's original "quiet quitting" video, it does not encourage people to be "lazy." 

"I'm not telling you not to do your job and I'm not telling you to do a bad job," she said. "Not everybody wants to get promoted. Not everyone wants to get raises, and the people who act their wage are doing their job and understanding that they don't need to go above and beyond," she said. 

Ms Machado says she prefers to think of "Act Your Wage" as not related to the antiwork movement, "Because we still want and need to work to get money." 

Jason Matthews is a TikToker who posts comedy skits about what it looks like to act your wage. He agreed that the concept of acting your wage puts a more positive spin on challenging working norms.

He told Insider that people tend to talk about "quiet quitting" as a response to a "toxic work environment," when a person in a workplace is "not wanting to be there" anymore, but "Act Your Wage" is used more in the context of "protecting your mentality and setting boundaries at work so you can have a life afterwards.

"Act Your Wage" represents a broader shift in attitudes to work across the labour force

Mr Matthews (39) told Insider that while quiet quitting became associated with young people and was seen as a Gen Z TikTok trend, he hopes to prove that "Act Your Wage" is something that people of all ages and classes can do to prevent workplace burnout. 

In a number of his comedy TikToks, Matthews plays a character called "Jeffery" who is in his 60s and works in a factory. The character has "been working there for so long" that he is no longer interested in taking on extra work, Matthews said. 

Matthews told Insider he thinks that acting your wage can appeal to workers of all ages because wages are rising at a much slower rate than inflation — and that affects everyone.

"The price of everything is not being reflected in wages," said Matthews, adding he hopes that "Act Your Wage" will only become more popular on social media as a response to inflation and low pay. 

"If you're earning minimum wage, then you're going to put in minimum effort," he said. 

Ms Machado told Insider she wants to use her position as a career coach to keep encouraging people to act their wage rather than take on more work and responsibility. 

"Growing up, everybody told us that we had to go above and beyond to have the highest GPA at school and to get promoted at work and get raises. But we're now learning that that might not actually get you a raise," she said. 

"It's about giving people permission to not go above and beyond and that it's OK if life is primary and work is secondary."

Source: Insider

(Links and quotes via original reporting)