Being called lazy was the worst insult a Caribbean household could dole out. Those accused got
defensive or wheeled and came again with purpose and productivity. We all wanted to be seen as
hard-working and industrious, at work, school or home. A morsel of this mindset remains in the
psyche of Jamaican youth. But we also see a shift to indolence that is now as pervasive as it is
petulant.
These days we hear nuff talk about the lazy girl job. TikTok tells us a lazy girl job (not limited to
women) means little effort in exchange for a decent salary. This attitude shocks many of us in the
age of serial entrepreneurship and the anti 9-5 job movement. We are clear, though, that Gen-Z
supports the lazy girl idea more than others.
It’s perhaps understandable since this generation once put great effort into full-time careers only
to face massive layoffs in the pandemic. That hurt more so because they had seen parents burn
out from great sacrifice to big corporations for little rewards. Convinced there must be something
more, they now seek jobs that will bring work-life balance.
Self-proclaimed lazy girl job holders speak highly of their non-technical roles that have perks
with none of the stress. They prefer jobs where they simply copy and past information into a
spreadsheet or Word document and send a few emails a day. Recent graduates value these jobs
highly because that means free time to seek fulfilment elsewhere.
But lazy girl jobs don’t work for everyone. Some see such work as personal hell. They want a
sense of purpose, challenges, and to advance their career. They decry a lazy girl job because it
decenters one’s full-time job from one’s happiness. They believe such work is boring and
demotivating and could stunt their professional growth. They want to learn and develop while on
a job and build their knowledge bank.
We see upsides in both choices. But we advise that whether you choose to find fulfilment or
frolic in your job, your health and well-being should remain your priority.