Naked termination: Why “naked quitting” is trendy

It’s enough for me, I cancel! Many working people may have had this idea before. The reasons for this can be varied. Bad leadership, lack of appreciation, permanent stress, no prospect of improvement. But just quit? Bang? According to the job market analysts, this is just trendy. “Naked Quitting”, literally “stop”, is the fashion concept for this. Its creation and popularization are attributed to social media, either in China and the USA.

This does not mean that people leave their workplace naked in the sense of the word. You cancel without having a new job, i.e. are bare in this regard. In social networks, some users celebrate their “naked” termination publicly as “liberating”.

According to analysts, they are especially younger employees who act in this way. The so-called generation z, birth year 1995 to 2010 is mentioned in particular. As its motivation for dismissal without an immediate professional perspective, dissatisfaction with the current working environment, the desire for a better work-life balance or the need for a professional reorientation are mentioned. And so “naked quitting” is certainly often criticized of existing working circumstances. And there are certainly work situations in which nothing more than the termination helps, for example in order not to seriously endanger mental health. In such a need too “naked”.

But is it clever with special circumstances to give up your job without new job view? It has at least serious risks.

The resulting gap in the résumé is more of a smaller problem. Many employers offer even temporary exits, so -called sabbaticals. Also times of professional and/or personal reorientation, beyond the world tour, not excessively negative from applicants – as long as such times do not pull over years and can be explained sensibly.

Finances are more delicate. In the event of an employee’s own termination, unemployment insurance can block payments up to three months, and therefore also shorten the service. And unemployment benefit is limited. Several criteria play a role in reading. The “naked” termination without a financial cushion is not recommended. It is precisely this cushion that is likely to be behind many social media profile that “Naked Quitting” is celebrating. What is trendy and cool is sometimes also calculating.

The “Quiet Quitting”, literally the “silence” of the job – is much more common than “naked quitting” – the much -cited internal termination. Analysts also give various reasons for this: work in permanent crises mode, work compression due to the shortage of labor or savings from companies, progressive digitization of everyday work, poor leadership and much more.

According to a Gallup survey from last year, employee loyalty to German companies has reached a low since 2001: 45 percent of the employees were therefore active in search of a new job. Only 14 percent felt closely connected to their employer. However, until the summer of last year, the domestic labor market was promising for those willing to change. The job market is currently tougher.

Of course you can always apply. Also in silence, “Quiet Application”, so to speak. The tax office recognizes the costs as advertising costs. And the current employer doesn’t have to notice anything.