Who else admits to having a Lazy Girl Job?

[isolabella]

Read this interesting article and realised I finally have what I've always wanted: a lazy girl job that leaves me lots of time for family, exercise, pursuing my interests, life admin etc. Zero guilt.

In my case this is made possible by having put in the effort early on in my job so I've earned trust and I'm efficient so do all my tasks and deal with emails quickly so I can chill out again and do what I want: walk in the woods, go for a run, cook, have a coffee and chat with family. Always take my phone with me so can pick up any calls. Only go to the office once a week max (often not even that) since Covid, thank the lord.

Also made possible because people in my organisation aren't exactly highly performing or skilled, so being efficient when it counts stands out and makes you look like you do an amazing job.

Anyone else?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/09/gen-z-lazy-girl-jobs-tiktok-work

I moved into the public sector after I had kids. I used to look down my nose at these jobs as an easy option. Work your hours. No more. Flexi time. Then I realised that I needed that made the shift. I am so much happier. Maybe it's the other system that's wrong? Not one that actually gives you a life ?

Good point @TaraRhu. I worked in public sector after uni & did find it too slow & there wasn't enough for me so I did see it as being lazy. Post dc & I went back to public sector, work to live is far better than live to work.

No but I've put in firm boundaries about the hours I work, I'm not budging - they can employ someone else if they want more

Yes. I totally do. I WFH in a reasonably well paid job (mostly admin) and my undemanding, stress-free work is usually done by lunchtime. In the office one day a week. I swing from feeling happy and lucky I have this job to feeling guilty and lazy and that I should get a new job that pushes/stimulates me and works me harder and longer hours. But I am very menopausal and the extra sleep I can have in this role, compared to when I was commuting 4 hours a day, 5 days a week, is amazing.

ps: I think the “lazy girl” tag is a catch-all U.S. college/ GenZ term. It’s used in other contexts too.

a lazy girl job that leaves me lots of time for family, exercise, pursuing my interests, life admin etc.

That description fits mine, but having read the start of the piece, she seems to be talking about jobs with no mental engagement while you're actually doing them.

Good work -life balance doesn't mean having a meaningless role with no intellectual challenge. I'm a PhD scientist, I write scientific software - not remotely a 'lazy girl' when I'm doing my job, but I work half time. My managers always reckon I contribute more than that, probably because I'm not exhausted.

More flexible working is definitely a good thing, but being 'lazy' isn't.

and good point re salaries!

So many jobs pay less accounting for inflation then they did in the 00s

I work less he’s now than I did ten years ago but that’s because I know the job super well. If something comes in it’s rarely novel and I can dig out a « one I did earlier » and use that as a template.

im also so much more efficient, can delegate some things to juniors and can push back on unrealistic expectations.

So it’s not really a case of being lazy - I’ve just got much much better

My last role was probably this, worked in a small organisation doing a role only I had the experience and skills to do, worked extremely hard when needed, but it was also a role with few dependencies, so almost no meetings, and I have 20yrs exp so could do it with my eyes closed.

I had a period where I had the perfect balance, early start, (wfh 4 days a week) then out for a class at the gym at 9.30 every day, back working, school pickup, but more work.

I was recently promoted, same organisation, step up and into a new role with some but not all the skills and I'm in back to back meetings most of the week, the balance has now gone.

Happy I'm being given new opportunities for career growth and a salary to match but some days wish I could go back 😂

I work full flexi, 60% of this is at home so that leaves time to catch up on other things, but it is the type of job where there’s always something else to do, so I can’t exactly slack off in working hours.

I would take a lower paid flexi job over classic office hours any day.

Hmmm. All a bit patronising and ticking boxes, Gen Z, Gen X. All a load of bollocks really. Still, it would make a good article for someone.

My FT work is only 32.5 hours a week. 3 days from home, 2 in the office. I do whatever I'm asked to do and do it well. There are lulls in the workload, so much so that if I had to do five days in the office, I'd look for something else as I'd be bored out of my brain.

It works for me right now though as I can fit a lot of my life admin and household chores into my working hours, freeing up my time for enjoyable pursuits. I won't detail what I do, suffice to say I'd have to burn the building down twice before I might lose my job!

I've been considering an upward move (and going from a salary bracket of 35-50k to 55-70k), but have backed out as I don't want to lose my easy life!

I can't even be arsed to read the article so I guess I'm one of those 'lazy girls' 😁

Meow! I don't think there is anything patronising about this. I genuinely think it's great if younger women don't feel like they have to chase 'having it all' like the older generations. I think women (and men) have been conditioned to want 'it all' by capitalism, to become an efficient worker bee serving the economy and I applaud if Gen Z-ers have seen through this and refuse to give in to it.

Personally, I've never been ambitious so I've worked towards a good work-life balance instead and have finally got it.

I have days where I leave the office with no recollection of having done any work at all, but because a lot of what I do is extremely visible, and I always do the stuff that managers ask for first, nobody would really notice. I've read a full book at work this week.
It was quite a full-on job when I started but has changed a lot and of course, the more you get used to doing something, the better and faster you get at it, and there's always a 'here's one I made earlier' that I can adapt and bang out quickly. I've also been here the longest, so I have a lot of info in my head that might take someone else half an hour to locate.

Do you think ‘endless pointless files’ may actually be an important point of the job of a support worker? Sounds to me like you aren’t doing your job properly and are getting paid for hours you aren’t working. Does your manager know what hours and how you work? I think you are taking the piss and I’d have you on a disciplinary and would be revoking the privilege of working from home so much. You are the lazy entitled employee that threatens hybrid working for all.

Oh my god this is my job! Hahaha that's so funny it's called that

My speciality skills are efficiency, and personal disinterest.

Because I'm really good at assessing processes and making them more efficient, I usually a) work a lot faster than colleagues and b) can design a process that speeds up everyone's work.

A just gets you more work for the same pay.

B gets you promotions, money and free time.

I enjoy pacy work, but I enjoy the money and free time more.

And showing professional, disinterested competence is a big boost to workplaces where not many people are happy.

leaves me lots of time for family, exercise, pursuing my interests, life admin etc. Zero guilt.

I don’t have a ‘lazy girl job’ but manage to do all of these things. I work hard to find a balance and prioritise family and self care.

Hehehe come and get me! 😝

Maybe it's the ADHD that makes me able to cram in the work I need to do in a shorter amount of time and cope well in stressful situations. But after working somewhere for 10 years I've definitely got to a point where in more efficient at my job and can still get everything done.
Spent too long when I was younger stressed with work and it's literally not worth it. You're replaceable in a business but you're not replaceable in your personal life.

I know what you mean OP

I have a job where I work super efficiently and can get a lot done and 'wow' people

But it's taken ten years to get there

Most of the time I'm phoning it in a bit, take breaks, read Mumsnet. When I need to I put on the gas and work until the job is done (like now with 6 days until the end of term)

I can't work at 110% all the time, I'd have a breakdown and also it would become expected, the norm to do the work of 3 people.

I don't understand. I always thought if you worked from home bosses could tell if your inactive on the computer? I know there are devices you can buy that move the mouse so it looks as if your working.

Depends what software you work devices have. Some have monitoring software some don't.
I don't have anything like that. And we're pretty flexible.
If I'm not on Slack on my laptop it's on my phone so I don't miss a message if I step away from my desk

Surely there’s a difference between having an easy job and being a lazy, shirking type of person though?

A ‘lazy girl’ job might be polishing luxury handbags, but I’m a bit 🤔 at the idea of a support worker being ‘lazy girl’ job. Maybe I have misunderstood you OP?

People who need support workers are often desperate for help. Yes it’s often the utter wankiness of outsourcing important work to random charities and unqualified people and turning a blind eye to the results, but lazy and inept people in those jobs make it worse. I just wouldn’t be able to look myself in the eye if I was in that kind of job, doing the minimum so I can suit myself during working hours. I would have to try to do something useful.

Work-life balance means not working to death outside of work hours not not working in^ work hours.

What about the employers who are paying staff to work fewer hours than they are being paid and are employing more people than they need to?

When you say 'support worker' - what or who are you supporting? If you worked more intensely would more people receive support?