Commentary: Contrary to what TikTok tells you, ‘lazy girl jobs’ aren’t lazy at all

SIGNIFICANT MENTAL STRESS

Lazy girl jobs aren’t lazy – and on the other extreme, they may even cause significant mental stress.

I have several friends in admin support or customer service, who perform repetitive work like data entry and fielding calls.

Although they clock out on time every day, they often complain about feeling lingering weariness from work. One told me that she “dreams in spreadsheets”.

Clearly, doing menial tasks at work does not equate to a lack of mental strain. Monotony, coupled with a feeling of boredom and helplessness “increases stress and burnout in the workplace,” according to the Harvard Business Review.

This is ironic, considering that lazy girl jobs are supposed to be free of the pressure and fatigue of traditional corporate jobs.

Additionally, companies’ increased automation of repetitive tasks may further reduce workers’ roles and exacerbate workplace monotony. More than 50 per cent of organisations worldwide plan on incorporating automation technologies and artificial intelligence this year, according to a Deloitte study.

My friend who works as a customer service representative says the automation of her company’s help desk has significantly cut down her interactions with customers via calls. While this speeds up her work, she often goes entire days without hearing another human voice. This makes her endless loop of tasks feel even more suffocating, she said.