Silent firing to coffee badging: 11 must-know workplace trends explained

It doesn’t stop—the workplace lexicon keeps growing, with new terms popping up almost daily. If it’s not quiet quitting, it’s coffee badging, micro-retiring, or Gen Zers giving someone the ‘stare.’

Chances are, you’ve heard of at least some of these trends. Here’s a list of the latest workplace buzzwords—see if you recognise any (and hopefully don’t find yourself caught up in some of them).

This was one of the first terms to create waves. Quiet quitting occurs when someone psychologically disengages from work. They may be physically present or logged into their computer, but many of them don't know what to do or why it matters. They also don't have any supportive bonds with their coworkers, boss or their organisation.

It’s exactly as it suggests: A dramatic exit from a job, often with flair, after feeling undervalued or mistreated.

TikTok upped the game by ‘streaming’ their resignation, with rants, stories and the emotional release of walking away. Be warned, this is a dicey game to play, and you might land your reputation in trouble, jeopardising your own future.

This trend involves using informal coffee breaks or casual chats as a way to discreetly observe or keep tabs on colleagues, managers, or workplace dynamics. Instead of official meetings, these seemingly relaxed interactions become opportunities to gather insights, read between the lines, or even subtly monitor someone’s mood, productivity, or intentions. It’s a mix of networking and low-key surveillance disguised as friendly catch-ups—part social ritual, part workplace strategy.

The post-pandemic mass wave of people quitting jobs to seek better work-life balance.

Is it really a vacation when you’re working? It doesn’t matter if you’re sitting at a Maldives beach with your laptop propped open: You’re still working on a vacation.

Silent firing is a subtle, often unspoken method employers use to push employees out without formally terminating them. Instead of outright firing, managers may reduce an employee’s responsibilities, exclude them from important meetings or projects, limit their opportunities for growth, or create a work environment that’s discouraging or isolating. It’s a quiet, indirect form of dismissal that avoids the legal and emotional complications of a formal firing but can be stressful and demoralising for the employee caught in this invisible squeeze.

This does sound ideal, now doesn’t it? You get to work remotely while travelling the world.

Bare Minimum Mondays refer to the trend where employees deliberately do just enough work to get through the start of the week, often putting in minimal effort on Mondays. After the weekend, motivation can be low, and the focus is on easing back into work without overexerting. This mindset reflects a broader pushback against burnout and overwork, with people prioritizing work-life balance and setting boundaries—starting the week at a manageable pace rather than going all out from day one.

Rearranging or reshaping your tasks to fit your strengths and interests.

Quiet hiring is when companies fill talent gaps not by hiring externally through traditional job postings, but by reassigning current employees, offering short-term contracts, or hiring freelancers—often without making it public. For employees, quiet hiring can be a double-edged sword: it might lead to exciting opportunities for growth or learning new skills—but it can also mean being asked to take on more work without the title, raise, or recognition.