Employees are crashing out all over TikTok. Here's why

Fast Company

04-07-2025

Work-related stress is on the rise. And to quote Gen Z, who loves some dramatic verbiage, the overwhelm has employees totally 'crashing out.' Crashing out can look like having a full blown freak out (think: losing it at a coworker, crying at your desk, or screaming in your car) or simply feeling internally unhinged and saying quietly to yourself 'I'm crashing out. I'm crashing out so hard right now.'
On TikTok Gen Z is crashing out over the big and small. (Think their dog eating their new Nike kicks.) However, one of the most common trends is crashing out over work. And while the videos are very often all in good fun and usually hilarious, that doesn't mean that work-related pressure isn't a very real issue. According to a new report with data from 2,000 full-time employees, there are definitely good reasons to be crashing out.
Research from Owl Lab's 2024 State of Hybrid Work Report finds 43% of workers say their work stress has increased in just one year. Furthermore, 89% say there has been no improvement in their troublesome work-related stress from the previous year.
What is everyone crashing out about?
Unfair compensation
For starters, a good chunk of workers (22%) don't feel fairly compensated, per the report. Many employees are 'polyworking,' or working an additional job. Over a fifth (22%) of employees have another job in addition to their full-time job. Shockingly, this number is higher for managers: almost a third (32%) have another job. Unsurprisingly, managers' stress levels are 55% higher than nonmanagers'.
Not enough flexibility
Employees are also over having to go to the office, mainly, because it doesn't feel necessary to them. Half of workers feel that when they are forced to go into work it is only to 'fill a seat.'
Likewise, most workers (84%) say working from home gives them the ability to eat healthier meals. They also have to spend less money on food and parking. Hybrid workers report spending an average of $61 when working from the office versus working from home.
Flexibility is majorly important to workers: 41% say if they lost their hybrid work privileges, they'd look for a new job.
Office politics
One major reason why employees don't want to come into the office, aside from getting to work from the comfort of home, is political differences. Nearly half (45%) of U.S. workers said their colleagues' political views have them wanting to stay home.
While older generations are less likely to air their grievances online, Gen Z leans in. Overall one in three workers (34%) has posted something negative about their job or employer. However, nearly half (48%) of Gen Z employees have. And with that, crashing out has entered the chat.