Gen Z is “office-frogging” from role to role, and it’s leaving employers frustrated. Office frogging is a fun new term for job hopping, adding greater emphasis on the idea that it can be extremely difficult to tie employees down. Gen Z’s career hopping isn’t a novel strategy, and neither are the young ‘uns the only ones to do it, however, there is a renewed fervor behind this wayward trend.
For Gen Z workers rethinking their careers, the trend is a survival tactic designed to keep their careers moving forward. For employers, the office frogging trend marks another strike against Gen Z workers and their employability. Both sides blame the other for this lack of consistency, and it’s about time we sit both parties down at the table to understand how things take shape next.
Gen Z’s office frogging trend refers to the escalated job-hopping tendencies among employees who see more benefit from switching roles than staying. (Image: Pexels)
The “Office Frogging” Gen Z Trend Is Another Symptom of a Frazzled Job Market
Let’s start from the top: what is an office frog? As endearing as the term sounds, it refers to an employee who chooses to hop from job to job, switching between opportunities quickly and repeatedly. The change in employment opportunities can be due to internal factors like issues at work or lack of support from the organization, or external factors such as a desire for more experience or higher pay. Gen Z isn’t the first to go job hopping, and it is unlikely that they will be the last.
We have years of data on retention strategies and engagement tactics to prove that holding on to workers for extended periods of time has always been a challenge. Over the years, the problem has been more prominent during some periods over others, but job hoppers have always been a part of the workplace, temporarily present, as expected.
Why are Gen Z Turning to the Office Frogging Trend?
As we’ve said before, Gen Z’s office frogging is a survival tactic to keep their career growth in their own hands and seek opportunities where they can. The signs of this trend have been apparent for months now, particularly when it comes to their disinterest in managerial roles. These workers aren’t particularly impressed by titles, and neither are they inclined to move up the corporate ladder the same way that previous generations are. Rather than look at management positions as a medal of honor, Gen Zers appear more focused on the pay and benefits that come with career success.
Described as the pragmatic generation, surveys have shown that Gen Z workers see greater career benefits from leaping from career lily pad to lily pad, making their way forward rather than counting on their current employers to advance their careers. This attitude is not without reason. The nature of jobs is changing, and many employers have set their sights on investments in tech and AI rather than employee retention. HR conversations in 2025 have primarily focused on managing layoffs and severance packages, rather than employee engagement, which has led workers to consider the broader implications.
A leisurely walk through online communities shows a growing feeling of suspicion towards employers. Experienced senior workers also recommend that employees change jobs every few years before their employers change them. “Often employees may find they aren’t learning anymore or are growing bored with their current roles,” Peter Duris, co-founder of AI-based career service Kickresume and creator of the new term, told Forbes. “Sometimes workers may need a chance to learn new skills and boost their salary, something that may only be possible with a new opportunity.”
Can Gen Z’s Job Hopping Be a Good Thing?
As with any trend, there are pros and cons to switching jobs frequently. Employees who do so tend to find more substantial growth in their careers than by staying at one job for years at a stretch. With each opportunity, there are different experiences, skills, networks, and work benefits to capitalize on, leaving no room for boredom or stagnation. This trend also keeps their employers on their toes, prompting them to invest in active changes that promote retention and internal promotions to keep employees engaged.
On the other hand, Gen Z’s office frogging can also hurt their careers. Employers who are already hesitant to hire from their ranks are likely to set their resumes face down on the desk and never pick them up again after witnessing their long history of career moves. Data shows that frequent job hopping can also have an impact on Gen Z’s retirement savings and overall financial status.
Frequent career moves can also be disorienting, repeatedly putting the job seeker in a new space where they have to relearn operations. These successive positions may also result in multiple opportunities on the same level with the same pay, rather than a step higher than the last one.
For employers, having to frequently replace and retrain workers can become cumbersome. It can also encourage employees who may have chosen to stay otherwise to follow their office besties out the door. The office frog’s survival tactic can be a good thing for businesses that don’t have an elaborate internal promotion strategy for workers, but it can affect the overall workplace engagement levels and morale.
What Can You Do About Gen Z’s Tendency Towards Career Hoping?
With 2025 coming to a close, we can say with certainty that it has been a year of change. The fall of DEI policies, the rise of RTO policies, and the confusion around AI policies have collectively left workers disoriented. Just like the “quiet cracking” trend, the office frogging trend among Gen Z and Millennial workers is a direct result of the changes that have occurred within the workplace. To address it and double down on retention, it is essential to introduce stability and consistency into the mix.
Offering workers employment opportunities that clearly chart out their career trajectory can be the easiest way to convince workers to stay. For Gen Zers, the roles themselves may not hold any appeal, but highlighting the benefits and pay that come with the title can grab their attention. Flexibility and overall well-being support tools are essential components in the list of benefits that Gen Zers are on the hunt for. Providing them with these desired benefits gives them more reasons to stay.
Setting employee engagement strategies under the microscope, it’s time to review these practices to understand why they are failing to keep employees engaged and determine what can be done about it. Addressing workplace loneliness, listening to employee concerns, and making changes to the workplace culture may dissuade Gen Z workers from the office frogging trend. Addressing job security and providing guarantees of longevity is another solution that can go a long way in ensuring that employees choose to stay.
Have more insights to share with regard to Gen Z’s office frogging? Tell us about your experience working with Gen Z. Subscribe to The HR Digest for more insights on workplace trends, layoffs, and what to expect with the advent of AI.