New workplace trends are indicating that employees are moving away from the traditional career ladder, making it even more challenging for employers to fill leadership gaps in their workforce.

KickResume is bringing attention to new workplace trends called "job-dropping" and "unbossing," both of which show that employees are increasingly turning down opportunities for promotion.

Job-dropping refers to employees' rising preference for less demanding roles at work, leading them to reject promotions and find jobs with fewer responsibilities and pressure.

"Unbossing," similarly, refers to Gen Z employees' move away from management roles in their pursuit of flexibility and work-life balance over added responsibility.

"While we often call it a 'career ladder,' people's progression isn't always so linear," said Peter Duris, CEO and co-founder of Kickresume.

"While a promotion and a bigger title might often be associated with success, lots of people are making decisions for their own wellbeing that might look, from the outside, like a step down."

What's behind job-dropping?

According to Duris, job-dropping happens for a variety of reasons that are inside and outside the workplace.

"This could be because they've realised they don't enjoy management and would rather go back to being an individual contributor, or because of pressures outside of work," the CEO said.

"In our recent survey of parents' experiences, we found that 29% of parents said that since having children, they were now looking for a less demanding role."

Mental health is also a factor, with a separate Kickresume poll showing that 70% of employees would prioritise their mental wellbeing over a job with high pay.

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