At some point in their career everyone experiences feeling unfulfilled at work. But with confidence in the UK job market weakening, and competition for roles increasing, more people than ever are clinging to their positions, even if they have fallen out of love with their work. It’s a phenomenon that some have termed “job hugging”.
If you find yourself prioritising a sense of security over ambition, and are unhappily sticking with your current role, is there a way you can weather the storm and even revitalise your passion for your job in the process? We spoke to career coaches, workplace psychologists and Guardian readers to find out.
Remind yourself why you wanted the job
It can be easy to lose sight of what originally drew you to your job when you are feeling dissatisfied or disengaged. Yet taking time to think about why you initially liked it can create a positive shift in your attitude and potentially give your working days more purpose.
“People often struggle with being a small cog in a big machine and working to make rich people richer, but if you can think of who you’re personally helping every day and why you first joined up, that can help you to engage better,” says career coach Alice Stapleton says. “Focus on the daily impact of your work and the people you might be helping with your tasks rather than the bigger picture.”
Consider the benefits. Photograph: Posed by model; Richard Drury/Getty ImagesThink about what work gives you
If your reasons for doing the job are elusive, it might be easier to focus instead on the tangible benefits it can bring. “Our careers can give us purpose but they also provide a salary, stability, routine, holidays and perhaps even a social side with your colleagues,” Stapleton says. “Once you think about the benefits your job gives you right now, you will be more energised.”
Talk to your colleaguesCo-workers can become mentors. Photograph: Posed by models; Maria Korneeva/Getty Images
“Going deeper with work colleagues rather than just asking ‘What did you do on the weekend?’ can bring huge benefits,” says career coach Dina Grishin. “Connect with colleagues from other departments and those you click with, since if you have someone at work who can be a safe harbour, it can really help change your mindset.”
In a world that increasingly adopts remote working, Grishin emphasises the need to “put yourself out there” and potentially learn from co-workers who could become mentors for career progression and change.
Space for a little benign misconduct? Photograph: Posed by models; Ivan Pantic/Getty ImagesFind fun moments
For librarian and Guardian reader Tommy Vinh Bui, engaging in harmless fun with colleagues helped him overcome the burnout he had begun to feel at work. “Drumming up an appropriate amount of benign misconduct can help while away the time,” he says. “Sometimes, when the building is empty before closing time, I might build architecturally complex book igloos. Silliness today helps temper the drudgery of tomorrow. This eventually helped me reconnect with the purpose of my job, which is to help create a vibrant community hub.”
Learn something new outside workFind a hobby outside work. Photograph: Posed by models; Maskot/Getty Images
Feeling fulfilled away from your desk can have a positive impact on your work and help you feel as if you are progressing, even if your career might seem stagnant. “As humans, we always like to feel we’re growing and learning,” Stapleton says. “By picking up a new hobby, you can give yourself a sense of learning that can make things feel more bearable day to day.”
For Guardian reader Maya Kawashima, joining the non-profit public speaking organisation Toastmasters not only became a fun hobby but also gave her extra skills to use in her work as a teacher. “Thanks to Toastmasters, I now engage in clear and kind communication with my colleagues, family and friends,” she says. “By seeking skill sets outside work, you will always be honing your craft.”
A change of remote workplace can help. Photograph: Posed by model; Maria Korneeva/Getty ImagesChange your surroundings
Remote working is becoming the norm in many industries, and a change of scenery can help you feel less stuck. “I signed up to the website Trusted Housesitters, which allows me to house-sit somewhere else for a week or two while working,” Grishin says. “It feels like a holiday, but it’s free, and you get to do your job in the same time zone in a new environment. It totally revitalises you.”
Glow up your workspace
If you can’t leave your desk, then Gretchen Spreitzer, professor of management and organisation at the University of Michigan suggests personalising your workspace. “I have pictures of my family on my desk and artefacts from companies I’ve visited. They are all booster shots of purpose that surround me when I’m in a difficult Zoom meeting,” she says. “They remind me that the work I do can be really meaningful. Even if you hot-desk, you can put an image on your screensaver to help remind you of that same sense of purpose.”
A gratitude journal can lift the mood. Photograph: Posed by model; MoMo Productions/Getty ImagesStart a journal
“Keeping a gratitude diary can work really well when it feels as if you’re struggling,” Stapleton says. “At the end of the day, write down three things that you’re grateful for, or three things that went well. It can help you engage in the long term, as well as change your perspective to see how you’re still succeeding.”
Grishin also suggests starting the day with three pages of stream-of-consciousness writing – a technique outlined in Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way – to help you reconnect with your feelings and priorities. “You will find creativity and meaning within you,” she says. “It’s an amazing way to get more in touch with yourself and see what might need to shift at work for your experience to be better.”
Focus on what you enjoyHome in on what works for you. Photograph: Posed by models; supersizer/Getty Images
It might sound straightforward, but reflecting on the elements of work you still like could help shift more of your daily tasks towards using those skills. “Most people don’t hate every part of their job and might be surprised at how they can move closer towards the tasks they do enjoy,” Stapleton says. “Maybe you can investigate cross-departmental work that gets you closer to projects you like, or have conversations with decision-makers to get a greater insight into building those skills.”
Jobcrafting gets the best out of you. Photograph: Posed by models; DMP/Getty ImagesTry to jobcraft …
Once you have identified the elements of work you enjoy and the skill sets you would like to develop, look at how you could change the parameters of your job to skew it towards those aspects. Alison Gibbs, a business psychologist at Work Psychology Group, explains: “We call it jobcrafting, where individuals can proactively tailor their jobs to their strengths. It gives them a sense of being in control rather than being led by what the organisation is telling them to do. We can think of our jobs as being rigid, but often if you can have a frank conversation with your superiors about working towards your strengths, you might gain more flexibility in your role than you thought.”
Figure out the priorities. Photograph: Posed by model; Maskot/Getty Images… Or taskcraft
On a smaller scale, Gibbs says that organising your to-do list of daily tasks can lead to a greater sense of fulfilment and job satisfaction long term. “Identify the few things you absolutely have to prioritise on your daily list of tasks. When you come to the end of the day and can see that you have achieved them, it will give you a boost, even if you don’t have much autonomy in your work,” she says. “By managing your stress in the moment on a micro level, it provides you with a greater sense of control and an easier day.”
Apply your strengths in different ways
If you have been in the same job or career for some time, you might have lost track of your strengths and how best to keep nurturing them, Grishin explains. By taking a free strengths test, such as the Institute on Character survey, employees can pursue what’s most important to them. “You might feel you’ve been coasting for a while but organisations often have a small learning or coaching budget you could access,” she says. “That would enable you to take courses or find conferences on the strengths you want to develop, and it will ultimately benefit you as well as your company.”
Consider a sideways moveLeave the desk, not the employer. Photograph: Posed by model; Westend61/Getty Images
Leaving your job for a new employer might be a tall order, but there could be the possibility of switching jobs within your existing company to find a role that allows for new challenges and skills. Guardian reader Mathilda Chenu, who works for a technology company, negotiated to move roles within her organisation after she explained that she didn’t have enough to do in her initial job and that frustrated her. “I moved to another team in the same institution and although it created a higher workload, it saved me from boredom,” she says. “I also met new colleagues, and working on new projects with them helped.”
Reward yourself regularlyA little pat on the back does wonders. Photograph: Kseniya Ovchinnikova/Getty Images
Career coach Jo Maughan speaks of the importance of developing “nourishing rituals” that can make tough days seem easier. “When you’ve finished a task you didn’t want to do, get up and do something you like,” she says. “It could be making a cup of tea or chatting to a colleague, but it’s taking time to give yourself a reward that’s important.”
By celebrating these small wins, we can give ourselves a greater sense of accomplishment, Gibbs adds. “When you get lost in the humdrum of work, you need to find those opportunities to pat yourself on the back,” she says. “You can’t rely on someone else to do it for you.”
Solve problems together
There might be certain issues at work that can be tackled with the help of like-minded colleagues, rather than feeling as if the only solution is to change jobs. “It can be empowering and create an added sense of purpose if you can connect with colleagues over the shared problems you might face as a group,” Maughan says. “You could pitch solutions to your manager, and not only can it help galvanise your team, but it can showcase you as a go-getter.”
Take control of your time
For Guardian reader John Wilson, changing his perspective on how his life and work intersected led him to find greater fulfilment in his career in pharmaceuticals. “I realised it was more about how the job fits into your life rather than the other way around,” he says. “It’s easy to focus on the negatives when you focus just on your job alone, but looking at it as a portion of your week can allow you to see what other things you have space for. Take charge of your time; use your commute to read that book you’ve been meaning to start, since not every moment in the week has to be a salary-making opportunity.”
Consideration goes a long way. Photograph: Posed by models; Klaus Vedfelt/Getty ImagesPerform acts of kindness
Saying thank you often, smiling and respecting others around you at work can help cut stress levels and anxiety and foster a better workplace culture. “Building acts of kindness into your everyday routine will help you to model the workplace environment that you want,” Gibbs says. “It’s basic human nature to seek out kindness and, when it’s reciprocated, it makes the workplace far easier to be in.”
Change how you talk about work at home
The way we recount our day to our family or friends once work is over can reinforce negatives and build a difficult narrative around our jobs. “It’s all about how you frame your day,” Spreitzer says. “I used to talk about the highs and lows of my day with my kids because it makes you go back and think about the things that have gone well, rather than only focusing on the negatives. It’s often harder to remember the good than the bad.”
Don’t let the job consume your life. Photograph: Posed by models; Maskot/Getty ImagesDon’t make your job the centre of your world
“There is such a thing as too much emphasis on your career,” Grishin says. “It’s dangerous to get fulfilment from work when it only functions as a status symbol, since that relationship can lead to burnout and it can have damaging consequences once things start to go wrong.” Developing a healthy social support network and hobbies or interests outside work can instead change your perspective on your career and create resilience if it begins to feel overwhelming or dissatisfying.
Work on your exit plan
If you have outgrown your current job but haven’t yet found the opportunity to leave, there is nothing stopping you from plotting an exit strategy. “Once you have figured out what you might want to do next, start thinking about upskilling or reskilling through further training or education,” Stapleton says. “Go to industry workshops or seminars and use that time to build up your network. It will beef up your CV and help you to find new opportunities. Humans are loyal, but you need to remember that in a lot of jobs you’re a bum on a seat and you have to make your own career.”
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