Do you feel like more and more often you wake up and you are struggling to go off to work?
Does the idea of spending 8 hours of your life every single day at a desk become more and more unpleasant? If so, don’t worry. You are not alone!
In this blog, we will identify the most common reasons why employees, and especially professionals from GEN Y, don’t feel like going to work and we will explore together the most realistic ways to go through that tough stage and find career satisfaction.
So, what’s the real reason behind this situation… let’s have a look below.
From Desk Dread to Career Contentment: Understanding Gen Y’s Work Woes and How to Overcome Them!
I think I heard you say blah blah blah. Is that correct?
There have been plenty of cases showing that younger generations wise up to the traditional work culture with most of them not accepting the way the workplace and working patterns have been for employees.
One of the most well-known cases is the Big Quit! The Big Quit, also known as the great resignation started being observed in early 2021. Lots of employees with more or less years of experience decided to voluntarily resign from their careers, putting as a priority their well-being. And we did observe a big shift with the great resignation that began in early 2021 with lots of employees voluntarily resigning from their jobs during covid-19.
For lots of individuals, the course of the pandemic was an opportunity for reflection and actual evaluation of their priorities, their rights and beliefs.
In a Gartner survey published in January 2022
• 52% of people said the pandemic made them question the purpose of their job
• 50% said it had changed their expectations towards their employer
• 65% said it had made them rethink the place that work had in their life
The stats clearly suggest that even though covid-19 was a very difficult period for the world, employees did really tick something off their endless list of things to do. The pandemic did change lots of people’s expectations of work — and many were prepared to quit if their employer wasn’t ready to meet those expectations.
Big Quit, the Gartner survey and many other work issues have been discussed in the Antiwork. Antiwork is a Reddit channel with over two million members talking about the tough working realities and the nonsense situations employees deal with daily in different workplaces of the world. A quick look at the channel will persuade you that millennials are not accepting the way that has been set for employees and they push back at the conditions employees work under, and they are right to…
Similarly, in the US the consequences of overwork have started to be seen on the surface of the iceberg. According to The American Institute of Stress, 83% of workers in the US suffer from work-related stress while 25% express that their responsibilities at work represent one of their major stressors on a daily basis.
Burn bright not out!
A recent study from Deloitte showed that a whopping 77% of professionals feel burned out at their current role. Symptoms such as feeling unmotivated to get up in the morning most days of the week, feeling helpless in the office or being depressed are some of the signs that you shouldn’t ignore. Even if you are an ambitious young professional who feels like going through that successfully you need to keep in mind that your personal and professional life needs to be in balance even if you don’t feel like it..
The consequences of workload might not be obvious in the first years of your career but pushing and pushing yourself will lead you to harmful consequences sooner or later and will negatively impact your physical and mental health and then there might not be return.
The good news is that as more new generations get into management and leading positions, more will hopefully put forth better work conditions and wages for employees. And this has already been observed in start-ups which have been managed by young people who are coming up with new innovative ideas for the leadership of the companies and they do provide employees with fair benefits and employment packages.
Change has already begun and it’s up to you to become part of it. Set higher professional expectations and learn to say no when it’s necessary – you deserve nothing less than that.
I always go that extra mile at work. Then they find me and drag me back!
Another common factor that might make you feel like you don’t want to go to the office is that you might feel stuck in some way or another.
An interesting study that analyzed work autonomy in European Union countries shows that since 1995 work autonomy and creativity have decreased while work stress and pressure have increased dramatically.
It should not be dismissed that work pressure has been observed mainly among employees with lower positions, a lack of progress through the years and limited autonomy within the workplace. This is one more finding that comes to support the fact that when people limit themselves and they don’t look for new opportunities to advance their careers they do lose interest in the end.
It’s absolutely crucial for all employees at any stage of their career to participate in continuing professional development to develop their skills and to be up to the latest updates in their field.
The decline in job satisfaction is due mainly to the increase in work pressure when this is not accompanied by greater work autonomy.
Keep it up!
The opportunity to develop your skills and advance your career is an important factor in job satisfaction. Employees who participate in continuing professional development – like through established promotion routes, skill improvement, or new accreditations – are more likely to be satisfied in their careers.
The path towards progressiveness starts with self-awareness!
We all have some inherent characteristics that make us unique and help us perform better at certain tasks.
Self-awareness is the first step and the keyway towards self-development! As an employee, you need to find out these 2-3 aspects of your role that keep you going and encourage you to find satisfaction beyond monetary gains. Someone might be an expert in public speaking, or in data analysis.
Whatever it is that helps you contribute efficiently to the team goal, you need to become aware of it (self-awareness). To have a clear picture of how you can work on it (action) and finally, you need to communicate it to your manager (speak out).
Here are some ways to work on your high skills!
- Shadow another professional
- Read books and other materials
- Be mentored
- Take a formal training course
- Receive a qualification sponsored by the company
What if the company doesn’t allow me to progress should I take the risk and leave?
“He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life’
Before you consider seeking alternative employment, it’s usually best to speak openly with your employer about the situation. However, the truth is that many organizations handle progress poorly and treat people like they are just a number. There are other companies though, which offer support in the progression and professional development of their employees and if you feel like you need to take the risk and look for a more exciting opportunity to a company that will make you feel relevant, happy and motivated then that’s a good time to take the risk and go for it.
I am quitting to pursue my dream of NOT working 9 to 5!
Although many people find their nine-to-five jobs meaningful, some individuals feel lots of pressure in this technically ‘stable’ life and they are looking for alternative options. And this is quite understandable. As mentioned in our blog for the Big Five Personality Theory, people with different personality traits find happiness in different career directions.
For example, individuals who work better under supervision would prefer a traditional nine-to-five schedule. While people who have high leadership skills cannot fit easily into society’s ideals, they are wired that way, and this is hard to ignore… Famous entrepreneurs like Lisa Messenger, Tony Robbins, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Sheryl Sandberg do belong in this category.
Creative individuals do also struggle to adapt to a nine-to-five routine. Creative minds enjoy unveiling their plethora of ideas and innovative solutions in an open environment and they cannot limit themselves to a specific list of responsibilities of a job description.
Thanks to technology, there are so many great alternatives if you feel like you want to quit your traditional working routine.
- Freelance or Consulting business
- Start an e-commerce business
- Launch a software product
- Dropship for Amazon FBA
- Buy pre-existing businesses from MicroAcquire or Empire Flippers
More and more people, especially from GEN Y, love the idea of start-ups and people do succeed so definitely this trend won’t slow down soon. If you are already in a company, then the best way to approach these ideas is to work on them gradually. Don’t rush to quit your job right away. If you work on both of them, you will reduce any risk because you can rely on income and benefits from your full-time job. Working part-time on your project will also give you a better idea of having your own business. Keep in mind that even though the idea looks tempting, working for yourself isn’t for everyone and there are plenty of challenges going this route too.
The common reason why people want to quit their jobs nowadays is that their role does not add value to their lives in the way they want. And it does make sense. It does not really feel like you are contributing to your self-development when all you are doing is slapping numbers in Excel sheets.
So, it is understandable to feel tired and frustrated. Feeling frustrated and ready to give up is the first sign to be alerted and realize that you need a change in your life. Frustration can be a powerful motivator for improvement especially when it’s accompanied by self-awareness and an optimistic attitude. If you feel this way then maybe it is your turn to change the world and by changing the world, I mean starting with yourself and your quality of life.
So, make it happen and shock everyone!
Have a good one!
Bibliography
Lopes, H., Lagoa, S., & Calapez, T. (2014). Work autonomy, work pressure, and job satisfaction: An analysis of European Union countries. The Economic and Labour Relations Review, 25(2), 306–326. https://doi.org/10.1177/1035304614533868
