I had the absolute pleasure of being interviewed by Ray Smith for The Wall Street Journal about the reduction in quitting. You can read the full piece using the link in the comments. ⬇️
No jobs mean no quiet quitting and no actual quitting either. No one can afford to. I could go on and on about the cognitive dissonance I encounter every day, seeing endless desperate posts about months of joblessness and my own family's job insecurity, juxtaposed with no mention of a Recession. The last time I felt this way was in 2009.
But that's a topic for another day and only part of what Ray and I discussed. Though much of our conversation could not make it into the piece, we talked about job satisfaction. I shared why I felt happy in my current work and the organizations where I contribute, in addition to what I learned from the past two years studying positive organizational psychology.
No one needs another novel of a LinkedIn post to read, so I'll say that for those who feel trapped in a role because of a stagnant job market, here are three ways I can feel satisfaction and motivation in my role wherever I am. Hopefully, this can help you, too:
1. Find ways to seek out and foster strong relationships that create a sense of camaraderie and support. I bet there's at least one person to connect with, start with just the one colleague and see how your community grows. If you love who you work with, you'll start to love the work.
2. Carve out autonomy over your schedule and work style. Decide how you want your day to look within the confines of the role's expectations. Speak up if you learn or work differently. There are always multiple paths to arrive at the same destination, and most people don't care how you get there, as long as it's on time.
3. While I embody a "team player" and love hopping in where I'm needed, I also try to guide my role and tasks to align with my skills and talents, which are where I really shine. Being the expert most of the time makes my job easier (for everyone), more fulfilling, and more efficient. I try to shoot for a 70/30 split, at least. If I can be firing on all MY cylinders 70% of the time, it helps me feel more confident to stretch in other areas.
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1moWhat is most helpful for my clients is to reflect back the work they are doing and then have them answer: 1) am I being paid for what I bring to the table? and 2) do I feel highly valued? (yes, how you feel matters). Everyone has to take on extra duties sometimes. When those duties go on for months - when you are making impact in those areas and not being paid for it and especially when you've taken on an entire additional job (due to a merger or org change for example) - those are the times to negotiate additional pay and/or a raise. From there you can decide whether to stay or go.