It’s easy to forget that the main reason we all have and need jobs is to make money. Today’s workers demand more from their jobs, while the demands of today’s employers are ambiguous. As the Gen Z population enters the workforce, Baby Boomers (and even some Gen Xers) are entering retirement in full force. The shift in generational work ethic can be jarring for some employers, but cultures are changing, and so should the demand for employees.
Regardless of the generation at work today, a fulfilling career is meaningful to most, but a tiring job can wear on even the hardest workers. While employers and employees go back and forth with expectations, there are a few tactics that workers can implement to make their jobs more fulfilling and avoid burnout.
Preplan Work/Life Balance
This may seem like an impossible task. “How can I control my work/life balance?” With a heightened importance of focus on mental health and wellbeing, finding the right career for your lifestyle is vital to living the high-quality life you dream of. Some people are made for the grind. 9-5 isn’t enough for them, and overtime hours are as much of an award as they are a necessity. For others, a basic work schedule is more than enough. Find where you fit on this scale from a mental perspective. If you want to live a lavish lifestyle, you will likely have to find the right job for you that can accommodate that budget. Generally, these jobs require more time and skill, so building a career can take years of your life to get there. If you look to provide for a family, you will need to budget with a partner, or budget as the sole income provider, and find a fitting job for that respective lifestyle. Whatever your situation is, you will need to balance your priorities and appropriately accommodate your career for that lifestyle.
If you are just getting into the workforce and can afford to be picky, this is a great opportunity to find the right job with the right level of responsibility. Careers that make more money generally require more commitment and responsibility. These careers give less to the workers who look to focus more on work/life balance. However, even those who choose high-responsibility jobs should know their limits. It’s important to set a precedent with your employer early in your career with your work/life balance. It will always be easier to add more responsibility later on in your career when you realize you have the time and availability than it is to take it away. So be honest with your employer, and ramp up your responsibility levels slowly instead of taking on a swarm of new projects right away.
Find Purpose
86% of Gen Zs and 89% of millennials state that having a sense of purpose in their work is important to their job satisfaction.* This is important to note because the general relationship between employer and employee is one of give and take. The employer asks the employee to do work for them, and the employee does that work for a fee. It’s simple but it has worked for thousands of years. Today’s workforce wants more than that. While we ask our employers to give more, we can find purpose in our work without the help of management. Know your purpose for your work outside of the paycheck. Not all careers and jobs feel like they’re vital to society, but most of them are. If your job was not important, then someone wouldn’t be paying you to do it. Again, a simple idea of course, but something important to ponder.
Ask yourself where you are going after this job. Find a way forward. Does your current role lead to a promotion? Or does the role lead to a steady paycheck to fit your lifestyle? Ask the questions that matter to you, and see if your current role can answer any of these questions. Maybe your goal is to save enough money to buy a house that you want to live in for the rest of your life. Budget your expenses and income and measure whether or not this job can fulfill that goal for you. If your goal is to build a family, ask yourself how this current role is getting you closer to that dream. If your employers don’t give you purpose, and your position serves no other purpose than a paycheck (and that’s not good enough for you), then maybe it’s time to look for a new career. But before you do, make sure you know your goals and purpose before you quit your current job and search for a new one.
Build Skills
The majority of workers end up in a job that is much different than what they dreamed of as children. How many have dreamed of being astronauts, firefighters, or judges? Not only do people not have jobs they dreamed of as children, but only about a quarter of the population have a career that matches their college degree.** The fact is that many will have a job where their original interests and skills do not match. However, regardless of your original career interests, it’s important to find a way to learn from your current job.
Many see a dead-end job as a paycheck only, but they are missing out on the opportunity to learn and build skills as they grow older. A boring sales job may teach workers how to implement sales tactics that can be ever so useful throughout their lives. Office jobs that require reporting can build analytical skills that can become useful to a new career, or even at home. Those who work in trades such as carpentry, plumbing, or construction build extremely important skills that can help them through their personal lives and in their homes every day. What truly matters is our attention to these skills that we’re learning every day. Dreading work can destroy a worker’s mental psyche and put a strain on personal lives. However, finding opportunities to advance your life can help build positivity in the work you do, regardless of how important it may or may not feel.
Stay Ahead of the Curve
The workforce is changing quickly today, especially with the strong integration of AI and new technologies. It’s important for all employees to see the signs of change within their organizations and stay ahead of the curve. It’s also vital for employees to understand the health and state of their businesses and evaluate how their role fits into that organization’s future. Layoffs for all companies are inevitable, but you can position yourself to become an important asset for the business or position yourself to have future success with a different organization.
Listen to what your managers are telling you every day, and evaluate their behavior. Does your supervisor seem overly stressed about a sales goal? Does your supervisor seem to focus on timely work over quality work? Answers to these questions can give you some insight into the strength of your organization. Building skills of observation will help you avoid being blind-sided when a mass layoff eventually occurs. If your company’s executives have been discussing running a lean operation, then you can understand that cuts are coming. If your company’s executives have been asking employees to put their attention toward the goal of finding new customers, this could mean that profits are lower than expected, and the company will likely make a corresponding move to reduce expenditures.
Regardless of the position you hold, or the money you make, find a way to take advantage of the job you currently have. Some jobs simply do not provide enough income, and in these cases, you will either have to reduce your spending or find a new career. But if your job is leading you to burn out, find new ways to reinvigorate yourself, even if your employer and manager aren’t actively helping.
For more resources on resumes, interviews, and more, check out our Career Resources section.
