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Career rust-out, which is different from burnout, can leave even successful workers feeling unfulfilled, but author Allison Hill says the solution may lie outside of work rather than in a new job
This is the weekly Work Life newsletter. If you are interested in more careers-related content, sign up to receive it in your inbox. You have a good job, you like your colleagues and you’ve worked hard to get where you are.
Yet, somewhere along the way, the work that once energized you started to feel routine. That feeling could be career “rust-out,” says Allison Hill, author of the forthcoming book, Your Job Won’t Love You Back: 12 Principles to Live in Alignment with Your Heart. Unlike burnout, which is often driven by too much work, stress and responsibility, rust-out can happen when everything looks good on paper but work no longer feels engaging.
“The signs start small and start to grow. You ask yourself ‘Is this it? ’ It’s hard to concentrate at work, you feel bored, restless and perhaps like you are just going through the motions,” says the Atlanta-based executive with more than 30 years of experience in corporate leadership, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. But before looking for a new job, Ms. Hill says workers should consider whether their careers are actually the source of the problem.
She believes people have increasingly come to expect work to provide not only an income and opportunities, but also identity, status, validation, growth and purpose. Social media can amplify that relationship by making promotions, awards and other career achievements highly visible.
“Work gives us constant external validation and if you are an ambitious person you can become very good at collecting it,” says Ms. Hill. Ms. Hill came to that realization after reaching a major milestone in her own career. She had received a big promotion and felt she was doing some of the best work of her career, in a workplace that suited her.
But once the initial excitement faded, she found herself wondering whether reaching the goal she had worked toward was enough.
“The employer wasn’t necessarily failing me. I was asking work to answer questions it couldn’t answer: Am I successful enough? Am I important? Am I fulfilled?
Is my life meaningful? ” she says. For some workers, Ms. Hill says that means what looks like career rust-out may actually be “life rust-out. ” Instead of immediately changing employers, they may need to invest more energy in relationships, creativity, hobbies or other sources of meaning outside work.
That doesn’t mean people should stay in toxic workplaces or stop pursuing professional growth. Ms. Hill says employers should provide opportunities to learn and contribute, while managers should notice when high performers are no longer challenged.
However, workers also need to advocate for their own development. Rebalancing also doesn’t require abandoning ambition. She still encourages people to work hard, take risks and pursue big goals. The difference is recognizing that a career doesn’t have to carry the full weight of a person’s identity.
“For me, success became much more expansive. Yes, I still wanted meaningful work; but I also wanted to be present for the people I love. I wanted relationships and creativity and purpose outside a job. I wanted a life that felt uniquely mine,” she says.
It’s a lesson Ms. Hill hopes to pass on to her daughters as they build careers of their own.
“It’s up to us to build a life that loves us back. Because, our job won’t love us back. It’s just not that into us,” she says. Fast fact AI anxiety 64 per cent That’s how many AI-aware adults in Canada say artificial intelligence makes them feel worried, compared to 74 per cent in the U.S., according to a new 37-country Gallup study.
Read more Career guidance Discrimination documentation One worker’s employer has been making subtle remarks about their age and had tasks reassigned to younger workers. They’re wondering how to bring up the issue and if there are any laws they should be aware of. Law and HR experts suggest speaking directly to the supervisor if it feels safe and, if not, go directly to HR.
Either way, put your concern in writing and be sure to lead with what you observed happening before the claim of discrimination. If nothing changes, consider seeking legal support. Read more Quoted Search stress “You’re just talking to a black hole,” says Mythili Sampathkumar, a 44-year-old writing and communications professional who has spent months polishing her résumé, filling out forms and preparing cover letters.
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Read more On our radar Skills shortage Ontario manufacturers are struggling to find skilled workers in trades such as welding, mechatronics and electrical technology, with the province’s manufacturing job vacancy rate falling to a decade-low 1.7 per cent. Industry leaders warn the decline masks longer-term workforce challenges as roughly 20,000 manufacturing workers retire each year, apprenticeship programs fail to keep pace with industry needs and reduced immigration further tightens the talent pipeline. Read more
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