So, work still sucks?

When folks first learned my employee experience strategy was simply to make work suck less, some were all in. And, others were confused. "Won't that mean that work still sucks?"

In a word, yes. Work still sucks.

But not all of it. Not even most of it. I'm lucky in that, only a few small moments during my day would I consider falling in the 'suck' category. The amount of unread emails in my inbox. The meeting that could have been an (unread) email. The contract needing a ton of back and forth to finalize. The huge project that is cancelled at the last minute requiring a considerable amount of pivot and clean up on the back end.

This level of suck is tolerable and to be expected as part of the human experience. Every moment of your vacation isn't going to be Instagrammable. Every day at work isn't worth sharing in an employer brand ad. We can be honest with ourselves; utopia doesn't exist. And if it did, it'd probably scare the heck out of most of us while we waited for the proverbial Stepford shoe to drop. The perfect job, boss, and employee doesn't exist.

Acknowledge lived experiences

For some, the suck factor is not tolerable. I've held jobs that traumatized me. I have worked with managers who made it hard to get out of bed in the morning because they had not a single iota of emotional intelligence. If you had told me then that a single initiative or benefit was going to turn it all around and magically make me love my job, I'd have laughed. Then cried.

84% of American workers say their workplace conditions contribute to at least one mental health challenge

According to Mind Share , 84% of American workers says their workplace conditions contribute to at least one mental health challenge. 50% of full-time workers have left a job, at least in part, to mental health reasons. That number jumps to 81% of Gen Z respondents. Turns out, the kids are not alright. The two biggest workplace factors negatively impacting mental health were emotionally draining work and challenges achieving #worklifebalance .

We need to acknowledge the lived experiences of people whose workplace culture, leadership, or support is so bad that, no matter what we do, work will still suck on some level. So when I say, "let's make work suck less," I'm speaking to individuals, leaders, and organizations to consider how they might make incremental changes to bring a little more joy and a little less dread to the work place. No false promises, no easy button.

Two paths: should I stay or should I go?

When I talk with folks who are desperate for change, their first instinct is usually escape. Find a new job, a new company, start their own business. And that is a totally valid move to make. We switch jobs for all sorts of reasons: to find a more healthy workplace, to pivot to a different type of work, to find more alignment with our values, passions, and skills. This is leaving with purpose. Identifying exactly what you're looking for in your career and taking intentional steps to find it.

In this job market, this path is increasingly hard to pull off with any speed. We've seen the layoffs and hiring freezes and my heart goes out to everyone who's been affected - those who find themselves pushed to find a new job unexpectedly, and those who find themselves stuck (even if temporarily) in a job they dread.

The second path I help folks work through is staying with purpose.

Whatever you do, do it on purpose.

Let's say you do find your dream job. It's everything you wanted to be when you grew up. Amazing team, great culture, you're using your skills and creativity in a way that makes you hop out of bed in the morning with some pep. And then one day, a narcissistic billionaire buys your company and destroys all that. Or your manager is replaced by Cruella D'ville. Or your family situation changes dramatically and you find yourself unable to keep up with the demands of both caregiving and meeting work goals.

You may decide it's time to find a new opportunity. Depending on how long that takes (it took me eight months), you'll likely stay with purpose before you leave with purpose. In reality, both paths work side by side. Change is inevitable, for the better and for the worse.

It may not be good, but it can get better

As employees, how do we find a bit more joy and a bit less suck in our current role? By focusing on what we can control.

1. Get aligned with your purpose. Identify a way you can bring your work more into alignment with your values, skills, and passions. Can you join an employee resource group or get involved with DEI initiatives? Can you take on a stretch project? Can you become a mentor? Find a community of your people at work and surround yourself with folks on the same path.
2. Set boundaries. Get a vacation (or three) on the calendar to give yourself something to look forward to. Don't work on those vacations. Block your calendar to support what you need to get done outside of work. Share what's going on in your life with trusted members of your team so they understand why you're not taking meetings at 7pm or working through the weekend.
3. Enlist your manager as your ally. This is a tricky one if your manager is the Villain in your story. I recently worked with a someone who was able to turn around their relationship by getting curious, opening up, and assuming best intentions. If you're able to build trust with your manager, this is a game changer. You're more likely to be able to prioritize your work load, establish and maintain those boundaries, and develop the skills that matter to you - all with support and top cover. If your manager isn't on board, I recommend finding a strong mentor or sponsor who can fill this gap.

#makeworksuckless isn't just a rally cry for the stressed, over-worked, under-valued employee. It's a reminder that we can make realistic, incremental improvements to our #employeeexperience by focusing on what we can control and by getting clear on what we want out of our lives and our careers.