Even if you love your job, your days can begin to drag. Blame it on whatever you like — teleworking, long hours, difficult clients. No matter the reason, you might start to feel like you’re just spinning your wheels. That’s no way to lead a healthy, happy life. And it’s certainly no way to develop an inspiring personal brand.
Regardless, far too many people share your experience. A OnePoll-Volley survey found that about seven employees out of every 10 virtual workers battle feelings of isolation. Others are grappling with poor mental health exacerbated by the stressors of modern virtual and hybrid working arrangements. Gallup reporting even found a link between growing on-the-job disengagement and a higher risk of depression and anxiety.
Nevertheless, you don’t have to join in on the Great Resignation. Instead, you can lift your engagement back to pre-pandemic levels, and maybe even exceed them. It’s time to regain your focus, restore your enthusiasm, and give your career a nice jump-start.
So how can you give your mind the surge of positive energy it deserves? Try some of these methods to refresh your spirit so you feel motivated (and not drained) by the time you clock out at night:
1. Search for answers and map out personalized solutions.
You know you’re not engaged at work. Why, though? What’s the core reason? Expect to dig a bit to get to the heart of the matter. For example, you might say that you feel bored. Why do you feel bored? Is it because you’ve mastered every aspect of your current job? Or does the company’s mission seem superficial? Drilling down in this way gets you closer to a solution.
Let’s say you feel like you’re in a rut because your job just seems too robotic — and almost easy. The answer could be to take it upon yourself to learn something new. It doesn’t have to be something big, either. In an article for Ivy Exec, Carson Tate, founder of management consultancy firm Working Simply, suggests that you shake up your routines. As she puts it, “Simple acts of novelty spark our brains.”
You can also begin to take charge of your sense of purpose. Write down a personal purpose for every week, month, or quarter. Lay out which populations you hope to serve and what you hope to learn along the way. Having meaningful goals will give you something to truly look forward to. Even if you don’t love your job every minute of the day, you’ll still be reaching for objectives that matter.
2. Introduce your employer to a new tech stack addition.
Don’t wait for your company to offer up the latest technology for you or your team to try. Instead, seek out technology solutions yourself. Many types of cloud-based software and systems will offer you a free trial. Why not download one or two and do a little poking around? You might find a gem that will be beneficial for your department — and you’ll become the in-house expert if your boss adopts it.
Unsure where to start? Gys Kappers, co-founder and CEO of digital employee engagement company Wyzetalk, recommends starting your journey by investigating tech that will improve —not diminish — your organization’s overall employee engagement. That way, you can help your colleagues avoid the disconnection you feel.
How can your bringing tech into the fold make a difference? As Kappers explains, “From reporting hazardous incidents to birthday greetings, an employee engagement platform builds team morale while keeping employees informed about a range of topics that help them do their jobs better and improve the quality of their day-to-day work lives.” This results in thriving employees, so get tech-savvy for everyone’s sake.
3. Become the social coordinator at your workplace.
If your team is scattered across geographic locations, you might start to lose ties with one another. You can restore those colleague bonds by bringing everyone together in deliberate ways. For instance, you might want to start a Slack channel that’s 100% devoted to small talk on a specific topic. If you’re just asking for random small talk, people may perceive this as a waste of time. But if you add a specific dimension, like “what’s the best 30-minute lunch you’ve ever had” or “what’s the worst thing your pet has ever done in a Zoom meeting,” people are more likely to share and enjoy getting to know each other. Additionally, you could host online virtual break times every week so people can just sit and chat.
Another way to build socialization and community into your everyday work life is by thanking others. When you show gratitude for what your teammates do, you give them a boost. At the same time, they might be more inclined to do likewise and pass along kind words. It’s hard to overstate the importance of people acknowledging everyone’s efforts — particularly in front of leadership or in public ways.
Maybe you’ve never seen yourself as a social leader. Don’t let that keep you from embracing this role. You’ll stand out and probably develop new friendships and relationships, particularly if you set up interdepartmental activities or connections. Over time, your network will expand, which can only be a boon to your personal brand as an integral person within your business.
Work-related passion can be fickle at times — it’s true. Just remember that a case of disengagement doesn’t mean you have to start checking out the job boards for a different position. Perhaps you just need to add a few innovative techniques to recover your lost engagement.