Unhappy at work

I seem to recall many times during my fifty-year working career that I was unhappy.

When I read this article my reaction was
spoiled brats, but what do I know, I’m just an old retiree.

Like when I didn’t get a promised promotion, when a title related to my work was given to someone else, but I kept the work. When I lost my office to nepotism, when an employee didn’t like a performance review and filed false charges of fraud against me.

My favorite though was the time I applied for a job at another company and when I returned to work the next day I found the person who interviewed me had called my current boss who told him not to hire me.

Shall I go on? You can cram a lot of unhappy events into fifty years.

But pressing on was the thing, never giving up, finding away around obstacles. One step backward, two steps forward.

Excerpt from the Wall Street Journal

Americans, by many measures, are unhappier at work than they have been in years.

Despite wage increases, more paid time off and greater control over where they work, the number of U.S. workers who say they are angry, stressed and disengaged is climbing, according to Gallup’s 2023 workplace report. Meanwhile, a BambooHR analysis of data from more than 57,000 workers shows job-satisfaction scores have fallen to their lowest point since early 2020, after a 10% drop this year alone.

In interviews with workers around the country, it is clear the unhappiness is part of a rethinking of work life that began in 2020. The sources of workers’ discontent range from inflation, which is erasing much of recent pay gains, to the still-unsettled nature of the workday. People chafe against being micromanaged back to offices, yet they also find isolating aspects of hybrid and remote work. A cooling job market—especially in white-collar roles—is leaving many professionals feeling stuck.

Companies have largely moved on from pandemic operating mode, cutting costs and renewing a focus on productivity. The disconnect with workers has managers frustrated, and no quick fix seems to be at hand. Those in charge said they have given staff more money, flexibility and support, only to come up short.

The experiences of workers like Lindsey Leesmann suggest how expectations have shifted from just a few years ago. Leesmann, 38 years old, said she soured on a philanthropy job after having to return to the office two days a week earlier this year. 

Prepandemic, she would have been happy working three days a week at home. “It would have been a dream come true.” Still, her team’s in-office requirements seemed like going backward, and made her feel that her professionalism and work quality were in doubt. Instead of collaborating more, she and others rarely left their desks, except for meetings or lunch, she said. Negative feelings followed her home on her hourlong commute, leaving her short-tempered with her kids.

The Wall Street Journal Why Is Everyone So Unhappy at Work Right Now?