How to deal with work that is a burden. Everyday work: when work is not a joy, but a burden. How can you get out of this state?

None of your business. If work is a burden, the jokes of your colleagues are “no funnier,” and your bosses chronically don’t accept you, maybe you just “got to the wrong place”? What is the right thing to do when you come to the realization “well, this is not mine, NOT MINE!” Is it worth acquiring new diplomas and will employers be happy to belatedly see the light of specialists in the “wrong business”, said the operating director of Wyser Russia (HR holding Gi Group) Olga Ovchinnikova.

- Olga, to what extent should education correspond to the profession?

Ideally, of course, education should correspond to the profession. In this case, everything is logical for a person: he received an education in the field that is most interesting to him, then he began to work in the same field, applying the acquired knowledge. However, in real life This doesn't always happen.

There is an opinion that it is extremely difficult for a person to understand what he really wants to do in life, at least until he is 30 years old. And happy is the one who, already at the age of 18, has unmistakably identified his favorite profession. In a huge number of cases, newly graduated students make their choice based on considerations such as:

(1) “We have to go somewhere”;

(2) “The chosen direction seems to be in demand, most likely I will not be left without work”;

(3) “There are good earnings in this area”;

Indeed, not every school graduate has clearly expressed hobbies/calling, and if he does, it is often young man there is simply not enough experience, information about real working life, or knowledge to make the choice as consciously as possible. Hence - numerous cases of subsequent disappointment and categorical reluctance to engage in the chosen profession.

- What to do in this situation? And how do employers react to changes in their field of activity?

- I believe that many recruiters will confirm that it is much easier for a “freshly minted” university graduate to change career direction than for a person who has already worked in a certain field for some significant period of time. Firstly, after graduating from university, yesterday's student in any case begins his career, as a rule, from initial positions, and occupies them for an average of 2-3 years.

During this period, his losses from a change of direction are small: often there is no family and children to feed, the salary is still small, and employers are understanding of the fact that a young specialist wants to try himself in other areas.

It’s another matter when a person has already achieved certain success in his field, a much higher salary, position, etc. In this case, even if he himself is ready to start again with a small salary in another field, it is not a fact that potential employers will believe this.

- Do completed trainings and additional education matter when changing activities?

- Even with the received additional education recruiters are reluctant to consider a candidate with experience in a completely different field. After all, what “buys”, first of all, is the experience of practical and successful work. Of course, there are known success stories when successful and radical changes in career direction occurred even at a fairly mature professional age, but it is still difficult to call such cases widespread.

Therefore, when people turn to me for advice on the topic “how can I change my profession,” I give any recommendations with great caution, especially to those for whom hired work is the only or main source of livelihood. This does not mean to dissuade, but in this case the person must clearly understand all his risks.

There are times when you don’t want to go to work, the days drag on endlessly, and you barely make it to the weekend. No, my favorite job remains my favorite, but somehow everything is wrong. A kind of labor crisis. This is what I have now. But this happens periodically - you work enthusiastically, with sparkling eyes, and then for some reason the fire in your eyes goes out and your hands give up. And then the rise again, and then the decline again. And so up and down, up and down... But if you think about it, then because of something a crisis comes, and for some reason your favorite job becomes a burden. Perhaps if you make a diagnosis, it will become easier to cope with such a crisis? And I found several possible reasons.

1. Sisyphus's work

Perhaps testers should be immune to such a problem, because we are not used to constantly looking for errors and, in general, at least from time to time to do enough routine work. But when you check one thing over and over again, and something is fixed, but something else breaks, and then something else is fixed, and the first one breaks, and this continues again and again - your hands can give up. Let mistakes feed us, but they don’t bring us joy. Joy is when the product being tested becomes better and better, and you feel that, at least in part, this is due to your efforts. But when, despite constant work, there is marking time, it is demoralizing.

What to do? (I don't actually know the answers, I'll just try to think about them) IN in this case the solution is not easy to find. Perhaps there is a problem in the information provided by testing - and then something can be improved in your work. But it is possible that the problem is also in not very qualified team members - and this is more difficult to influence. One way or another, something needs to be done about the situation, maybe even raise the problem to a higher level. high level- let the managers think about it.

2. Feeling of uselessness

I don’t know if this has happened to everyone, but I was periodically “lucky” to work in conditions of total disregard. I remember the completion of work on the previous project: the tender to continue development was lost, and all that remained was the obligation to solve known problems. The project became practically indifferent to both the management and the developers who were almost assigned to other projects - everyone just wanted to sell the project out of hand. In such conditions, being a tester is hard: when checking fixes, you are asked to be as tolerant of clumsiness as possible, and finding new problems, to put it mildly, is not welcomed. Long work in such conditions of general disregard can kill any desire to work.

What to do? In this situation, you can try to hold on to the inner conviction that if you do work, then you need to do it well, or not do it at all. If you're lucky, there will be at least one more person who, despite the indifference reigning around, will care. And you will work for yourself and for him - and hold on to it.

3. Fatigue

There are situations when you have to overwork at work. You never know - an urgent release, an unexpected shift in deadlines, someone's illness or a sudden request from the customer. One can argue that with a well-organized process this should not happen; and you can look for who is to blame for this. But the reality is that anything can happen. And I have always treated this with understanding. Well, it is necessary - that means it is necessary. I will work not 8, but 10 or 12 hours a day; I will go to work on my day off; I’ll sit on the document at home at night. But this is acceptable if you need it SOMETIMES. But if this becomes the norm, then it becomes a real problem. Alas, those times have sunk into oblivion when I, as a recent university graduate, demonstrated miracles of efficiency. Maybe I’m getting old, but with constant overexertion, I began to clearly feel accumulating fatigue - such that efficiency inexorably drops, and no matter how hard you force yourself to work, there’s not much use. The terrible thing is that in such a state, not only the desire to work, but also all other desires, except “sleep” and “do nothing,” die.

What to do? Here, it seems, the answer is simple - have a good rest and don’t overexert yourself in the future. However, this is easier said than done. If overwork has already become a bad habit, then you need to force yourself to wean yourself from it. But in general, the state of constant need for rework on the project requires a whole complex various measures and at various levels.

Well, perhaps these are the 3 main reasons that I came across. I was thinking about writing about boredom, but it’s somehow easier: if work is boring, but you’re not overexerting yourself, then you can at least intensively engage in self-education, and find the joy of work in this. And these three problems are more critical. If there are still combinations of them, then you won’t envy them at all. By the way, I deliberately did not write in the “What to do?” sections. option of changing projects and jobs - I don’t like choosing escape as a solution to a problem. But in extreme cases, this option is also possible.

So I wish everyone strength, a sense of need and visible progress of your project with your help.

Perhaps we are talking about emotional burnout, which is often seasonal and awaits us in the fall and spring. About, .

Heroes and Poets at Risk

The problem of emotional burnout refers to depressive states, and, as is known, only Heroes and Poets suffer from depression. First of all, creative professions are at risk: actors, directors, artists, in a word - creators. A person who “without an idea” constantly does the same thing at a machine does not face emotional burnout if he does not aspire to more, if he is satisfied with a limited set of actions. People with claims in this life are more susceptible to emotional burnout.

Signs

“Emotional burnout” can manifest itself in different situations, but the example of work is the easiest way to explain the symptoms. This is fatigue from the ineffectiveness of your actions. A person invests and invests, it seems to him: well, okay, now it’s not working out, I’ll invest even more. And he invests more. But the result did not come or came, but small. And then you feel, first of all, powerlessness and that you are kind of wasted, because you lost time, your strength is gone, but there is no result. This is deep emptiness, this formulation is most suitable to define this concept.

Why doesn't money motivate?

Usually the salary stimulates initial stage career, say, until the age of 25, and then a person’s other mechanisms turn on, the purpose and meaning of life change. At the age of 30, we choose what we will do, the business that we will further implement in our lives. What stimulates you is the joy of your own inner growth and what exactly you have done. You must strive to achieve professional results and personal growth. An adult, a mature person, needs exactly this, in addition to money.

Don't bring problems into the house

Work problems should be left at work and not brought home. There is a wonderful technique here, simple but amazing. When leaving work, closing the door behind us, we go outside and make a movement as if we were wiping our feet. With the thought: “Everything that I took from there, I leave there and then go home calmly.” This is a very good thing, it helps you leave all unnecessary thoughts at work and not think about it in the evening.

Don't be afraid to change jobs

Once every 4-5 years you need to change the location. At the same workplace, in the same team, the view of things becomes blurred, it becomes familiar, stable and predictable. When you go to new team(and it is advisable to look for something better for yourself: with a different salary, with a different position in the system), you bring A New Look to processes. Let you be engaged in the same sales, but you are already selling something else. This needs to be done because variety is necessary to prevent burnout from occurring. You can't sit in the same place. Or it is necessary to change positions in the same organization.

What I want? - Don't know

If you decide to change your job, before announcing that you are leaving, I would advise you to find yourself a rear where you will go and see. Sometimes we feel like we are worth more. It makes sense to go around to interviews and see how they react to you in other places. Maybe it's worth upgrading your skills. You need to think about what you would like to do. I meet a lot of people who don't like what they have just because they don't know what they want. You need to clarify your goals, expectations and interests. It happens that a person has really stayed too long. But it also happens—more often than anything else—that people themselves don’t know what they want, and they don’t like everything. So this is also a question for yourself.

We protect ourselves from pessimists and lazy people

Often the work environment is conducive to bad mood and partly emotional burnout. Therefore, there is no need to listen to pessimists, because you are not their mother or grandmother, or even a psychotherapist, this is not part of your job. These people may whine elsewhere, but for some reason they come to you. We fire lazy people, why pay people salaries for the work that you do instead of them, and therefore you sit for 15 hours. If you are not the boss and cannot fire them, then you need to build “fences” around yourself and persistently not take on someone else’s work. You shouldn't help such people stay in place. This is work, this is not personal life.

Do what you like

I repeat, we ourselves come to the business that we like and which we will develop only by the age of 30. I think that there is no need to push the horses here, you need to give yourself time, you need to listen to yourself, gain experience... This period of 20 to 30 years will reveal you in any case, if you just don’t mess around. You need to listen to yourself and follow the path that your heart asks, don’t be afraid to do it, and then you won’t go wrong. I am against boredom and mechanics, I am for each person to do what he likes. And then everything will work out great for all of us, and we won’t burn out at work without getting results if we listen to the call of our hearts and do what we like.

Question for a psychologist:

Good afternoon I ask for your advice. To better explain the essence of the issue, I’ll tell you a little background. I started working early, at 17 years old. Moreover, until I was 20, I combined work and study, on weekends at work, I went to school, because... was full-time education. I always did what I had to do, as it was necessary, despite my desires, I tried to restrain my emotions and do not the way I want, but the way I wanted. this moment need to do it. At the age of 18 I started working in a bank. My goal was to make a career as early as possible, get a better position and a bigger salary. To earn more, I took on extra shifts on my days off. And now I’m so tired of everything, I want to live for my own pleasure. I look at my peers, the same girls of 20 years old, who have no problems other than studying, they can more often devote time to friends, entertainment, if they work, then where they like. Mostly their parents give them money; mine don’t have that opportunity. My work is very exhausting, both physically and mentally, and my eyesight has begun to deteriorate from permanent job at computer. But all this is compensated by a good salary. But I understand that I can’t work there anymore and I don’t want or need any promotions, career growth. My dream is to leave this job. But I’m used to the level of income that I have now, and I’m afraid that by leaving for a less paid, but more light work, having lived for several months on a lower salary, I will regret my decision. I think that I could continue to endure the job I don’t like, but I could afford more. And how other people perceive you. It’s one thing when you say that you work in a bank, it’s another thing when you say that you, for example, are a salesman in a shopping center. There are other areas of work in my own organization that would be interesting to me. But now there are no vacancies, and it is not known when there will be any. And I no longer have the strength to wait. I want to change my life right now, change my job, change my overall lifestyle and start enjoying what I do. The result is some kind of deadlock situation. I can no longer work in my current place, and due to lack of desire, all performance indicators are deteriorating. If before I was one of best employees, now I feel that I will soon become one of the worst. But I don’t know how to find another job with the same salary, I live in a small town and there is little work in the banking sector free seats. If you go into any other field, an employee at 20 years old without experience in this field is unlikely to be hired for a good salary. In the end, it all comes down to the material side of the issue. I don't know what to do in this situation. Change jobs, find something easier and what you like, but constantly disadvantage yourself in terms of money. Or continue to endure, wait for suitable vacancies to appear, and dream of changing jobs.

Psychologist Olga Nikolaevna Gerasimenko answers the question.

Hello, Evgeniya!

It looks like you have matured very early. Now your thoughts about work are very similar to the thoughts of a person in a midlife crisis :), fortunately you are still far from it.

Evgenia, what do you think, if you don’t change your job now, don’t make a choice in favor of what you love, will you be able to work all your life in the direction in which it’s already so difficult for you now. If you think that you can’t, then what else needs to happen for you to decide to change jobs?

I mean that now, in your 20s, it is much easier to decide to start everything from scratch. You haven't yet a large number of obligations, such as children, mortgage, something else... The older you get, the more difficult it will be to take this step.

Yes, now the level of income will probably fall, and this certainly needs to be taken into account, and you can prepare for this, save a certain amount of money, or go on vacation.

In the future, if you do what you love with pleasure and interest, I am almost sure that your income will increase again. There are many such examples. Work in our lives takes up a lot of time and the lucky ones are those people who were able to understand where their soul lies. Many people, unfortunately, do not think about this, and if they do, they often can no longer understand what they like, they have suppressed these desires within themselves for so long that they have completely stopped feeling it.

Maybe, we're talking about about emotional burnout, which is often seasonal and awaits us in the fall and spring. The head of Aif.ru spoke about how to return interest in work psychological center“Cooperation” Anna Khnykina.

Heroes and Poets at Risk

The problem of emotional burnout refers to depressive states, and, as is known, only Heroes and Poets suffer from depression. First of all, creative professions are at risk: actors, directors, artists, in a word, creators. A person who “without an idea” constantly does the same thing at a machine does not face emotional burnout if he does not aspire to more, if he is satisfied with a limited set of actions. People with claims in this life are more susceptible to emotional burnout.

Signs

“Emotional burnout” can manifest itself in different situations, but the example of work is the easiest way to explain the symptoms. This is fatigue from the ineffectiveness of your actions. A person invests and invests, it seems to him: okay, now it’s not working out, I’ll invest even more. And he invests more. But the result did not come or came, but small. And then you feel, first of all, powerlessness and that you seem to have been wasted, because you have lost time, your strength is gone, but there is no result. This is deep emptiness - this formulation is most suitable for defining this concept.

Why doesn't money stimulate?

Usually, salary stimulates at the initial stage of a career, say, until the age of 25, and then other mechanisms turn on for a person, the purpose and meaning of life change. At the age of 30, we choose what we will do, the business that we will further implement in our lives. What stimulates you is the joy of your own inner growth and what exactly you have done. You need to strive to achieve professional results and personal growth. An adult, a mature person, needs exactly this, in addition to money.

Don't bring problems into the house

Work problems should be left at work and not brought home. There is a wonderful technique here, simple but amazing. When leaving work, closing the door behind us, we go outside and make a movement as if we were wiping our feet. With the thought: Everything that I took from there, I leave there and then go home calmly. This is a very good thing, it helps you leave all unnecessary thoughts at work and not think about it in the evening.

Don't be afraid to change jobs

Once every 4-5 years you need to change the location. At the same workplace, in the same team, the view of things becomes blurred, it becomes familiar, stable and predictable. When you move to a new team (and it’s advisable to look for something better for yourself: with a different salary, with a different position in the system) you bring a new perspective on processes. Let you be engaged in the same sales, but you are already selling something else. This needs to be done because variety is necessary to prevent burnout from occurring. You can't sit in the same place. Or it is necessary to change positions in the same organization.

What I want? - Don't know

If you decide to change your job, before announcing that you are leaving, I would advise you to find yourself a rear where you will go and see. Sometimes we feel like we are worth more. It makes sense to go around to interviews and see how they react to you in other places. Maybe it's worth upgrading your skills. You need to think about what you would like to do. I meet a lot of people who don't like what they have just because they don't know what they want. You need to clarify your goals, expectations and interests. It happens that a person has really stayed too long. But it also happens, more often than anything else, that people themselves don’t know what they want, and they don’t like everything. So this is also a question for yourself.

We protect ourselves from pessimists and lazy people

Often the work environment contributes to a bad mood and, to some extent, emotional burnout. Therefore, there is no need to listen to pessimists, because you are not their mother or grandmother, or even a psychotherapist, this is not part of your job. These people may whine elsewhere, but for some reason they come to you. We fire lazy people, why pay people salaries for the work that you do instead of them, and therefore you sit for 15 hours. If you are not the boss and cannot fire them, then you need to build fences around yourself and persistently not take on someone else’s work. You shouldn't help such people stay in place. This is work, this is not personal life.

Do what you like

I repeat, we ourselves come to the business that we like, and which we will develop only by the age of 30. I think that there is no need to push the horses here, you need to give yourself time, you need to listen to yourself, gain experience... This period of 20 to 30 years will reveal you in any case, if you just don’t mess around. You need to listen to yourself and follow the path that your heart asks, don’t be afraid to do it, and then you won’t go wrong. I am against boredom and mechanical actions, I am for each person to do what he likes. And then everything will work out great for all of us, and we won’t burn out at work without getting results if we listen to the call of our hearts and do what we like.