This is an anonymous post from an Elpha member.

My job is super flexible but I'm bored out of my mind. Am I crazy for wanting to leave?

How do you know when it's the right time to start looking for something new? I am the sole member of the People team at my company and report directly to our CEO. In the 2.5 years I've been here I have gone from Recruiting Coordinator to now being the People Ops Manager, largely as a result of several rounds of layoffs. I am responsible for a lot of different things which is great experience, but even with everything I have on my plate I am still bored and struggling to fill a full 40 hour work week.

There are of course some weeks that are busier than others, but on the average week I can keep myself busy for 20 hours max before I run out of things to work on. My manager provides me next to nothing in terms of coaching and mentorship, and never assigns any new projects or initiatives to me. I've told him before that I have extra margin and he just told me to enjoy the slow season. There's nothing I hate more than being bored at work, but I am also hesitant to go above and beyond in my role when no one is paying much attention to me and I know there will be no further growth opportunities for a long time.

Is it time to look for something new or should I just try to enjoy having a job that doesn't require much of me? I don't truly have enough HR experience for the Manager title, and I don't actually manage anyone either so I feel stuck and am assuming I wouldn't be able to land my equivalent role at another company. What would you do if you were me?

May53·Jul 09

Can you do the two full time jobs thing but not let the other company know? Maybe consulting? If you can comfotably live, you have to enrich yourself outside of your workplace.

asalatto·Jul 10

Do people really do two full time jobs and succeed/get away with it? I can't see the appeal unless I were truly driven to make as much money as possible, but seems like I'd just inevitably end up working at least at 150% capacity and burning out.I do agree you need to enrich yourself outside of your workplace, OP, whatever that means to you! If you're meh about your specific company, see what else is out there. If you're meh about what you're doing, explore other career options - what can you transition into with your current skillset? Learn new things on your own, take courses, earn certificates, whatever! I've learned a lot of what's possible for someone with my skills by exposing myself to a ton of different industries via online communities. It's given me a better sense of purpose and direction while I look for my next role, so I don't end up bored/unhappy at the same kind of company as before.

Leana188·Jul 11

going anon because I don't want it to be a known thing haha but totally doable - i've been doing it for 4 + years :) as long as there's no direct conflict and you need to manage your time well.I don't mind working a lot, I care about making money because i'm sorry but not having money and the stress it creates is worse than burnout for me.

Cynthia72·Jul 11

Do either of your positions require attending a lot of meetings? I've thought about going the "overemployed" route but I predict there will be way too many meeting conflicts.

Leana188·Jul 11

excellent (and fair) question!!One of them is very meeting heavy and the other one not so much. I am fully remote so I really manage my time as I want. Here's what I do: I do the "heads down" work that require zero distraction between the hours of 7a-10a between 10a and 1p I reserve these for the less meeting heavy role (and i still do my work), the afternoon i keep it for the meeting heavy role since I also work with the west coast etc. It varies per season but as I've grown into my roles, and I am a bit more senior now, i dont get checked or questioned.

marcyherr·Jul 15

Love this!

Iynna·Jul 10

Sure you can look for something else, but keep what you’ve got now! In an era of instability, it’s worth keeping this and doing other projects on the side that fill your plate! You’re in a fantastic position in my opinion, usually we hear the reverse ie. Too much to do and not enough time to explore other things.

LucyN·Jul 10

I was in a similar situation for a VERY long time (worked for the same company for 20 years, bored out of my mind for half that time). However, like you, I had a lot of flexibility, so I used all that extra time to skill up and do freelance work. My FT job was my 'base', and I knew it was always there, so it was a great safety cushion. When I finally realized I needed to leave, it allowed me to take the time to figure out what I wanted to do next, take courses to learn new things, and take on a lot of side work that helped me grow my network and gain experience for my resume. Not sure if you're situation would allow you to do that, but wanted to put it out there!

brookevlasich·Jul 10

I also think it’s a good idea to explore some new freelance opportunities, trainings, and learnings. I do that when things are slow at work. I’ve done all of the free online trainings I can to expand my skills and explore things I’m interested in. That way I can grow beyond my current role when I’m ready to leave.

Lela28·Jul 10

I would say it depends on your current priorities in your career and your life. Are you at a place in your career where you want to upskill, learn, grow, get promotions or raises? If so, then changing companies would probably make the most sense. Or are you at a place where you are happy with your salary and the skills/knowledge/level you have so far in your career, and also have things outside of work you want to focus on (health, side projects, family, personal goals etc.)? If that's the case, then your current job is ideal for that. However, I'd also ask: do you truly have 20 hours 'free'? Or are you expected to be constantly online/at your desk even if you've finished your work? It's a different experience if you work remotely & you're not expected to be online/available all the time and can use the free time for your own pursuits vs. if you've finished all your work but have to sit at your laptop during that empty time anyway. I'd also ask whether it's the role/field itself that you find unfulfilling or boring. Maybe you'd find working 20 hours in a different role to be stimulating and interesting enough to also be satisfied with the 'free' time you have left. Can you set yourself your own learning objectives in terms of online courses or professional reading to fill the free time you have?

rachelserwetz·Jul 12

Hi @Vera207, I see you’re debating between looking for something new or staying. I recommend reflecting and giving each one of these topics a 1-10 to assess your current state and what to do: what % of your day-to-day work or projects aligns with your workstyle, strengths, and natural tendencies, how aligned you feel with the product/service/mission/industry of your company, and reflect on whether the environment/culture aligns with your personality and values. Identifying which of these three buckets you need the most adjustments to can help highlight what to do next. Some additional resources for you to look at is a short quiz to decide on "should I stay or should I go" --> https://form.typeform.com/to/QtFqKW0J and this blog post on deciding if/when to quit → https://www.iamwoken.com/post/deciding-if-and-when-to-quitPS, I’m Rachel. If you want to discuss further, check my profile to book a call to dive deeper into your goals/challenges.

madelineeggering·Jul 12

Hi Vera,In short, no you are not crazy for wanting to leave. I work with executive level women daily and this is one of the main drivers I hear for them wanting to make a move. The great thing is, you can do something extremely intentional, take your time finding the RIGHT next role, and look for exactly what you want. Beng clear on your goals and strategic getting them will make a huge difference if how happy you end up in your next chapter of your career. I would love to talk to you to see if we can help or even just give a little guidance. If you are interested, check out our website www.bossmakeher.com or schedule an appointment with me https://calendly.com/madeline-bossmakeher/initial-consult

KQ·Jul 14

what would you do if you knew what to do? (I think you know). have you directly asked for additional projects (vs. saying you have extra margin)? I'm a big advocate of asking for what you want directly first. I think too many assume that nothing is lost in translation, when in fact, it often is...

marieofvenus·Jul 14

Wanting something is never an indication that "there's something wrong with you", "you're crazy", or anything else of the sort. You want that for a reason. And that is 100% valid. From your headline, "bored out of my mind", I recently stumbled on the term RUST OUT, and it's so relative to what I've been seeing in so many women, both personally and professionally (although, the term itself is more geared to the business side of things). Rust out is A Lack of stimulation, meaning and challenge that results in boredom and/or disengagement professionally). So you feel unfulfilled, unchallenged, and not able to provide the amount of value you're capable of (if that value is even acknowledged). It's so curious that you're the People Ops Manager, but that there's no one else on the team. Was the development of the team discussed when you were put in that position? Do you have the ability to build out that team? What if you could leverage the time and position to CREATE growth opportunities within your organization? Take a look at the other positions there and identify what's working, what's not, and how things could be restructured to really catapult success? If there's not an opportunity for growth (and you can't/don't want to create one, I'm curious why you would stay, considering the current frustrations?As a side thought - There's so much more we could dive into, based on what you shared. I'm wondering if you have the ability to create something that can set the company up for future success, with your spare time? What I would do is sit with why I'm staying, what I could create where I am (and whether it was worth it), and identify whether I was refraining from making any moves or change out of fear, while also identifying what I ultimately want (that may or may not have nothing to do with where I am currently am).

sarahvorsanger·Jul 15

I was in a similar situation last year - I worked for a start up where I was in a Director role, not managing anyone, and not stimulated by the work (or lack thereof). I eventually left this job but I couldn't keep my Director role on my resume or LinkedIn, as my responsibilities did not truly reflect those of a Director. I was not getting any interviews with this title because I knew I couldn't get Director roles, and was therefore applying to manager roles. I ended up changing the my role on both to something more appropriate and from there, I was able to get interviews.One regret I have is that I did not enjoy the excess time I had. I was irritated and frustrated about my situation and did not make the best of it. Try to enjoy this time and put in the work now to figure out what you want to do and where you want to be, while getting paid. You have the time so be productive to better yourself!

annmariegast·Jul 16

Hi Sarah, Thank you for sharing this experience. I have a similar experience of having a Director title, but not Director responsibilities for a start-up. I'd love to connect with you as I continue my job search this year if you are interested!- Annmarie

sarahvorsanger·Jul 17

Absolutely! Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn! https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarah-vorsanger

AnnieWolf·Jul 15

Thanks for posting this! I have been dealing with a similar situation and while I've been applying to jobs more or less seriously over the last couple of years, I feel nuts for wanting to leave a role with significant flexibility and a good salary even though I'm bored. I find the guilt I have around not being super busy really challenging. I don't have great advice since I'm dealing with a similar 'problem' but again, appreciate the post (it's good to not feel alone!) and the advice others have been sharing.

beckyaldaz·Jul 15

If I were you, I would really take the time to figure out what it is that you want. If you are looking for something more stimulating, fill your days by applying to roles you find interesting. Also carve out some time to network. Schedule coffee chats with people who work at companies you admire. Learn about them, their roles and what drew them to that company in the first place. It's fun to meet new people all over the world who are actually happy with their career! You never know what one conversation can lead to. If you want to ride this out, fill your time with something that brings you joy! Sign up for a course on Coursera. Sign up for a physical challenge and start training for it. Want to get better in the kitchen? Try a new recipe every other day. Want to make some money on the side? Brainstorm a side hustle! Or maybe you want to finally reorganize your closet. DO IT! Treat your closet cleaning day like a meeting. Carve out 2 hours every day to your closet or whatever else you've been meaning to take care of. Time is precious. Make the most of it but only YOU know exactly what fills your cup! :) I'm here to chat if you'd rather chat on the phone or via video. :)

carriewickmandorn·Jul 17

Hi Vera,You are definitely not crazy to want to find something that is more mentally stimulating and offers growth potential. :) I have been in similar roles in the past and can attest personally to how draining this can feel, and like others have suggested, I would start searching for a job that’s a better fit for your values and career goals. I’m a career coach who specializes in helping purpose-driven job seekers (like yourself) find work they love, so they can thrive both personally and professionally. I would be happy to chat with you and learn more about what you’re looking for to see if I can help, please feel free to schedule a free 30-minute call here: https://www.carriewickmandorn.com/contactAlso, I am planning to start a job search support group, so let me know if that’s something you might be interested in. :)Warmly,Carrie

Vera207·Jul 25

A huge thank you to all of you for such thoughtful and kind responses!!! This really gave me a lot to think about.

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