7 WAYS TO OVERCOME FEELING STAGNANT DURING YOUR FIRST REMOTE JOB

Apr 5

Most 2020 college grads were dealt a wildly unexpected hand after (a probably cancelled) graduation - learning new jobs remotely, possibly living with parents again, sudden separation from college friends, etc. Pressure was suddenly put on all aspects of life, both professional and personal. Over one year into the pandemic and most new grads are still typing away on company-issued laptops in their bedrooms. It’s easy to see how stagnation can set in during these long, fluorescent hours of doing either repetitive work or simply missing that face-to-face interaction in the office. Solitude and Zoom happy hours become lackluster after a few months, let alone a whole year.

Hopefully the tips below help you battle any stagnation you’re experiencing in your first full-time remote job. This article isn’t strictly about increasing motivation and productivity during COVID (although this Reddit post on that topic has genuinely incredible advice) - it relates more to feelings of unhappiness with the work itself, which may be compacted by the general panic state of the world.

Identify the root cause of stagnation

I define stagnation as long periods of unhappiness or frustration with your current role, where you dread logging on in the AM or take longer than normal to complete basic tasks. It can also encompass an apathy with your work because you’ve plateaued in skill ( i.e. reports that took you 2 hours before now take 20 minutes) and feel bored the majority of the day. Whatever is going on, it’s important to identify the root cause of your stagnation. Are you bored at work? Are you not as passionate about the company mission or find the job dull? The stimulation of the office can sometimes mask your true attitude towards your role, but remote work leaves little room for that distraction. Once you identify why you’re feeling stagnant, it’s easier to do something about it.

Take on or create fun roles within your team or group

If you’re a social butterfly within your team, then use that extraversion to liven up your work day by planning happy hours, coffee chats and fun team activities like trivia or “show or tell.” Especially during COVID, casual interactions between co-workers nosedived, so take on the role of Party Planning Committee if it feels right for you. I’m the social organizer for my team, and I also joined the Networking Team for the finance rotational program I’m in - I schedule and participate in monthly events for a group of 80+ people (i.e. book and podcast club, themed beverage happy hours, branding workshops, etc.)

Make 1:1 co-worker chats your best friend

When’s the last time you scheduled a quick 30 minute chat with a colleague just to catch up or score career advice? You can’t chat in the cafeteria anymore, and as one co-worker put it, “Every meeting you add to the calendar has an intentional purpose...you can’t casually interact anymore.” Switch it up by reaching out and “throwing time on the cal” to break up your day and hopefully gain new perspectives. For example, I reached out to a robotics software engineer in a different department because I thought her work was awesome! We had a thoughtful, productive chat that filled the social void and was a great networking opportunity.

Consider bubble assignments or cross-functional roles

Bubble assignments are normally short-term projects in a different team that give you exposure to new sets of business problems and networks. Consider asking your manager for a bubble assignment (i.e. a stint helping out a sales team) to enrich your spare time and show you other parts of the company. Back when the world was open, bubble assignments tended to be more immersive and could include 2-6 months in a foreign country - however, remote bubble assignments are still available and make you a more well-rounded employee.

Confine your work day to a set schedule

Remote work days can drag on and on because it’s sometimes unclear when work starts and finishes - rolling out of bed at 7 to take a 7:15 am meeting and neurotically checking pings until 8 pm at night is all too common nowadays. This constant “on” can cause stagnation and burnout, so it’s essential to set work hours and stick to them. Another tactic is to X set goals for the day, and once they’ve been achieved, it’s time to log off and relax, exercise, have hobby time, etc. This depends on your work culture and leniency of your manager, but I’d argue that 8-hour days are overrated...use the extra time to build out hobbies while still adding value at work.

Become an expert (aka get paid to learn)

One of my company tenets is to “Build Exceptional Talent” - which I interpret as using every opportunity to learn! Setting aside ~1 hour a day to learn something constructive about your role (i.e. brushing up on revenue recognition accounting standards, learning a relevant coding language) provides value to yourself and your employer. Become a PhD-level expert in your job and take pride in it; companies are paying you for your knowledge, so leverage your “learning hours” to the max.

Actively participate in company-wide initiatives

How many of you get an HR or corporate email about some social initiative or new tool and immediately delete it? *Raises hand guiltily*

It’s okay - we’ve all been there! In my experience, these corporate initiatives are not as cheesy as you’d think. My company had a Virtual Volunteer Month where employees could earn points by volunteering (i.e. reading books for children remotely, transcribing paper documents for museums, food drives, etc.) They also have social media challenges with gift card raffles and clean energy surveys/projects to improve the company’s footprint worldwide.

Overall, it’s worth trying these quick fixes because work stagnation could be confounded with general COVID gloom and the virtual format. However, if you’re still unsure about your role and actively dreaming of other opportunities, it might be time for a career or role switch. Your first job is never glamorous or absolutely perfect, but 2020 grads really got a wild card! All the more reason to improvise, reflect and work harder to engage. ✨

Mackenzie Patel