Last spring’s once-in-a-generation employment boom saw some American workers leave toxic jobs or negotiate a promotion or raise.
Others are taking a different approach: coasting at work. 👇
businessinsider.com/overachievers-…
One job recruiter saw an opportunity to stay in the job he liked, but fulfill his goal of wanting to work less.
He struggled initially to shed his old work ethic — admonishing himself as lazy, wondering whether he was a burned-out failure.
businessinsider.com/overachievers-…
For a guy who had always gone above and beyond, it was uncomfortable doing the bare minimum.
Today, he’s working the least he ever has: 40 hours a week.
And he's not done. In the months ahead, he's hoping to work even less.
businessinsider.com/overachievers-…
During the pandemic, workers came to see work as just that: work.
A hot labor market has ensured their job security, and remote work makes it harder for managers to monitor the effort they put in.
It was a perfect time to be a recovering overachiever.
businessinsider.com/overachievers-…
In human-resources parlance, coasting is sometimes referred to as "quitting in place."
Employers don't like it — but in the reality of today's job market, they have no choice but to grit their teeth and accept it.
businessinsider.com/overachievers-…
In December, the national layoff rate plunged to 0.8% — the lowest it's been since @BLS_gov began tracking the series two decades ago.
More quitting means less firing. If there's ever a time when Americans could afford to coast on the job, this is it.
businessinsider.com/overachievers-…
Some executives have responded to the motivational crisis by hauling everyone back to the office.
Others have tried to create a workplace "culture" from afar, hosting virtual happy hours and flying in entire teams for off-site retreats.
businessinsider.com/overachievers-…
But what these executives are missing is that some employees don't want to pal around with their coworkers.
They like that their jobs feel more transactional because it gives them more time and energy to focus on their lives outside work.
businessinsider.com/overachievers-…
This new attitude represents a quiet but seismic shift in workplace culture — one that threatens to upend the all-consuming emphasis on career that has dominated America for decades.
businessinsider.com/overachievers-…
The challenge for corporate America is to find a way to embrace this new professional mindset — the desire to do good work without striving to be a superstar, to prioritize life ahead of work.
businessinsider.com/overachievers-…
Coasting culture might not end up replacing hustle culture. But perhaps the two can find a way to coexist, even after the red-hot job market begins to cool.
To read more, subscribe to Insider. 👇
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