4 Ways to Avoid ‘Check the Box’ Syndrome

You’ve worked too many hours. Or you’ve had too much work piled on you. Or you’ve worked on projects you find meaningless. Or you’ve had to commute to the office too often. Or all four. Whatever the reason, you are burned out.

You think you have an answer for this: Just do the minimum—you know, complete tasks, but nothing more. You’re not alone. With 2 in 5 workers dissatisfied with their jobs, according to the Conference Board, just checking the box is a new norm. “People are reverting to doing the minimum, rather than being overly productive,” says Deepali Vyas, global head of the FinTech, Crypto and Payments practice at Korn Ferry.

There’s one problem: This choice might cost you your career. Managers, who usually notice a drop in performance, could apply more pressure—which can result in even more burnout. Forty-four percent of workers report burnout, according to data from the Society for Human Resource Management. So how can you avoid feeling squeezed? Our experts have some options.

Give yourself a litmus test.

Are you feeling like you can’t face another day in the office? Or that you’d rather skip the holiday party? If so, consider why, says business psychologist James Bywater, senior client partner at Korn Ferry. “When you find yourself making excuses, it’s a clue,” he says. Your reaction is likely telling you something is off, such as your environment, culture, peers or workload. This self-awareness is crucial, says Bywater.

“Craft” your job.

Now that you’ve identified what’s not working, try job crafting, a mindset in which you actively choose the boundaries of your job. This includes altering not only your approach—for example, you might arrange to do the task you hate only on Tuesdays—but also your perceptions. Think of your job as building blocks, and focus on the blocks you enjoy, while shrinking the ones you don’t, says Karen Huang, director of search assessment at Korn Ferry. “You reimagine and redefine, so that your work has less meaninglessness,” she says.

Ask for the assignments you prefer.

Once you’ve job crafted, you can reach out to your boss—unless, of course, your boss is the problem. Ask for different types of assignments, shift your schedule, or simply explain your job-crafting process to your manager.

Reorient your job.

Employees typically perceive their jobs in one of three ways, says Huang: as a means of making money; as a career that will help move them forward; or as a calling that contributes to something larger beyond themselves. If possible, land yourself in the third category. “When you think about a job as a calling, you are less likely to burn out and feel disengaged,” says Huang. Experts note that this approach won’t make you love every aspect of your job—but it will lead to better outcomes for everyone involved. 

Learn more about Korn Ferry’s career development capabilities from Korn Ferry Advance. 

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