How To Tell Your Boss You’re Unhappy at Work

Earlier this year, I was having multiple conversations each week about feeling overwhelmed at work and burnout. It was such a pervasive experience. People were working like crazy to retain customers, to keep supply chains from breaking down, and to just not lose their jobs in scary times.

 

While burnout remains very present, I’m starting to hear a different storyline. Now that people have a chance to catch their breath and reflect, they’re realizing they just aren’t happy where they are. And they want to do something about it!

 

If you’re feeling unhappy at work—bored, underwhelmed, underutilized—it may be time to have a chat with your boss. Sound scary? It doesn’t have to be! 

 

Let’s talk about the critical components of a successful conversation that lets you air your grievances and delivers you a better outcome.

1. Be specific about your unhappiness

In the past few weeks alone, I’ve talked to three different people feeling generally unhappy at work. But when I asked each to articulate the specific source of unhappiness, I got blank stares.

 

I asked some leading questions and ended up with the following insights:

• Alex generally enjoys her team and her company’s culture, and she thinks the products they’re selling are pretty cool. But her work has become repetitive, mundane, and a little bit isolating. And she needs a new challenge.
• James feels challenged and excited by the work he is doing, but he’s feeling underappreciated and not valued for his contributions and thought leadership.
• Bashir just isn’t passionate about his company’s products, and he wants to feel more connected to a company’s mission and purpose.

There’s almost a pandemic of meh happening. A lot of people are feeling generally underwhelmed or under-excited, or underutilized in some way.  But you can’t solve a general feeling. You need to determine specifically what’s got you down.

 

Specificity is important because it either helps you know what you need to fix if you choose to stay, or it helps you identify what to look for if you choose to leave and hunt for something new.

 

So if you’re feeling like a sepia filter has settled over your career, do some reflecting on what specifically is driving that feeling. Telling your boss “I’m not feeling very challenged, and growth and development is...

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