Workaholic Club: Red Flags and Career Setbacks 🚩 🚩 🚩

[#1]

Hi Team Work Lab pals! 👋

Last week I was reading a great article in the Atlassian blog about problems of being way too good at your job. In case you missed it here is a link 👉 https://www.atlassian.com/blog/productivity/when-youre-too-good-at-your-job

In a nutshell, we all strive to excel at work and climb the career ladder, right? But here's something interesting: did you know that being too good at your job can actually hold you back?

Now don't get me wrong I'm not about to tell you to slow down but there are some red flags to pay attention to if you're part of a "workaholics club". (trademark goes to @Alexandru Luchian Constantinescu 😅)

🚩 Red flag 1: Your manager doesn't want to "let you go"

Some managers might prioritize team productivity over your career growth and losing the superstar performer from the team is just not an option.

🚩 Red flag 2: Setbacks from your teammates

Subtle acts of sabotage aren't just things of high school and dramas on TV. It might also happen at work, at the end of the day we're all only humans. Research shows that when some workers outshine the rest, they can become targets, leading to social consequences and a less-friendly work environment.

🚩 Red flag 3: BURNOUT

Pilling tasks, long hours, and being available 120% of the time are going to bite you back sooner or later. It's essential to find a balance and avoid going overboard.

As a proud member of the workaholic club here are some tips that I use to overcome the red flags above:

1️⃣ Communication is key! Be clear on your next step in your career and keep on sharing it with your managers and peers.

2️⃣ Get people involved! Collaboration is key when it comes to building trust and relationships with your teammates - ask for feedback and work as a team not individuals.

3️⃣ Take time off for yourself...and get work apps out of your phone. And never work weekends!

👀 Are there any other red flags that you encountered or tips on how to deal with them? Share them in the comments 👇

[Alexandru Luchian Constantinescu]

Thank you for mentioning me in your article! I’m glad to know that my workaholic tendencies are finally being recognized. 😂

Another red flag could be: when you are working on too many projects at once and not making progress on any of them

Tip to overcome it: Prioritize your projects and break them down into smaller tasks. This will help you focus on one thing at a time and make progress more quickly. 😊

[Valerie Knapp]

Hi @Nikki Zavadska [Appfire] , thanks for this. I couldn't agree more about the communication. It is so easy when many of us work remotely to become out of sync about everything but importantly about goals, priorities and of course well-being. Communication is key, all the time.

[Sayed Bares _ServiceRocket_]

Love this article and it definitely hits the nail on the head and we can all relate to.

Thanks for sharing @Nikki Zavadska [Appfire] 

[Jimmy Seddon]

Great post @Nikki Zavadska [Appfire]!

I unfortunately have been in a situation where all three red flags you listed applied (I'm not working there now).  In retrospect, I feel like flags #1 & #2 were the cause of #3.

I'm very much a card carrying member of the "workaholics club" myself, but now I put a ton of that energy into passion projects instead of  simply "doing my job".

[Dave Mathijs]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts @Nikki Zavadska [Appfire] 

I can relate. About five years ago, I made the decision to quit my job at my previous employer for a number of these reasons.

Without any prior knowledge about the ecosystem, I chose for the vacant position of Atlassian consultant. No regrets, I never looked back and I'm very happy now.

[Aaron Geister]

I can definitely relate to this write up here. I been on the workaholics club and just recently learn to chill out and ride the waves.

[John Williams]

Good reminder to step back once in a while!

[Collista Lewingdon]

Red Flag #1 is actually why I left my job at my kids school. I was really good at my job and everyone knew it, I was doing the work of a school registrar and master scheduler but was also fulfilling my job as a adminstrative assistant. But I wanted to get in a position that was more specific and less all over the place. A position with clear expectations and a defined description as to what the "job" was. I applied for numerous other positions over the years but the director would never let me be hired because then she would have lost me in the position I was in. The last straw was when I applied for the head registrar position, and I had the certifications and the know how to do the job and she hired another person, who then came to me to learn how to do the job. So I left. 

[Teodora V _Fun Inc_]

I can make a marked ski slope out of my collection of red flags 😂

And while I am mindful of it, I rarely escape traps like "I will just do this not to lose any more time" instead of letting the team handle a particular situation.

I'm so bad at taking my work apps off my phone; even worse, I get excited when I see a Jira or Confluence notification popping in. 

However, this is a great and critical topic. My team strives to adopt the mindset that we are not always available, and async teams mean you can go live your life and finish the task in the appropriate work time. There always will be someone awake and working, so adding message reminders and notifications can help you not worry about forgetting something :)

[Dan Tombs]

@Nikki Zavadska [Appfire] 

Thanks so much for the article. I have to say that we have all seen and experienced the red flags you speak of. I think the most important signs is to not repeat them and learn from the experiences that made us feel those things.

[Kristján Geir Mathiesen]

Great article, @Nikki Zavadska [Appfire]  Thank you.