The Emergence of 'Resenteeism'

We’ve made it past the peak of the Great Resignation, and quiet quitting was all the buzz in 2022, so what does the corporate landscape look like so far in 2023? Right now we’re seeing the emergence of what experts are calling ‘resenteeism’. According to Glamour UK's Bianca London, resenteeism is the act of staying in an unsatisfying job due to a perceived lack of better options or fear of job insecurity. This ultimately leads to people becoming resentful in the workplace, and employees are being quite vocal about it. 

The perceived lack of better options and the fear of job insecurity is being compounded by the conversation around an impending recession, ultimately people feel stuck. In fact, a study conducted by software firm UKG in November 2022 stated that nearly half of American workers said they hate their job so much they wouldn’t wish it on their worst enemy. If you are currently suffering from resenteeism AND you are part of my community, I have good news for you. People in my community are committed to a growth mindset, so if you’re here I’m going to take a guess that you also have a growth mindset. You are more committed to feeling alive than feeling trapped and stuck, so if you’re experiencing ‘resenteeism’, how do you move beyond it?

First, if you’re feeling resentment anywhere in your life it’s an indication that you need to reset your emotions. Resentment is the cause of someone's actions (your boss, organization, etc.) not aligning with the image that you’re holding of them (my boss or the organization should x,y,z). For example, my boss should be spending more time with me. The resentment builds because the action (your boss not spending time with you) is not aligned with the image you have of a boss (bosses should spend time with their direct reports). To transform resentment, we can try to change the person/organization's actions or we can change the image we’re holding of the person/organization. Changing someone’s actions is generally pretty challenging, so the pathway through is changing the image you’re holding onto, so you can start to dissolve the judgment you have. Ultimately, the judgment we have is what keeps us stuck. Judgment is what prevents us from changing things in our lives. 

Set aside 5-10 minutes to complete the following exercise to move beyond ‘resenteeism’ and get back in the driver seat of your life! Write down all the actions your boss/organization is taking and the image you feel like they’re violating next to it and then an updated image next to it. I’ve created a few examples to get you started. 

If you need support completing this exercise, please reach out. I’m a stand for you experiencing freedom and aliveness in your career. 

Big love,

Karlie