Several months ago I came across an article called The Riddle of the Well-Paying Pointless Job. It's such a smart look at workplace satisfaction and also supports my belief that it's ok to have a boring job if it works for you.
They start by talking about the incentives theory from 1976 - pay people more and motivation should naturally follow.
But! The problem they identify is that jobs are becoming more and more pointless:
"However, this incentive theory is being applied to spaces where the work is tedious, mind-numbing, and at best, manageable. Graeber calls these jobs “a form of paid employment that is so completely pointless, unnecessary, or pernicious that even the employee cannot justify its existence even though, as part of the conditions of employment, the employee feels obliged to pretend that this is not the case.”
These are the jobs where you know you could do the work in one to two hours each day, yet you have to pretend you’re working for a whole eight or nine hours. You know this, your boss knows this, your boss’s boss knows this.
Everyone is aware of this fact, but here’s the most malicious part: Everyone has to pretend they don’t. A companywide charade is being played, with everyone pretending that not only are they busy and driven, but that everyone else is too.
That absolutely blew my mind. This is exactly the feeling that I had in my 9-5s, I really only have 2 hours of work to do, why does everyone else seem so busy?
"This is the era of the pointless job, and if you’re fortunate enough to have a job that’s meaningful, then I’m sure you won’t have to look too far to find someone who doesn’t. The irony though is that this person might say that their working conditions are pretty excellent — they have great health benefits, a nice pension plan, a really nice office, and so on. The only problem is that their job seems so… utterly… pointless."
And this makes so much sense why we then find ourselves in the conspiracy of complacency and saying "it's fine", who am I to complain because I have all these perks and things are comfortable.”
Now, as always, it’s about doing what’s right for you. A well-paying seemingly-pointless job may be EXACTLY what you need right now. It may be a great fit for your values and may give you the extra time and mental energy you need to spend time on what matters to you. It is never about shaming the choice that works for you.
What I want to highlight with this article is that it’s also ok if you’re unsatisfied with where you are and want a job with more meaning. I want to help remove the shame of wanting more for yourself if that’s what you need.
So how do they think about workplace satisfaction? In a nutshell, they boil their suggestions down to two things:
Keep hygiene factors at the baseline level (compensation, job security, work conditions, etc)
Increase motivational factors (challenging work, recognition, responsibility, and personal growth)
That relates to your day job, but there's also another important measure which takes into account your side hustle or anything else you're spending your time on that contributes to your overall work satisfaction:
"This is why a side hustle is so important if you have a pointless job (and if you want work to be a source of meaning in life). Since there are no motivating factors present at your day job, you must get those from somewhere else. Perhaps the hygiene factors aren’t quite there for the side hustle (it might not be making money, things feel a bit lonely, etc.), but if the motivators are present, then that can make you feel good about what you’re doing.
The key is to have the water level of the overall work satisfaction cup above the baseline as much as possible. If you have a pointless day job that pays the bills, take advantage of your financial security, and spend your available time working on the things that truly motivate you. The net effect of these cups is what really matters, and with enough effort and intention, you just might be able to transition full-time to the work that you find meaningful."
I hope that gives you another framework for how to think about what is meaningful for YOU and what works for your life. The important part is you being able to choose.