A friend recently told me that she and one of her work colleagues chatted last week about “losing the spark”. They have been hairdressers since the age of 15 and are now in their late 30s. That’s almost 25 years of cutting hair, day in, day out.
Whilst they both acknowledged that, sure, we all have regular ups and downs when it comes to work, this time it felt different. It felt bigger. The passion they each had for hairdressing – and have had for many, many years – was disappearing. So, what to do?
I’ve had this feeling in my own career. Twice. Then again, I’m now in my mid (err, maybe late?) 50s. Hence older than most. I think it kicks in when you’ve been working away at the 9-to-5 for around 20 to 25 years. It’s a feeling of, “Is this it? Is this my life? Am I destined to just keep plugging away on this work treadmill, forever?” And that’s even if you generally enjoy your work or the job you’re in.
Now it might be that our experiences with that pesky-party-gate-crasher Mr Covid have shortened this 20-25 year mark for many. Either way, when the grindy feeling hits it’s tricky to deal with. Everyone has to find their own solution, or coping mechanism. Nobody said it would be easy (or some such Coldplay lyric).
As for the two hairdressers, they have decided to go on a short specialist hairdressing course together, up in lovely Albury. They technically don’t need to do the course (they’re both very skilled) but they’re always willing to learn and improve their craft. Girls just wanna have fun so they are also going to stay in town the night before, thus making it a fun little getaway. That will pep them up a bit and is a decent short-term coping mechanism. If the loss of spark cuts deeper then it can be harder to deal with, of course.
All up, I guess we all know that work can sometimes be a grind. No matter how much we like our job. And that’s okay. As a manager (provided you’re a decent one) you’ll know exactly where each of your staff currently sits on the “grind spectrum”. Also knowing how to help them get through those tough times, and being a manager who genuinely gives a stuff, is a worthy trait.
Finally, if you’re feeling that way about work right now … hey, TGIF! Friday is always a good friend when it comes to work.
(P.S. Feel free to share any similar experiences, or coping mechanisms you’ve tried. It might just help someone out there.)
