And you, do you do a bullshit job?

In recent years, the term " bullshit job " has become part of the current issues in the world of work. The American anthropologist David Graeber had brought this word to the forefront and theorized this concept in 2018 in his book " Bullshit Jobs: A Theory ". 

According to him, a bullshit job is " a job so useless, absurd, even harmful, that even the employee cannot justify its existence, even though the 'contract' with his employer obliges him to pretend that there is a utility for his work." 

This type of job is a real obstacle to the employee's fulfillment and his or her quest for meaning in his or her work. The anthropologist would even define the proportion of these bullshit jobs at more than 40% in our societies! 

Then? Bullshit job or not bullshit job? This week, Meet My Job helps you see things more clearly! 👀

1. You don't like to talk to your friends about your work

First of all, you must have experienced this moment: you meet your closest friends for an outing to a restaurant or a bar. After exchanging a few banalities and commonplaces, you each start talking about your work, giving various details and speaking with passion.

When your turn comes, you are embarrassed: you try to talk about it as briefly as possible while remaining very evasive. You just want to move on to another topic!

If this is your reaction, you are probably doing a bullshit job!

You feel that your work is not interesting and do not want to describe it to your friends. You are also afraid of lamenting or looking ridiculous in front of your loved ones, who have a more exciting job.

2. You feel like your job has no impact on the world

It's a question that everyone frequently asks: does my job have an impact on the world? Will I leave a trace by the position I hold?

It's a thorny issue that regularly tortures our minds. Nevertheless, it is possible to find the answer after further reflection and by digging deep within ourselves. To put it simply, our job inevitably has an impact, even a tiny one, on society.

However, if you find that your job really doesn't have the slightest impact on the world after your introspection, then you're probably doing a bullshit job.

3. Your missions have no coherence and do not bring anything concrete to the company

Then, it is interesting to take stock of the missions you carry out. Ask yourself about their interests in the development of the company and the concrete added value. 

The impression of constantly going around in circles, loss of meaning, not finding one's place and permanent questioning... If that's how you feel, it's most likely that you're doing a bullshit job!

When you have this type of job, the missions offered are only there to stir up wind. They make you feel like you're doing something useful to the company. In short, they are a subtle pretext to bring you false legitimacy in the company.

In addition, and to be sure, ask yourself whether the elimination of your job would have any repercussions on your company. Worse, this abolition would not be a bad thing for the company (savings on salary, fewer employees to manage, etc.)

Alas, if you answer in the negative, it's a complementary sign that you're doing a bullshit job!

3. You have a lot of free time in your job

You are at work and you have finished the missions assigned to you. That's why you have free time to check your social networks, your personal emails, or even to order online. It's a safe bet that you're doing a bullshit job. Indeed, if you twiddle your thumbs, you probably either don't have enough tasks, or these tasks are too futile and easy.

In any case, if your working time is used for something other than carrying out your missions for the company, it is not a good sign.

Also, if you have time to do something else, it may mean that you are not sufficiently involved in the business. Indeed, you don't want to do other uninteresting missions. Exciting and rewarding missions should take you more time and motivate you to be more involved!

5. You're just not happy in your job

Finally, if you do a bullshit job, it is very likely that you will not be happy at work. You dread the ringing of your alarm clock, you drag your feet to go to the office, you do your tasks nonchalantly...

You don't like your work and you make it known by all these gestures. If your job doesn't fulfill you and is starting to weigh you down, take matters into your own hands!

Indeed, the consequences of this type of work can be disastrous: loss of interest, depression, bore-out...

So you don't have to stay for comfort and safety. An interesting salary and benefits in the company are appreciable but will never bring you the meaning you are looking for in your job!

In conclusion, if these clues speak to you and you respond positively to a majority, it is because you are undergoing a bullshit job!

After this observation, two solutions are available to you: Decide to keep your job for practical and legitimate reasons. Just make sure that this job doesn't weigh you down too much and that your general condition suffers!

Finally, you can resign from your job and find another one, rest assured: there are plenty of other companies that will offer you a much more interesting and rewarding job!

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