I moved to this company in February. The CEO is my former co-worker, and he had a good impression of me and asked me to join him.
He had big dreams. He expected my efficient work skills, communication abilities, and passion for building an energetic organizational culture—but the problem is that other workers are too busy to absorb that.I recognized some issues and made a sales plan, but our team members, or even the whole company, don’t have any room for it. There is no organizational growth, and I’m getting tired. So I stopped suggesting anything.
These days, I feel like a salary thief—even though I’m getting paid quite a high salary. There are no enthusiastic discussions or feedback about my work. Since I’m the kind of person who can handle most tasks alone, I just finish my own work and leave. At first it was hard to adapt, but now I’m okay with it and think, “Well, there are days like this too.”
Underchallenge is a bi...g problem, leading to underachievement and boreout. I am also currently in such a phase. Yes, "there are days like this too" indeed, the problem is just when all or most days are like that. There is a huge difference between expecting fireworks and dopamine kicks, and realistically searching for fulfilment and a general sense of meaningfulness.
What you describe is stagnation and quiet quitting, and this is in my opinion a huge red flag. Of course, it depends on the context, intensity and regularity.
You write so well that I don't know if you're here for editing of your posts. If you don't mind, I will point out that saying the you "feel like a salary thief" doesn't match the following phrase "even though I'm getting paid quite a high salary". It seems to me that "..I feel like a salary thief because I'm getting paid quite a bit high salary" is more to the point.
@Eduard Of course, I don’t expect fireworks and dopamine rushes every single day. But I do feel like I need some gentle stimulation at this point. Right now, I don’t see much learning about the industry or professional growth in my role.
How are you dealing with this kind of phase?
@Bennatan Thanks for pointing that out! I see what you mean, and “because” could definitely work if I wanted to emphasize the direct cause. In my case, I used “even though” to highlight the contrast—I'm getting paid a good salary, yet I still feel like I’m not contributing enough. I guess both versions are possible depending on the nuance you want to convey.