Is it time to refresh your role?

Have you been in your job for a while now, and you’re getting a bit bored with it?  Or, perhaps you still enjoy much of what you do, but the scope of your role has changed and you are struggling to get a handle on what’s most important? It could be time to refresh your role.

How to know when it’s time to refresh your role

When we start a new job, there is usually some form of job description or role profile. However, it may not take a long time before you find that what you actually do in the role is only somewhat vaguely related to what is set out in this document.

This may not be too much of a problem, as long as you remain motivated, the real demands of the job are acknowledged and within your capability range, and you feel you are developing. However, if after a while there is a risk that your role is incoherent, or you just find most of what you do is no longer challenging and stretching, this is the time for a role refresh.

Introducing the concept of ‘job crafting’

There is an approach in work psychology called ‘job crafting’ that is relevant and informative here.  Job crafting has been defined as “changes that employees initiate in the level of job demands and job resources in order to make their own job more meaningful, engaging, and satisfying.”

There is evidence that active job crafting can improve job satisfaction, wellbeing and reduce the risk of burnout. It also appears that refreshing your role to increase the challenge that it brings is likely to decrease boredom. However, the same study found that when boredom sets in, it is less likely that employees will attempt to craft their roles. So, perhaps if you have been bored in your job for a while you may find it increasingly difficult to make the effort to change it.

What to think about when attempting to refresh your role:

So, what prompts might help you in refreshing your role? It’s worth considering the following:

• Are my role objectives clear and reasonably challenging? Do I believe I have the autonomy to make decisions that will help me reach those goals?
• Are my regular activities organised to enable me to make the strongest contribution to the organisation?
• Can I tilt my role towards my personal strengths and interests and still meet my objectives?

How to convince your manager that your role should be refreshed

If you have the scope to refresh or craft your role, there may be many benefits in doing so. However, you may believe you don’t have the power to do this. The key question to ask yourself here is: “have I tried?”

There is a risk that employees assume they have no influence on their role and that this is set in stone by management or the business. This may be the case, but it is an assumption that is worth testing.

If you suspect you have a manager who will be less than receptive to the suggestion of a role refresh, there are a few arguments that might convince them that are worth considering:

• The first is to underline the achievements you have made in your job and suggest that you might be able to achieve more by refreshing your role.
• Secondly, highlight the positive impact on the business or organisation of making some changes and offer specific examples. It may also be worth mentioning that you feel this will help you to maintain a high level of motivation and strengthen your commitment to the organisation.
• Finally, you may want to point out some ways that refreshing your role might make your manager’s job easier!

How managers can empower their team members to refresh their roles

If you are a manager, it is worth thinking about whether you should actively encourage your team members to make suggestions for refreshing or adapting their role from time to time. This empowers and encourages ownership of development and wellbeing.

After all, many employers say they want people who are self-starting and take the initiative. An employee attempting to change or refresh their role demonstrates these qualities. They role model by modelling their role.

However, if you decide to go down this route, you may need to offer additional support to make any changes successful, particularly initially. This may be specific resource support such as reallocation of some tasks or budget, or increased coaching or mentoring for a while. The pay-off is likely to be an increase in wellbeing, motivation and commitment and potentially next level performance.

Refreshing your role will help you reach a state of deep engagement, more regularly

If you successfully refresh your role, you should have a renewed sense of purpose which will boost your motivation and wellbeing. It should also help you to more regularly achieve what Martin Seligman refers to as “flow.”  This is a state of deep engagement where you get totally absorbed in your work and fully concentrate to allow you to create what will often be your best work – this is something I spoke about on a recent podcast – listen here.

It can be difficult to find the time and space to get to this point and to control distractions. However, it starts with goal clarity about where this state of ‘flow’ is likely to be most important. It’s a state that is productive and contributes to psychological wellbeing. By refreshing your role you’re likely to create situations that enable you to reach this state of ‘flow’ more regularly – a win-win, for the business and individual.

Did you find this advice useful? You may enjoy some of the related content below:

• Why a horizontal move could be the best career decision you’ve ever made
• Are you ‘learning agile’?
• Why you should always ask your team how their weekend was
• This important mindset will make you more successful