For centuries, people have been getting up and commuting, or retreating to a room to work. Some of the earliest evidence of humans laboring away in “offices” dates back to 16th-century paintings.
For some, this may come naturally. However, many employees struggle with motivation while confined between four walls for eight hours a day, five days a week.
Perhaps today is one of those days when you just don’t feel like working and need a brief break from being a girl boss or a hustle bro. If so, Bored Panda has you covered with some of the most relatable and chucklesome memes the Facebook group “Work Meme Of The Day” has to offer. So kick back and scroll down, because most likely that email isn’t going anywhere!
While you’re at it, make sure to check out a conversation with organizational psychologist and career counselor Dr. Sylvia Broetje and Melissa Doman, MA, organizational psychologist and author of Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work(Here's Why and How To Do It Really Well), who kindly agreed to tell us more about lack of motivation at work.
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My head office management took me out for lunch last week and my meal was $40 and I joked that it was almost twice my hourly wage and they all went quiet lol
"I've had just about enough of your Avocado buying young lady".
Load More Replies...I have a friend who calls me The Fiscal Ninja because I always find a way to save or get the best deal. My car is paid for, my mortgage the best available, my insurance covered at work....and I wake up in the middle of the night terrified that I can't keep this house of cards going if one more thing goes up. I have no vices. No kids. This is a living financial nightmare.
Right!! That's like a slap on the behind to just say nice job!
Load More Replies...I make a good salary, but I have 3 mortgages, 15 credit cards, and I already owe money to both my parents and my father in law. Even if my whole family stops eating, my debt will keep climbing until I hit bankruptcy or I win the lottery. I'm like Alice, running as fast as she can just to continue to fall behind.
Anyone who says skipping your Starbucks is how you save enough money to buy a house, pay off your student loans, afford normal living expenses with a bit leftover for entertainment, and oh, don't forget emergencies that cut into your budget,... anyone who says this is a cruel and willfully ignorant person making excuses for billionaires and corporation that put profit before employee salaries.
Thank you capitalism. And the would would be an infinitely better place if people learned what capitalism actually is and why its genuinely evil.
I get that slang is supposed to make things shorter to say, but when my sister used this term for the first time she had to explain it to me which took around five minutes. Much easier to say something like "I know what you mean"
Load More Replies...Feel that. Produce is 85% stocking shelves with 5% cusomer interaction, though. Work in deli for a week, then you'll truly understand wanting to unalive yourself
"If you're watching this, I'm dead." "This is a live chat." "S**T! I SCREWED IT UP AGAIN?"
I would have a cardboard cutout of myself to put in front of my screen. So then I could just sit and read a book.
Organizational psychologist Melissa Doman, MA tells us that many things can contribute to a lack of motivation at work. She says, “It can range from having high-stress levels that push you into 'bare minimum; I'm in auto-pilot mode to survive', to a lack of connection to the purpose and mission of your organization, to not enjoying your work itself, to feeling demotivated by bad leadership or not being recognized for your value."
Feeling unmotivated at work can come from so many different reasons because every situation and individual is unique.”
Kind? or Snide? Our World needs more Random Acts of Kindness...Less Snarky Haters....Please
I'd like the part of the brain that regulated serotonin and dopamine replaced please.
Load More Replies...I'm so grateful my wife is a trained sport masseuse (Hobby), I'd be in a crumpled mess on the floor without her. (OK that's true in any event, but this refers to the physical pain)
My feelings 100% right now. It's 4:30am and I can't sleep or even relax much due to chronic pain flaring,up! The only saving grace is I am technically retired. I can nap in between my minimum of 5 or 6 loads i of laundry later today.. At least I don't have m to go to a soul crushing hellscape of a work, for not enough to live on, while making the owner / boss more obscenely wealthy
And has things inside that must never see the light of day. Like what’s inside my brain. And my brain itself.
OK. Forget about the flashlight. Trump says the bleach will work by itself.
Load More Replies...Please warn us before hand if you’re going to use a picture of James Cordon in the future.
As a 70% disabled vet (US) I feel this in two ways. When my little bit of physical damage is bothering me, I'm quite happy to just sit with a book, or a site like Bored Panda. But when I'm feeling good, I get this urge to do something useful or constructive. Unfortunately, you can't just show up in places & volunteer to work where I'm at. I get conflicted, and then realize not actually having anything to do isn't all it's cracked up to be.
When I wake up ( mind you I’m on my cat’s time) my only goal for that day is to get back in bed
I've been retired for a number of years, but I still have that work week/weekend mentality. Caught myself today reminding myself that I'm retired and could do that task anytime, any day.
Meanwhile, organizational psychologist and career counselor Dr. Sylvia Broetje mentions several additional factors, one of them being unclear or unrealistic goals. A person might feel confused about where to start and which tasks to work on because the course of action is unclear or there’s too much to do, this way demotivating them.
She also indicates the lack of control and autonomy. “It's difficult to feel ownership over your tasks if you are being micro-managed, you feel like you aren't being trusted, and you can't organize how to do your own work.”
When they paid for the roads, fire stations, public parks, military, the whole honkin bureaucracy, whatnot we use.
*millionaires and billionaires*" this is an outrage the government hasn't given me tens of thousands of free money in the last 13 seconds"
Load More Replies...I always loved that line by Rachel on Friends: "Who is FICA? Why is he getting all my money?"
And our politicians won't tax the wealthy and corporations because they're getting such wonderful kickbacks so the burden falls on the workers.
You can now thank the MAGA Congress for middle class taxes. Their taxes went back up thanks to them, while billionaires and corporations, still get their big tax breaks from 2017.
This joke isn't funny anymore - you don't like it leave the country !
People often say they don't pay attention to politics, but you need to KNOW that politics PAYS ATTENTION TO YOU!!!!! Vote accordingly!! And NOT for the commie lib/tard dems on the left.
Fun fact: In 1966, Congress predicted Medicare would cost $12 billion in 1990. It cost $130 billion. It now costs over $1 trillion.
Indeed. My taxes are supposed to be going towards the NHS and now they're closing my a&e because we're underfunded. Work that c**p out
I feel the same way about sleep. I haven't even gone to bed for the night and yet I'm really looking forward to going to bed tomorrow
me, but for going to bed even though i don't work. i usually hit 4-5 hours of being awake and start thinking about how great sleep sounds.
We always had them Christmas holiday dinner after work ( we pay our own) and they always ask me if I’m coming, one year I said “ I’m dying to get out of here and go home to my family because mostly everyone is driving me nuts here, tell me again why I should participate? Never got asked again
So that was a relief, you didn't have to think of an excuse after that.
Load More Replies...I gave up having friends over 10 years ago. Makes never leaving the house without a solid reason much easier.
Depending on where I was at in life, I had co-workers as friends. The best situation was a job where we all went out drinking just one night a week. That satisfied the after-hours hang.
Three friends, I'm not sure if I think that's extravagant or just nieve.
Additionally, lack of recognition can also affect motivation levels, as one may feel that their efforts or results aren’t valued. The negative work environment also contributes to this, as Broetje explains, ”It's hard to do good work if you don't feel accepted and supported by your colleagues and supervisors. As humans, we are social animals, and we need good relationships in order to do well.”
I've never stopped coloring! Grown-up coloring books have been around since the 1980s, but who says they have to be for grownups?
Would anyone like to join me in my fort? I have cupcakes.
Well, right now it's in the electricity, the internet, the kitchen, the rent, really, the list goes on.
The only time I see a pile of cash is on TV and occasionally a jigsaw puzzle.
Why was this down-voted? Corrected it for you Birgit.
Load More Replies...Doman emphasizes that if a person feels unmotivated at work, it’s important to find out the reasons why. Otherwise, unmanaged feelings can potentially grow and unwantedly impact other areas of work or life.
“Feeling unmotivated may seem ‘harmless', but just because something isn't in your face to the point where it shocks you to address it doesn't mean it's not doing some potential damage to your self-esteem, self-efficacy, resilience, or professional drive in the background,” she adds.
You need to get paid for your work, working 2 days at 12hrs a shift has me making enough to pay my bills and save.
Load More Replies...I wake up every Monday morning at 5:30 a.m. and my first thought is, "this is as far from Friday as I will be this week".
Eons ago, I had a factory job that paid us just before lunch. Half of us went straight to the bank, then over to the pub. Where we stayed until well into the night. Oddly, it took them quite a while before we got paid at the end of our shift.
My partner took one week off, every day on the phone for 3 hours. He gets paid as much as the part time office girl that organises a wine club letter. He runs the bosses business. Yes I've told him to leave, he thinks he'll eventually be rewarded for hardwork, despite this happening in the previous 6 jobs.
Same. 2 managers have quit, i end up running the team. I am a tempworker abd get paid less than all of them. After I trained up the last manager, i took a week off because i was burned out. They called me at 10 am Monday because they were stuck. Yesterday I spent the afternoon at work brushing up my resume.
Load More Replies...In my country we have legally mandated 4 weeks PTO, with two of those weeks *mandatory* to be consecutive. I'd never want to live and work in the States.
Paid Time Off. In other words, vacation or holiday.
Load More Replies...Apparently I'm due a meeting next week because I called sick after Easter weekend. Norovirus. And also despite throwing up during call to boss and asking for meds. I work for a doctor. Yes, my CV is up to date.
Paid Time Off. In the US, it doesn't automatically come with the job. You must earn it; X number of hours worked equals X increments of time off. It differs from one company to another. Some allow unused PTO to roll over to the following year, some don't, and many employers will do their best to prevent you from using your accrued personal time (see james stevenson's comment below). I'm so glad to be retired and out of that mess.
Load More Replies...It's like parsley on top of a meal, it's there but you're not actually supposed to eat it
I've been at my current, hopefully last, career for almost 8 years. I still apologize & feel guilty when I use my PTO...despite being constantly told it's there for me to use whenever I need to. It's hard to let go of PTSD for using PTO.
Meanwhile, Broetje believes that pushing through and keeping working when a person is lacking motivation can be beneficial in the short term. “I would even say that motivation often kicks in AFTER you start working. The important thing is to get started.”
She even kindly shares a strategy that might get you going in moments when you don’t want to. “If you find yourself procrastinating a lot, the Pomodoro technique can be really helpful. Set a timer for 25 minutes of work, followed by a 5-minute break. Most tasks are bearable when you only have to do them for 25 minutes. Repeat. What often happens is that after two or three cycles of this, you have found your stride and don't even want to take the 5-minute break anymore.”
If you’re interested in more ways to up your productivity levels, she has created the "Good Work" worksheet, which you can check out on her website.
Ha, I feel that! I work from home. One day I woke up earlier than usual and I couldn't get back to sleep because I kept thinking about some work stuff - so I decided to open my laptop and clock in, why solve work problems for free?
I like being early to listen to the phone ring and ignore it because we're not open as I eat a leisurely breakfast :)
Had a boss once who couldn't understand why production increased dramatically when he was out for the day. The owner noticed the pattern, and we got a new boss. This was pretty much our reaction :)
Your new boss hides from you because he doesn't know how to do his job. Hiding is a dead giveaway.
Load More Replies...I found that I was more productive when I didn't have a boss around.
Don't know, does look like Rob Brydon but can't identify the programme.
Load More Replies...However, she agrees that it’s best to find the root of the problem when a lack of motivation overstays its welcome. “Some questions to consider are: Was the work originally motivating? What changed? Are you lacking motivation overall or only at work? What makes you excited? What could be draining your energy? The tasks? The people you work with? Overwork? Also, see the demotivators above.”
Opposite here. Used to work in retail and was subjected to employers and customers having total b!tch fits. I would remain absolutely calm and it would either make them go crazy or make them back peddle furiously. Fun times.
I smile. It absolutely destroys the infuriated! Best one was we were out of an item at the restaurant and the lady refused to leave without it. Doesn't want a refund, wants her food. This is at fast food drive thru, I cannot magically make you mushroom and Swiss when the supplier is out of the mushroom sauce and we have no other mushrooms to fake it. 8 minutes she sits at my window, won't take refund or replacement food, I let her know I'm calling police for trespassing and we start to send employees outside with other customers food around her. She asks my name and for complaint phone number. I write it and spell "jessica" very slowly for her while smiling. The smile pissed her off so much that she finally left 😅
Load More Replies...I can run hot or cold. I can either menacingly inform someone they're pushing my buttons or I can tune them out like an android that's been shut down. Depends on how my day is going.
I wear big headphones at work listening to music while I mow grass, use leaf blower etc. You can't miss them, they completely cover my ears yet people still try to talk to me. I just don't get how they can't understand that I can't hear a word they're saying.
Took me a few seconds to get this. Then I felt silly and laughed even more.
I felt a strange surge of emotion over this, like I came up short. But I switched my view, now I'm feeling amped, really wired.
She also mentions that journaling and talking to friends, families, or trusted colleagues can be helpful in such moments, as can the support of a professional, like a career counselor, who aids in managing the current situation, identifying opportunities for change, or exploring whether the career or job is right for you.
During times when motivation levels are low, it’s important to remember that everyone struggles from time to time. Doman comforts us by saying, “It's so common and normal! If you feel that way, the last thing you need to do is be hard on yourself.”
I'd give my customers 3 strikes before I dropped them, but I'd be scrambling for their replacement after the first strike. Always hustling to keep up daily and set some aside for rainy days.
The original meme was better. And conveyed the same basic idea much more concisely. #1 "It's Friday F**k This S**t" - #2 "... MONDAY"
I say we take off and nuke the site from orbit. It’s the only way to be sure.
I have one in my car at the moment, I've named her Tiny and she sits in the door frame all cosy.
tell your boss you opened the door and found a hatched egg sack on the seat
Load More Replies...I'm not even scared of spiders but touching that unknowingly would give me a heart attack and everyone in my department would get a day off the next week to attend my funeral
In addition, Broetje advises acknowledging such a difficult time. “Set yourself smaller, realistic goals and reward yourself with little things when you've accomplished them, e.g., make yourself a cup of tea after two hours of good work. Take regular breaks that allow you to switch off from work. This is really critical for recovery. If you work a desk job, do something very different to recharge. For example, go for a walk, lie on the sofa and listen to music, cook, etc."
I had a coworker who was late for work but she had an absolutely perfect excuse: the cat wouldn't come out from under her car.
Reminds me of the train that was late because the cat wouldnt come down off it.
Load More Replies...This is me at least 90% of the time (thank you ADHD). Although I've managed to step it down from "f×××ing" to "flipping" ever since I switched to working in childcare though.
My nephew has got a job as a life guard at a pool. Thinking it was a cool job for a teenager, I asked how it was going. I got a really long monologue on pool ph / temperature/ higiene. Way to embrace his (not so inner) nerd.
I love going to amusement parks, but I'd never, ever want to work in one. So tedious and the never-ending lines of entitled a-holes would fry my brain.
It also might be a good idea to take a look at your overall lifestyle. “Are you getting enough sleep? Eating well? Getting some exercise? This might not be the time to make major lifestyle changes but try to practice good self-care. Getting support from family, friends, or a professional can also help you navigate this time,” she concludes.
Once 22 people from my department resigned on the same day. They all were joining the same company with almost 100% hike in salary. There were 80 odd people in the team so it wasn't a major setback. I was new and with less experience so didn't do it.
I'm not usually one to follow the crowd, but in this case it might be worth at least considering.
Load More Replies...I was once in the emergency room,and while I was lying in bed waiting for tests to be run I could hear the techs at the station outside my room calling another hospital to see if they had any job openings. You can bet I switched hospitals, too.
My previous place of employment was so s****y to me "if you think you can make more money somewhere else, you know where the door is"...after almost 7 years!....I actively updated my resume & applied during my work shifts. Then they had the AUDACITY to be upset that I was leaving.
I have seen this and 🤢 its bad. Worst when the other person flirts back , fully aware that this one is already married
For single people who haven't committed themselves to another person? Sure! For married people who have promised exclusively to their partner? No. That's betrayal.
Load More Replies...At a company I used to work for this married man and married (to a different man) woman started dating. They ended up divorcing their spouses and got married and apparently paid for most of it using the frequent flyer miles and hotel points they got from cheating together on the company's dime for years before. It was just gross.
If you've e-mailed, called, walked to someone to ask the same thing at least 3* per week for the last 3 weeks they will get an forwarded E-Mail with all the past requests and both of our managers in CC, and depending on whoever needs the information as well. That might be even up to and including the founder which is 5 levels above me. If I have to do a report for the founder and I need your information and you refuse to give it, I am done and out of *f*u*c*k*s* to give. Oh, because it's the 5th time this happens and you lose your job over it? Should have answered me within a working week. You know you need to give me this information on a weekly basis anyway.
I did this once and my boss said it was my problem to solve. She regular set up projects that involved outside departments without getting any comitments from them. Usually the first notice they had was when I called them.
Load More Replies...CC isn't narking, Cc'ing is telling you you're an idiot, you've annoyed me, and deserve anything that comes about from this email. BC is more debatable, but still likely caused by previous shenanigans.
If my boss does something derogatory whether by word or action, I BCC my union rep and put in my CYA email file. Only have a half dozen or so, but may come in handy. She keeps urging me to throw paper, but haven't been written up, so...
Load More Replies...Or it is about something that could potentially become a big issue and putting the boss in the loop is a CYA for both of you.
Coworker walks into bosses office and says 'she's picking on me', boss looks at him and says 'she picks on me to, did you think I could help?' I just lost it. It was hilarious. Picking on people. They give me a hard time and I throw it back at em. You'd think I was running around giving them wedgies.
It’s called a ‘paper trail’, so when the person tries to say, “…I was wIting tio heard back from you for weeks, so I could proceed…”.or: “Well you didn’t let me know you needed That….You never told me”…..all the proof is right there.
Yes, a favourite of mine also. But "That'll do" means a different thing here, more like, "That's fine."
Load More Replies...We made this code for 'I'ma probably murder someone before this shift ends.'
Or clock in and say out loud "Well, that was the end of a perfect day."
Load More Replies...I don't want coworkers. I don't want to be around people at 7:00 IN THE MORNING!!! Leave me THE F**K ALONE!! Thank you. 😠
When I first heard firstbthing in the morning Is itvtime to go,home yet? Thought it was cute/cool and agree with it. But after a while, it got boring and tiring and thinking, no it is not time to go home yet. The shift is just starting and got 7/8 hours to go.
It's a good thing I live alone because I hit the snooze button every 5 minutes for half an hour today. :)
I admit, I had one job in my 20's where I always had a cup of my "special" coffee close at hand. Office job with multiple desks in a room, the chatter, the gossip, the petty managers, the conniving employees,... yeah, me and my coffee... and mints.
I play a game in my head where I predict the next lazy, dumb, fd up thing a coworker will do. Been there s while. Also have a 90%+ success rate.
Yeah, my grandmother has died 5 times, but at different jobs
Load More Replies...Wha-aaattt in the props department is that cereal supposed to be? Pirozhki crumble? Cinnamon Borscht flakes?
Does she need to work after the success of 'Friends' where towards the end they all got paid the same amount!
Every time I do another playthrough I say I'm gonna do something other than thief. Every time I end up slowly becoming another thief with a different combat mechanic
Load More Replies...*click*click*SNAP*..... Mf'ing last lockpick.. Gonna have to trudge aaaaallll the way out from the ruins again and not fast travel because of a mf'ing crab somewheres and then pickpocket a few peasants and *not* get caught and then refight some draugr only to open the chest for some mf'ing bonemeal and 25gold.....(-. -) ...
this is ironic because the way skyrim lockpicking works, once you know how to do it, there's zero skill involved, you can open anything if you have enough fine control over your mouse.
Exactly what I was thinking when I arrived at the bottom of the options list. Where is "everyday"?
Load More Replies...Every work meme ever: "when you have to work but don't want to work HURR HURR"
I never did tiff but always meant to..i wanted to say I'm calling in ďead, a see 8f they were listening or not
Picked wed on the poll. I don't want anyone or anything to bother me on Monday. What's this c**p? Work memes? F work. Proceeds to chuck phone as far as humanly possible.
If someone starts an email with, "As per our conversation earlier," or "I just want to confirm your instructions before proceeding," they are covering their a*s for what you are about to make them screw up, and you should rethink your decision.
what i learned from this is that even though i'm disabled and can't work and instead receive inadequate money from the government, i'm still lucky
Cc is carbon copy and is an additional set of people an email is sent to Narc, from narcotics officer, is someone who betrays people by telling things that are expected to be secret
Load More Replies...Exactly what I was thinking when I arrived at the bottom of the options list. Where is "everyday"?
Load More Replies...Every work meme ever: "when you have to work but don't want to work HURR HURR"
I never did tiff but always meant to..i wanted to say I'm calling in ďead, a see 8f they were listening or not
Picked wed on the poll. I don't want anyone or anything to bother me on Monday. What's this c**p? Work memes? F work. Proceeds to chuck phone as far as humanly possible.
If someone starts an email with, "As per our conversation earlier," or "I just want to confirm your instructions before proceeding," they are covering their a*s for what you are about to make them screw up, and you should rethink your decision.
what i learned from this is that even though i'm disabled and can't work and instead receive inadequate money from the government, i'm still lucky
Cc is carbon copy and is an additional set of people an email is sent to Narc, from narcotics officer, is someone who betrays people by telling things that are expected to be secret
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