ASK HR: How do I let my boss know my job is underwhelming?

Q. I am quite new in this company – I consider myself very hardworking and creative.

However, after being in this company two years, I feel that I am being underworked or like my position is not offering the challenge that I would prefer to keep me excited about my job.

What is the best way to work around this or communicate with my boss?

Generally, after the induction and probation which mostly takes a period of three to six months, you should not consider yourself new.

Having worked in company for two years, this is ample time to have raised all the job description issues that relate to your role. You should also be able to demonstrate some achievement and impact of your role.

Clearly in your case, you are still struggling with establishing the right job description for the role. What convinced you to take up the new role? You should have gained a good understanding of the job before you accepted the offer.

The feedback on your performance and creativity should be a discussion with your supervisor. Have you been appraised since you joined the organisation and what was the feedback?

What difference have you brought into your role that demonstrates creativity? Perhaps if you focused on this you would not feel underworked.

At the workplace the employer has a responsibility to create an enabling environment. You can also make your job interesting by relating well with colleagues and nurturing teamwork.

The excitement will come if you nurture your creative side and come up with innovative ways of working and meeting your target, this is your responsibility.

More often than not employees complain about overwork and burnout but hardly do you get to hear of employees complaining of being underworked.

The issue you are grappling with might be a blessing in disguise, therefore use it to your advantage to get more responsibilities and enhance your role.

Assess your skills, experience and competence to find out which additional responsibilities you will be able to handle. I assume you have performance measures for your current role.

Have a discussion with your supervisor with a view to establish how well you are performing. Get your supervisor’s view on enriching your current role. This will only happen if you are already doing a good job.

Word of caution though; do not have any ideas of negotiating for a salary review just yet, otherwise this will be seen as a ploy to get a salary review.

You spend a lot of time in the workplace and therefore if your supervisor is not helpful, you can start looking for a role out of the organisation.

Next time ensure that you understand the role before accepting the job offer.