In recent weeks I've been particularly demotivated at work. My coworkers are still great, but since my contract will be up in a few months, I'm mostly focused on getting some projects done in time for wrap up and turnover.

...which, okay, is honestly not hard. But – and maybe it's very Bullshit Jobs of me to say – it's getting harder to ignore how little meaning I find in the work I do, so it's hard to muster up the energy to work on it. I'm lucky in that my boss understands why someone leaving would be a little more mentally checked out, so she's not on my case for it. It helps take the pressure off, but the work's not any less tedious.

I have to remind myself that nobody is going to hunt me down if I don't care enough about the work, just as long as I don't make their lives difficult (which I'm not trying to do). But I'm at a point at my job where I'm so checked out that I spend a lot of my remote days drawing, so I feel a little guilty, even if I know I only do that when I know I can afford to.

Some months ago, we were all made to take the Bain & Company Worker Archetypes quiz and out of 30+ people in my department, I was the only Operator, which I found very funny.

For Operators, life is about more than work. They see work as a means to an end. They don't feel a burning desire to always stand out, which makes them excellent team players. At their best, they form the dependable backbone of the organization. At their worst, they are disengaged and lack proactivity.

Despite the chipper description, employees who are Operators are clearly not as desirable from a manager's perspective, especially compared to Givers (motivated by the idea of helping others) or Strivers (motivated by success and excellence). Operators are tricky subordinates, because you're not likely to find a solid, reliable way to motivate them outside of helping them find it internally.

It makes me wonder: Is there a job I'll ever like enough to be something other than an Operator for?

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Edited slightly later for word choice and clarity. First draft was obviously written stealthily at my work desk lol