What to do when Work Loses Its Colour!

Why so many experienced professionals have lost their spark at work — and what we can do to bring it back.

There was a time when going to work meant more than simply doing your job.

It meant catching up with colleagues, sharing ideas, having a laugh and occasionally doing something completely unexpected.

Of course, there were difficult days. There always have been.

But somewhere along the way, I wonder whether we've lost some of the enjoyment that used to make working life feel a little more human.

And I think it's worth asking why.

Where did all the fun go?

My wife and I first started talking about Career Happiness ten years ago.

We'd both spent years working in HR and organisational development, and we'd begun noticing something that concerned us.

Work seemed to be becoming less enjoyable.

There appeared to be less humour, less spontaneity and less of the camaraderie that can make even an ordinary working day enjoyable.

And that was before the enormous changes we've experienced over the past decade.

Remote and hybrid working have transformed how many of us work. Technology has made it possible to collaborate across countries and time zones. Online meetings have become part of everyday life.

There are genuine benefits to all of this.

I particularly enjoy coaching people online. In some circumstances, I've found that meaningful one-to-one conversations can develop remarkably quickly.

But I also wonder what we've lost along the way.

The spontaneous conversations. The shared laughter. The opportunity to bounce an idea off someone without scheduling a meeting.

The moments when you get to know your colleagues as people rather than simply as faces on a screen.

None of those things appears on a job description.

But perhaps they matter more than we realise.

We're more connected. 

A recent Telegraph article exploring how work became joyless raised some interesting questions about the modern workplace.

It highlighted research suggesting that many office workers are experiencing fewer meaningful face-to-face interactions and greater feelings of loneliness at work.

And it got me thinking.

We have more ways to communicate than ever before.

Emails. Messaging platforms. Video calls. Shared documents.

Yet having more ways to communicate doesn't automatically mean we're building stronger relationships.

I've experienced online meetings that finish precisely when the next one begins. Everyone disappears, and the opportunity for a spontaneous conversation disappears with them.

Compare that with sitting alongside colleagues, discussing something over a coffee or having an unexpected conversation that leads to a completely new idea.

For me, those interactions have often been some of the most enjoyable and productive parts of working life.

That doesn't mean everyone should return to the office five days a week.

Different people have different preferences, responsibilities and circumstances. Some thrive when working remotely. Others get much of their energy from being around people.

The important question is whether we've given enough thought to what individuals and teams need to work well together.

Because flexibility and human connection shouldn't have to be competing priorities.

What losing your spark actually looks like

When we talk about career dissatisfaction, we sometimes imagine someone who absolutely hates their job.

But I've seen something much quieter happen.

People gradually lose their enthusiasm.

They still turn up. They still attend meetings. They still complete their work.

But they're no longer particularly interested in what they're doing.

Someone who once contributed ideas becomes quieter. Someone who enjoyed a challenge stops looking for opportunities to develop.

They may spend more time thinking about their next holiday or retirement than their next professional achievement.

And sometimes they expend an enormous amount of energy simply appearing enthusiastic.

That can be exhausting.

But here's something important.

It doesn't automatically mean the individual has a poor attitude or has somehow lost their ambition.

Perhaps their role no longer stretches them.

Perhaps their strengths aren't being used.

Perhaps their priorities have changed, or the working environment no longer provides the things that once made their job enjoyable.

Sometimes we've changed.

Sometimes work has changed.

And sometimes the relationship between the two simply isn't working as well as it used to.

Understanding that difference is an important starting point.

Perhaps we've forgotten what makes work meaningful

When I think about the most enjoyable experiences of my own career, there's a common thread.

People.

Working with colleagues who bring different personalities, skills and perspectives. Sharing ideas. Challenging each other. Having a laugh.

But there's something else.

Seeing that the work we're doing actually makes a difference.

Whether that's helping someone develop a new skill, supporting somebody through a career decision or contributing to a project that produces a tangible result, I've always found enormous satisfaction in seeing progress.

And I don't think I'm particularly unusual in that respect.

Most of us want to feel that our work matters in some way.

We want opportunities to use our strengths, contribute our ideas, develop our capabilities and receive recognition when we've done something well.

We also want to feel that the people around us genuinely care.

These aren't particularly complicated requirements.

Yet somehow, in our pursuit of productivity, performance and efficiency, I wonder whether we've occasionally forgotten about the everyday experiences that make people want to contribute in the first place.

You can't manufacture happiness with a wellbeing programme

Of course, individuals have some responsibility for their own career happiness.

We need to understand what matters to us, recognise when something isn't working and be prepared to have conversations about what needs to change.

But organisations and managers have responsibilities too.

And this is where I think we've sometimes made things unnecessarily complicated.

We introduce wellbeing programmes, organise away days and launch initiatives designed to make people feel better about work.

There's nothing inherently wrong with any of those things.

But if someone returns from a wellbeing event to an environment where they feel unheard, overstretched or unable to speak honestly, how much has really changed?

Making work enjoyable is about what happens on an ordinary Tuesday, not just what happens on the annual team away day.

It starts with relationships.

Can you have an honest conversation with your manager without worrying that your words will be repeated inappropriately? Do they understand your strengths? Are you getting opportunities to develop? Is your workload manageable and fairly distributed?

And when you raise a concern, does anything actually happen?

Managers aren't mind readers. Employees need to communicate too.

But managers have an important role in creating the trust that makes those conversations possible.

That doesn't mean promising everyone a promotion, a different job or their ideal working arrangements.

It means listening, exploring what's possible and following through on commitments.

It also means recognising that five people in the same team might need five different things to enjoy their work.

Ultimately, I think one of the simplest things organisations can do to improve working life is also one of the most important.

Show people a little more empathy.

Understand them as individuals. Give them a voice. Help them use their strengths. And create an environment where they have a reasonable opportunity to enjoy what they do.

Bringing the colour back

So, where do we go from here?

I don't believe the answer is to romanticise the past.

Working life wasn't universally wonderful twenty years ago, and the flexibility available to many people today has brought genuine improvements.

Nor do I believe everyone needs to find their dream job, change careers or discover some grand purpose.

Sometimes the answer is much simpler.

It's recognising what's missing.

Perhaps you need more opportunities to work with other people. Perhaps you'd benefit from a different challenge, greater autonomy or the chance to develop a skill you've neglected.

Perhaps it's time to have an honest conversation with your manager.

Or perhaps you've reached a point where your current role no longer fits the person you've become.

Whatever the situation, the first step is understanding what makes work enjoyable and meaningful for you.

And if you're a manager, there's an equally important question.

What could you do differently to help the people around you enjoy their working lives a little more?

Because career happiness isn't simply about individuals finding better jobs.

It's also about creating better experiences within the jobs people already have.

Life is too short to spend your working years simply going through the motions.

Maybe it's time we put a little more colour back into work.

A question for you

Think about a time when you genuinely enjoyed going to work.

What made that experience different?

Was it the people, the work itself, the environment or something else entirely?

And how much of that is still present in your working life today?

Career Happiness helps experienced professionals rediscover what makes work meaningful and find greater enjoyment, clarity and confidence in the next chapter of their careers.