We asked CJ for their perspective about why work-related memes are such a big hit on social media and elsewhere online. "To paraphrase Mufasa, 'We are all connected in the great circle of [office] life," they quipped.
"I think folks enjoy work-related memes because it’s relatable and it brings comfort to know that they aren’t alone," CJ told Bored Panda.
"They’re not the only office employee that feels negatively about their supervisor. They also have a ‘Karen’ in their group. They worry about being on time, and so on. The whole 'it’s funny because it’s true' hits differently when it’s directly related to your daily routine."
Bored Panda was also interested to hear about CJ's take on how employees can develop a healthier relationship with work. Boundaries are key here, just like in any other area of life.
"I believe it is vital to establish boundaries. Whether you’re a brand new employee or a seasoned vet, your manager needs to know what you are willing to commit to, and what things are going to be just outside of your reach," the founder of 'My Office Life' said.
"Since the pandemic, we have collectively agreed that work-life balance needs to include more life and a little less work. I feel supervisors of the older generation are still in denial about work-life balance," CJ shared.
"Based on conversations with fellow corporate expats, once they put their foot down and stopped being a doormat, their outlook became brighter, with improved mental and physical health. That was certainly the case with me."
It’s not just burnout and work-life balance that are top-of-mind for many people. CNN reports that many recent college graduates in the US are struggling to find employment. In some niche cases, students who receive their diplomas apply to hundreds of companies without any success. It’s mind-boggling.
Public policy professor David Deming from the Harvard Kennedy School told CNN that the unemployment gap is partly due to changing employer expectations, as well as an increase in competition. “What you’re seeing is a consequence of the success we’ve had in educating more people. Graduating college no longer gives you a leg up, as recent cohorts have seen the highest graduation rates ever,” Deming said, adding that skill requirements for entry-level roles are higher today than a decade ago.
Meanwhile, a survey from the higher education online magazine Intelligent found that 58% of hiring managers believe recent college graduates are unprepared for the workforce. On the flip side, if recruiters or managers can’t find the people they want to fill positions, it might be an issue with them offering wages that are too low to appeal to talented, skilled, and in-demand workers.
All that being said, burnout is a major issue that many workers face when they have to deal with long-term stress that isn’t managed properly. Someone who burns out becomes cynical about their job, feels chronically exhausted and dissatisfied, feels more negative about everything, and generally tries to distance themselves or emotionally disconnect from what they do at work.
Not only does this negatively impact people’s physical and mental health, but it also leads to worse job performance.
As reported by the American Psychological Association back in 2021, 79% of employees reported work-related stress in the preceding month. Over half of American employees admitted that work-related stress negatively impacted them, leading to less effort at their jobs, as well as less interest, motivation, and energy. Over a third of employees said that they experienced cognitive weariness, just under a third said they were emotionally exhausted, and nearly half also admitted they were physically fatigued.
As per SHRM’s research, 44% of employees in the United States said they were burned out at work in 2024.
Meanwhile, 45% of them felt emotionally drained and 51% said they felt ‘used up’ when their workday ended. Workers struggling with burnout are three times as likely to actively look for another job than those who aren’t chronically exhausted.
Dealing with burnout isn’t as easy and simple as telling someone to take better care of their health and fitness, though those are core aspects of the change that needs to happen.
Other approaches include communicating and then enforcing healthier boundaries with your workload and managers, as well as speaking to your superiors about creating a more sustainable pace at the office.
The key here is being honest about how your relationship with work affects you and how it needs to change so that you feel full of energy and motivation.
Meanwhile, SHRM suggests reframing your expectations and perceptions and finding ways to stay optimistic.
However, if you’re stuck in a truly toxic workplace environment, you can and should apply to new jobs and look for that ‘Plan B’ company you can hop to for better pay, culture, perks, and hours.
The irony is that some of the most resilient and patient workers stay in really bad situations way longer than they should, while their other colleagues may have already recognized how toxic things are and already jumped ship.
The long and short of it is that you should not feel constantly exhausted, anxious, and demotivated working anywhere. Everyone deserves better.
Currently, 23.1k internet users follow the ‘My Office Life’ account on Instagram. Originally, the account was created nearly a decade ago, in the summer of 2015.
The idea behind the content is very straightforward: the curator shares the most amusing and relatable images that touch on the highs and lows of being in an office. Their tagline is, “If you work in an office you'll understand,” so relatability is naturally a core aspect of the memes they choose to feature.
