To find it a bit performative when people say “I love my job?”

[MyQuaintQuoter]

I’m not saying people can’t enjoy their work but when someone says “I love my job!” with a kind of breathless enthusiasm (usually on social media or in a work meeting), it often feels more like branding than truth. Maybe I’m jaded but most jobs come with stress, bureaucracy, and annoying people. Loving the mission or being grateful for the flexibility makes sense but loving the actual job? Day in, day out? Really?

AIBU to think it’s more about appearing passionate and impressive than anything else?

So what are you questioning about it? What part of it are you reflect on, and why? Another poster has also brought that up and you were unable to answer.

I love my job.

I'm not really familiar with what you're talking about, but I don't have the sort of job where there are meetings or people have linked in profiles.

Maybe it's something specific to your industry/related industries?

This is classic MN. You say something a little ill-thought-out and insular. Fair play we all need to step outside our bubble and understand that people feel differently to us. Instead of just understanding that, you move the goalposts. Then accuse people of being defensive.

Just do the thing that so few do, acknowledge that people feel differently to you.

BTW job satisfaction is heritable and therefore at least partly hardwired. If you don't feel it, you probably skipped that gene.

I’m reflecting on how certain public declarations of job love sometimes feel like performance, especially in curated contexts like LinkedIn or meetings. The tone, timing and repetition can seem more about image than substance. That doesn’t mean everyone is performative but it’s fair to question how workplace culture encourages some to overstate enthusiasm, consciously or not.

I think it probably is more common in certain industries, especially ones where personal branding or networking is a big deal. I’m more referring to those contexts than quieter, behind the scenes jobs. The performativity shows up more where visibility matters.

I love my job and I say it a lot. I've even said to my husband that I'd probably carry on working at it (but massively part time) if I won the lottery and didn't have to work. I also hate it sometimes though - there are bad days and days when I'd like to jack it in. But yeh, I mostly love it. What's wrong with saying that? You basically sound jealous of people that love their jobs, which is a pity.

I say it loudly. I say it repeatedly. Because it's true - I do love my job (most of the time). Why is that such a problem for you?

Speaking as an outsider the whole world of 'personal branding' and 'networking' seems like bullshit a performance.

I love my job but I would never say it out loud especially at work, agree it’s weird and performative.

Specifically, what denotes it as image more than substance?

@MyQuaintQuoter Perhaps your noticing this is an indication that you're in the wrong job/industry or have tired of it and want out.

I think we’re just seeing it differently. For me, it’s not about pinning down a single marker, it’s the overall tone, context, and repetition in certain professional settings that sometimes feels more about optics. You’re free to disagree but I’ve already explained where I’m coming from.

I'll bite..

My bet is you are a neurotypical extrovert with a really good work life balance. Correct?

I seen a man that’s been pushing trollies in Sainsbury’s car park for 25 years genuinely exclaiming how much he enjoys it. I was quite envious.

OP your problem seems to be with anyone being OTT or performative about anything. It's that fair?

Does it annoy you when people bang on about how much they love a certain food, or hobby, or their kids, or their pet?

I absolutely love my job. I don't say it on SM really but I might say it in a work context especially if I were asked to talk to someone interested in joining my profession. I can love it even if there are annoying parts, just like people love their baby even if they scream through the night, or love baking even if washing up is a ballache.

Loving the mission or being grateful for the flexibility makes sense but loving the actual job? Day in, day out? Really?

Yes. Really.

I'm sorry if that's not how you feel, but that doesn't mean that people who feel differently must be exaggerating or being "performative".

I don't gush about my job on SM because I don't really do SM, but life is too short to hide your passion and enthusiasm for things just in case someone decides it must be "performative" because they can't personally relate to it.

And how is it harmful to the workplace?

Maybe there is a difference between enjoying your job, & seeming quite desperate to tell everyone about your job (& how good at it you are etc)

Within my team at work, we have 5-6 people, all reasonably high skilled professionals, all about the same level of good in what they do. One seems to spend a huge amount of his time on LinkedIn bigging himself up by posting about his job, noone else really does that. I find it nauseating, but I feel no personal drive to talk about my job in the same way, even though I probably enjoy my job as much as he does. He gets plenty of 'likes' & comments, he gets attention- & maybe some people need & crave that kind of attention more than others.

If I can see someone spends a lot of time online, I'm probably going to question the quality of their actual work output more. Are they more hot air than results? Is all the talk a cover for weakness, to distract, just a personal marketing ploy? It makes me suspicious, but I'm quite a sceptical person!

I agree with you. And I note that the people disagreeing with you and getting offended say they don’t post it on social media so you are not even talking about them. It irritates me when people say they love their job but admittedly I think a big part of that is envy and bitterness as I have never found something I’m passionate about or even particularly enjoy at all. I do have friends who actively love their jobs. I’m ND and my job doesn’t fit me at all.

Announcing anything on social media is performative. Making a Facebook post all about how much you love your “hubby” is definitely performative, but that doesn’t mean nobody actually loves their husbands/children/pets.

There’s a difference between quietly appreciating your role and using “I love my job!” as a kind of self-branding or status signal. That’s what I’m questioning.

Well it could be both, they could genuinely love their job and be highlighting that fact for perceived career benefits.

But even if it’s disingenuous- so what? People guild professional lillies all the time.

There are people who love their job and derive a huge amount of their identity from it so I don’t think it’s usually performative when people say they love their job. But I think for the majority (including myself and my dp and pretty much all of my close friends) it’s a way to pay the bills. Even though I actually find my job interesting and get some sense of achievement from it, it’s not what gets me going and is not a big part of my life (apart from in hours spent).

Normally the preserve of kiss arse fuckers particularly in the Oil and Gas industry.

I agree. I'm a mental health nurse. I'm truly passionate about my job and I absolutely give my all for patients, but I don't love my job. Who loves work? You have to be there everyday and have no choice in it. I'd much rather be travelling and learning languages.

I love the patient side of my job, but I still hate the concept of work generally 😂 and I obvs hate the damn paperwork!

I love mine, although its strictly speaking a business as I am SE.
I don't care if you think thats performative, its just true