Last year, our approach to work was very much… ‘meh’. Quiet quitting was everywhere. Boundaries were set. We questioned the idea of a ‘dream job’, and whether we should even care about what we do for money. Call it the lingering aftereffects of hustle culture-induced burnout, or a backlash to the girl boss movement. Whatever the reason, we weren’t particularly motivated to give our all to our 9 to 5s. 

Then the cost of living crisis hit. The recession and redundancies became looming spectres in our peripheral vision. We’re entering 2023 feeling more than a little nervous about job security, which makes the relaxed approach to our careers seem risky. 

Enter: career committing. According to the experts over at LinkedIn, this is the trend that’s going to define our approach to work for the year ahead. 

What is career committing, you may ask? Don’t worry, it doesn’t mean pouring your all into a job that you hate. Instead, it’s all about really committing time and effort into your own career, whether that means working towards a promotion at your current job, learning new skills to add to your CV or going to networking events to build future connections. 

It’s basically the opposite of coasting. It’s an attempt to take back some control over our careers, which can feel unsteady, recognising that we can curate a career that we genuinely love. 

Research from LinkedIn found that 56% of UK employees have made positive changes at work in response to economic turbulence, including proactively taking on new projects (39%), networking more (35%) and making more of an effort with colleagues (30%), while 74% say they’re planning to invest in new skills to boost their ability to weather this economic storm. 

Charlotte Davies, LinkedIn’s career expert, says: “It’s inspiring to see UK professionals taking on 2023 with such confidence and once again showing how resilient they are, despite so much change and uncertainty. The cost of living crisis will definitely have played a part in the number of people looking for a new role, and our research shows that 2023 is the year of ‘career committing’ – the process of investing in your career against a backdrop of economic uncertainty. We’re seeing the UK workforce understand their value; they are more empowered to push for promotions and advance their careers via upskilling, which will set them up positively for the year ahead.”

Sounds good to us. So, how can we get in on the career committing trend? Helen Tupper, co-host of the Squiggly Careers podcast and CEO of Amazing If, shares her top tips. 

“If you’ve lost your spark for work, then focusing on your small successes is a great way to reignite your passion,” says Tupper. “End each day by writing down one thing you’ve done well that da­y. Keep this up for a week and you’ll create a bank of successes that will be a source of motivation for you.”

It’s always a good idea to invest time and energy in learning. Focus on building your skills and expanding your knowledge – not just for the sake of putting on your CV, but to open your mind up to career paths you may not have even considered. 

Tupper says: “If you’re not doing a role you love and it feels like you want to move on, then refocus on learning forward. Look at the skills and knowledge you need for what you want to do next and read, then pick and choose the appropriate LinkedIn Learning courses that help you move towards your goals. This action will give you energy and put you in a more positive position for the future roles you’re interested in, as well as widening your current repertoire.”

“We find more meaning and motivation in our work when we have a sense of community in our career,” Tupper notes.  

Could you set up a coffee catch-up with someone whose job you’d love to know more about? Or go to a networking session? Build those connections for benefits now and when it’s time to go on the job hunt. 

Tupper suggests: “When you’re looking at new roles, consider how your strengths could solve some of the potential problems that a team or organisation might be experiencing. For example, if an organisation has new competitors, perhaps your creative thinking strength could help the product team come up with new services. Or if a team is facing cost challenges, you could discuss how your strength in negotiating could support them to achieve their objectives. 

“By sharing how your strengths can help, you’re much more likely to be seen as someone they might need to know.”

Images: Getty; Stylist