When loved ones tell me to “just quit” they don’t get it. My work is so much more than just a job to me!
I never wanted to be a leader. I stepped up but don’t know how to make change. The team is depending on me—it’s so much pressure.
When will it ever slow down enough for me to take time out of the office? It’s never a good time, and I’ll be SO overwhelmed when I come back.
I know it’s hurting me, but doing the work & serving the mission comes first.
I don’t want to leave my role or agency, but I’m not sure I can stay anymore.
Our team needs help—we end up stuck in the same patterns over and over. The people change but the culture doesn’t.
If these comments sound like something you’ve said or thought, it’s time to consider how your connection to your occupational identity needs some focused attention and change! Even if it feels scary or downright impossible right now, you can always learn how to do it differently. But, what is occupational identity and how do you manage it, anyways? Learn more below!
Understanding Occupational Identity (OI) Management
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What is Occupational Identity?
Occupational identity is about the connections you make between your sense of self or self-image and your paid employment or career. Most people have some connection to their occupations, but not everyone feels deeply connected to their occupation—it’s especially intense for people in mission-driven and high-purpose environments. An occupational identity connection describes how the work you do influences your self-perceptions as well as others’ perceptions of you.
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What is Occupational Identity Management?
Occupational Identity Management is the lifelong process of building skills that regulate the emotional, psychological, and physical attachments a person has to their paid employment. OI management is exceptionally important for those with a strong occupational identity connection and those in mission-driven or high-purpose environments. These folx are especially prone towards unsustainable or harmful OI management practices that impact them and those around them.
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What’s Strong Occupational Identity?
Strong occupational identity is a concept developed and refined by Johnanna Ganz, Ph.D. (that’s me, folx). A strong occupational identity connection occurs when a person uses their paid employment to express their deepest values, beliefs, or identities.
A Strong OI connection is highly likely when a person’s 1) sense of self, 2) activism, and 3) occupation overlap, often to varying degrees. The more the three overlap, the more risks Strong OI carries for burnout, health problems, decreased wellbeing, and loss of career sustainability. The goal of OI management is to keep these three in a sustainable state of overlap.
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What’s a Mission-Driven or High-Purpose Environment?
A mission-driven or high-purpose environment is an agency or collaborative that exists to make a difference in our social world by building a better present and future. Agencies or collaboratives rely on a unifying vision of change that guides every team member’s effort and how they carry out their work.
This means that the group centers an important and clearly understood why behind every choice that isn’t just about profits or building widgets. It’s about making things better for people, animals, or our planet. Most non-profits, social services, human-services, or other professions that focus on addressing challenges or needs in our social world are mission-driven or high-purpose environments.