I could go on about all the things that are happening in HRIS, but let’s take a bit of a pause and talk about how you find your magic again.
For the first time since 2021, I’m logging offline for a week. For the love of god, don’t be me.
And the only reason I’m doing this is because I wasn’t feeling myself for way too long.
I used to love HRIS. Now I don’t. What happened to me?
At the start of this year, I was crashing out. And yes, we are only in February lol
On paper, it was the definition of success. I had overcome being fired, I built a company that was more successful than I had ever expected. And then the emptiness set it. I was so exhausted and wanted to vomit at the thought of “growth.”
And then one day I found myself looking at buying a business while I was in tears casually evaluating my entire life.
And then the thought crept in, “should I just buy a laundromat and disappear?”
Hear me out, Houston is a hurricane magnet, so honestly it wasn’t the worst business idea. LOL.
But that was the moment I realized something.
It wasn’t HRIS that I hated. I LOVED my career.
I couldn’t stand how I was living.
16+ hour days do not light my soul on fire. I ignored my friends because I didn’t have the capacity to talk to anyone.
And I never talk about that.
I always talk about loving HRIS. And I do. It genuinely lights me up.
The signs were there
I was irritated in a way that didn’t match the situation. A simple report request would come through and my chest would tighten like someone had called my nephew ugly. Not because the work was unreasonable. It wasn’t. It was just one more thing layered onto a stack that never seemed to shrink.
Workday Community used to feel like Disneyland. I remember logging in and genuinely wanting to learn. I’d read updates like they were stories. Somewhere along the way it started to feel like homework. I’d open it and immediately feel tired.
And I hadn’t taken a real week off without my laptop since 2021. Not the kind where you’re “mostly offline” but still checking Slack in the airport. I mean gone. Completely unreachable. I told myself that’s just what high performers do.
The demands never stopped. And when they finally did, I didn’t know how to sit still. So I’d scroll. Zillow. Instagram. Business listings. Anything. I called it “me time,” but really it was just my brain looking for a hit of something that didn’t feel heavy.
It wasn’t that I hated HRIS. I didn’t.
I was overstimulated, under supported, and way too stubborn to slow down.
Your Northstar
Listen HRIS gang.
That company you love will fire you faster than you can blink.
I’ve worked in HR for almost 9 years. I can unequivocally say this happens even if you’ve been somewhere for 20+ years.
Do not skip life to prove you are dedicated. My nickname was “dedicated, Dani.” Ick.
One day, while I was still in that spiral, I was scrolling Zillow and came across a pink house in Galveston. Yes, where the water looks like mud. But I’m a HUGE fan.
As a northern girl who is use to -20 degree weather, I’ll take muddy waters.
So I made it my phone background.
Every time a leader pisses me off, I look at that house and remind myself what I’m building. Turns out I write nicer emails when I picture my nephews enjoying the vacation home auntie bought. A place where my mom could retire and not worry about making ends meet.
Our jobs do not have to be our passion project, but they can be used to create our little silence of heaven.
You don’t have to love your job every single day.
But you can find your North Star.
I hope you find out what lights your soul on fire, because you deserve it.
your HRIS BFF 👠
If you haven’t explored HRBench yet, you’re missing out. They’re building tools for the same HR leaders this community was created for. 😉
Want a closer look? You can reach them at [email protected] or visit hrbench.com to book a demo.