I work at a biotech and i actually enjoy the work I do, but my company makes it impossible to exist as a good employee doing their job without constantly setting goals and personal development plans. It’s exhausting. And I know, I know, it’s a real first world problem. Im sure there are people eye rolling at this post. But I worked hard to get to where I am. I finally make a good salary at a remote job. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. And im happy where I am. But every conversation with my boss is centered around how I can advance into leadership roles, what new benchmarks to meet, or new goals to achieve. They want me to come into the office more to get FaceTime with the higher ups because it would position me for a leadership role. Never mind the actual work I do, or whether I do it well?? is there a professional way to say im happy where I am and I don’t want to spend every quarter reviewing goals and creating professional development plans? I just want to do my job well and hopefully learn some new skills along the way? Why has the baseline for being a good employee become a constant race to go above and beyond? I’m not saying I want to be a lazy employee and coast. But I honestly don’t care about climbing the corporate ladder. Voicing this seems to translate as “I’m not ambitious and I don’t care about work” to managers. I’m happy these opportunities exist for others in the company. And if I were in my 20s and looking to develop professionally this would be a great opportunity. But why does everyone regardless of age and career stage have to constantly advance?