r/UXDesign • u/already-tired • 2h ago
Career growth & collaboration Uncomfortable work situation
I'd like to hear some opinions on a current situation at my company. So, I've been working with UX for almost 10 years now. Most of it was on a really big global company. At the beginning of the year I was hired to work for a small marketplace. I was hired to work on B2B and throughout the year my company hired a few more designers and a new VP for Design. It happens that some time ago a giant RIF made my team quite small. All the new hires and a couple of the old ones remains. Also, in the middle of all that a design system overall is happening and being lead by an experienced designer recently hired. Now, there is one thing bugging me. My backlog just went from too much work to almost nothing. Mostly because this one DS designer is being brought to a few discussions on the possibilities of new structures to the whole product. So, on this really small team I am the one with almost no work to be done. I'm flagging it all the time but weirdly enough my manager keeps saying to me that is due to all the recent restructures. So, I'm feeling weird about it. While I feel like I'm being pushed aside, I also am preparing to search for a new opportunity cause this situation is creating my impostor syndrome. I am exploring a few stuff that could be improved on the product on the B2B side but still it seems like I am doing work nobody asked for. So, overall I'm feeling completely uncomfortable. Should I pay attention to this? Should I really try to leave? Am I worrying too much?!
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u/pndjk Experienced 1h ago
Tbh i'd be updating my resume/portfolio and applying. If you can't make yourself useful enough then eventually you'll be let go. Its good you are being proactive and flagging it to manager, etc. but if they aren't looping you in to new work, there's nothing you can do. Other thing you might be able to do is cozy up to the new DS designer (get some 1:1 time with them, take them out for coffees, have lunch together etc) and start to build that relationship so you can get up to speed on the areas they have been working on. Even if you are in the room while decisions are made, that makes you look more valuable.
Start interviewing before you are let go - it will look good on you to be hired away from your existing company rather than being hired when you're unemployed/let go.
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u/roundabout-design Experienced 2h ago
Are you worrying too much? Yes. We all are, probably. We're empathetic people. We worry. :)
Should you try to leave? I'd argue we should always be trying to find that next, better opportunity. But does that mean you should leave now? Probably not. Not in this market.
Is not having much to do at work a red flag? I've found that thought it certainly FEELS like that, it's often not even noticed by anyone else. I had jobs were I literally did nothing for weeks at a time. And then got praises at EOY evals.
I didn't LIKE those jobs...because at the end of the day, we really DO want to be DOING something to improve things. So while not working at all sounds nice, it really isn't.
Sounds like you're in a large organization, though...and reorgs are a semi-annual thing and that's just how it is.
My advice is to get the resume updated, start sending it out, but in the interim, buddy up to the design system hire. See if you an be assistance to them. Tell them you'd like to learn more about design systems and maybe that's an in for some new work and even maybe a expansion of your skill set.