Let’s be clear: feeling comfortable at work isn’t a bad thing in itself. Knowing your role, trusting your team, and feeling confident in what you do is important.

The issue arises when comfort turns into complacency. When days, months, or even years pass without meaningful challenge, development quietly slows, and careers begin to plateau without people realising it’s happening.

The Warning Signs of Being Too Comfortable

Most people don’t wake up one morning and decide they’ve stalled. It happens gradually.

Common signs include:

• You’re no longer learning anything new

• Your workload feels repetitive and predictable

• Feedback becomes minimal because expectations are already met

• Opportunities go to others “next in line”

At this point, work may feel easy, but ease doesn’t equal progression.

The Market Doesn’t Stand Still

One of the biggest dangers of staying comfortable is assuming the wider market stays the same. It doesn’t.

New technology, new ways of working, and changing client expectations mean that roles evolve constantly. If your exposure doesn’t evolve with them, your CV can start to lag behind, even if you’re performing well internally.

We regularly speak to people who are excellent at what they do, but struggle when they eventually look to move because their experience hasn’t kept pace with the market.

Why Comfort Can Suddenly Turn Into Risk

The real problem with comfort is that it often feels safe, until it isn’t.

Restructures, leadership changes, mergers, or shifts in strategy can instantly change a role or remove it altogether. When that happens, those who haven’t continued to develop or broaden their experience are left with fewer options than they expected.

Ironically, people who stayed because things felt “secure” often feel the most exposed when change eventually arrives.

Growth Requires a Bit of Discomfort

Career progression almost always involves stretch.

That might mean:

• Taking on responsibility before you feel fully ready

• Moving into a new sector or environment

• Managing people or budgets for the first time

• Stepping into a role where the learning curve is steep

These moments rarely feel completely comfortable, but that discomfort is usually where the most valuable growth happens.

Comfort vs Stability - They’re Not the Same

It’s important to separate comfort from stability. Stability comes from working for good leadership, having support, and being in an environment that invests in people.

Comfort, on the other hand, is about how challenged you feel day to day. You can be stable and still growing. Problems arise when stability becomes an excuse to stop pushing forward.

Asking the Right Questions

A simple question we often encourage people to ask themselves is:

“If I stay here for another two years, what will my CV look like compared to the market?”

If the answer is unclear, or worrying, that’s worth paying attention to.

Final Thought

Being comfortable at work isn’t something to feel guilty about. But staying too comfortable for too long can quietly limit future options.

The strongest careers are built by people who regularly challenge themselves, even when it feels easier not to. If you’re unsure whether comfort has turned into complacency, having an honest conversation can help you work out the difference, and decide what the next right move looks like.