My fully remote job is dead easy. Should I be worried about getting fired?

About 18 months ago, I started a fully remote job as an operations specialist at a big tech company. The hiring process was grueling - multiple rounds, a technical skills test, and a panel interview where I had to explain how I'd handle conflicting project priorities. Honestly, I thought this job was going to be a grind.

Fast forward to today. It's 11 AM, I'm sipping my second cup of tea and looking at my calendar, and there's literally nothing urgent on my plate. It's been like this for a while.
To be fair, the first month was hectic. I built the entire new reporting system, created automated dashboards, and set up all the project tracking templates from scratch. My manager was so impressed he called me a 'wizard' for creating a system that automatically flags at-risk tasks.

But after that initial push, things... Calmed down a lot. Once the systems were running, my job became mostly about monitoring things, sending a few emails, and attending meetings. Speaking of meetings, I usually zone out completely. I told them to transcribe calls and generate action items. My 55-year-old manager called me a 'real tech whiz' for suggesting it. Dude, I'm not even that into tech.

Last week, my manager asked if I remembered a specific detail about a decision made three months ago. All I did was type a keyword into my notes app and pulled up the answer in seconds. She asked, 'Do you have a photographic memory?'. Photographic what, I can't even remember what I had for breakfast. So now, a big part of my day is just managing perceptions. During video calls, I keep a spreadsheet with complex formulas open on my screen to look like I'm swamped with work.

I have this lingering feeling of guilt, getting paid a salary for very little work. Sometimes it just feels wrong. But on the bright side, I've learned new skills. I learned how to bake sourdough bread. I started gardening. And I've probably watched more classic films in the past year than in the last three combined. I still get a pang of anxiety every now and then, thinking they might figure me out and I'll be part of the next layoff. But last week my manager told me my performance is 'excellent' and that I'm 'the glue holding the team's operations together.' So... I guess I'll just keep this up?

Is this the normal work-from-home (WFH) experience? Or am I crazy for not asking for more work?

Posted Mar 1, 2026, 2:20 PM UTC

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