The majority of people who work do a particular job because they need to keep a roof over their head, food on the table and pay their bills.
Some lucky people – and I consider myself to be in this category – really enjoy their jobs. But even people who are generally happy in their work occasionally find themselves falling out of love with the routine, or finding it a strain. Handing in your notice and leaving to find something new might be a bit extreme; so it’s up to you to do some self-analysis to come up with some strategies that might just get you enjoying your work again. But in order to do this you need to look at what might be causing your dissatisfaction. Here are some possible reasons:
- Are you stressed? If you feel overworked, could you delegate some of your simpler tasks to others? Or do you have the confidence to discuss the situation with a sympathetic manager? If neither of these is possible, you could try switching off when you leave the office. There’s nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night and worrying about something that’s happening at work. You can’t do anything about it and the lack of sleep will just make it even harder to concentrate and cope. So be stern with yourself!
- Often linked to this – are you feeling undervalued? Here, I’m not talking about pay and perks; I’m talking about how you feel you are viewed by the company or your line manager. Is there a new role that you could take on to make life more interesting? Would they be prepared to let you go on a course to improve your prospects? (Note: the only time you should seriously consider asking for a pay rise – other than the annual increment – is if you can prove that you can bring some extra benefits to the company, and being better training would certainly put you in line for this.)
- If you don’t feel you can ask for them to pay for additional courses/training then what can you do for yourself? Are there any podcasts, Ted’s Talks, or distance learning courses relevant to your job? Just getting your brain active and thinking more deeply about aspects of your work might make you feel enthusiastic and interested again.
- Finally, could you interact more with your colleagues? By this I don’t mean wasting time in pointless chatter. But socialising at an appropriate time, showing more interest in them, their lives and their roles in the company. It might give you a whole new perspective on how you fit into the organisation and you might even end up feeling more part of the team!
If you really are dissatisfied with your job then you need to move on, but if you feel that this could be just a temporary ‘blip’ then it’s certainly worthwhile trying some of these strategies before taking a step whichyou might regret.
Author: Diana Nadin
