Take some time and reflect on the last 5 conversations you had with friends about their jobs. I would take a bet that in 80% of those conversations - the friend was unhappy with their current job.
The most common answers people give to why they are unhappy with their job:
- There is no room for growth in my company
- The company does not offer enough benefits
- I’ve reached the glass ceiling
- I don’t like my boss
- My boss doesn’t like me
- I have found a better growth opportunity
- I am bored
- etc
I am not judging. I have used more than one of these options before. This week I had multiple conversations with friends and/or family members, where the conclusion was, they are unhappy with their current job.
Loving your job is a BIG DEAL
Loving your job is important, it’s a very big part of what we do every day. The only other activity we devote as much time to is sleeping. With the average person working ± 8 hours per day.
Imagine you hated your bed, pillow and the person you’re sleeping next to. Would you want to go to bed each night? I think not.
I don’t blame people lamenting their jobs. If you are unhappy with your job (whatever the reason - valid or not), I think you should make it your top priority to solve it.
Possible Solution: Get another job
This is the most obvious choice. Get another job.
Maybe the pay is higher, maybe there are more “growth opportunities”.
This seems to be the most obvious solution to the problem - which led me to do a bit of a thought experiment.
Thought Experiment: What if I built the perfect company?
If by some miracle I manage to build the perfect company with:
- The best salaries
- Amazing benefits
- Loads of growth opportunities
- Everyone only do the things they like
- Pumped it full of “happy gas” so everyone got along
Would the employees LOVE THEIR JOB? I would not be surprised if they were happy for a while, and then they would slowly return to a state of unhappiness.
BUT , and this is a big BUT. You will find some outliers in the group that are happy, even at companies not regarded as “great places to work”
What does being happy look like?
Job happiness is not a yes/no type of answer. There is a whole spectrum of happiness ranging from unhappy to happy.
Also job happiness is not linear. Every job has tasks that you love and tasks that you hate doing. Depending on what you need to do at the moment, it may influence how you feel about your job.
Is there a SECRET SAUCE to being happy with your job?
This sucks! Two sides of the coin
Like I mentioned above. Some things suck. For example: your company does not have professional website.
Person A - will complain each and every day about the poor website, becoming more and more unhappy about “the company” not listening to their input.
Person B - will take initiative, build a website themselves and show their boss what they have done. Problem solved.
Which person do you think will be more happy with their job?
Most people ask: what can the company do for me? And not what can I offer the company, how can I be valuable?
Stop asking what your job can do for you and become VALUABLE!
If you feel valued and you know that you are extremely valuable to the company then the chances of you finding fulfilment and being happy is much higher if not inevitable.
SECRET SAUCED = CHANGE YOUR PERSPECTIVE
I am sure this is not the only solution to the problem. I am still trying to figure it out myself. One thing I am sure about, we need to think about this.
If you are running a company or a team, you need to be thinking about creating an environment where employees can thrive and maybe help them change their perspective. Happy employees are productive employees.