While it’s true there can many factors that contribute to your unhappiness at work (a supervisor who does not listen, subordinates who try to undermine your decisions as well as ineffective meetings) always remember the real solution to change your current situation and to find happiness at work is to change your behavior and attitude. You must do this before you will begin to see any real change with your career.
Below you will find five of the Top Ten Factors That Make Us Unhappy at Work as published in the 2007’s Happiness at Work index. While it is important to identify and commiserate with others regarding what causes unhappiness at work, it is more important to move beyond simple identification of the problem and into the realm of “What things can I do to change what I don’t like about what’s going on?”
Therefore, let’s take a look at five of these workplace unhappiness factors from the point of view of personal responsibility, accountability and a proactive, problem-solving approach:
1. Lack of communication from the top.
Do you hold a somewhat influential position at your job? Then you might begin to view your department as a “company” in and of itself. Stop waiting for direction from above, and boost leadership efforts within your own sphere of influence. If your position holds no authority, then you can wait it out while continuing to perform to the best of your ability. However, if you’re fairly certain that Corporate has no plans to remedy the situation, you may want to jump this sinking ship before she takes you down with her.
2. Uncompetitive salary.
The obvious solution is to start looking elsewhere. You may want to believe that your loyalty to the firm will one day bring you the recognition you deserve, with the paycheck to match. But the reality is that times are changing. Companies are no longer offering the type of security that would turn you into a “lifer.” So keep your eyes and ears open for new opportunities. You will know when the time is right to begin moving in a new direction.
3. No recognition for achievements.
There’s nothing worse than learning that the hard work you put in has gone unnoticed, the extra hours you worked go uncompensated, and the credit for your ideas was snatched by someone else. And it’s easy to throw up one’s hands and say, “Well I tried last time and it got me nowhere, so next time I’m not going to bother.” The key here is to lobby on your own behalf. It’s a skill that’s critical for moving up the ladder at your job, and yet one that no company will teach you - you have to learn it on your own.
4. Poor boss.
Many people view this as a “hopeless” situation at work. “I have a rotten boss and this is the person who I report to directly. Hence, I’m trapped into abiding by his or her rules - wrong, self-serving, or unreasonable though those rules may be.” Remember that if you’re seeing certain weaknesses in your boss, other people are, too. If your boss is the kind who micro-manages and/or assigns unwarranted blame to the people who report to him or her, then in all likelihood he does it with other members of the department as well.
5. Little personal development.
Larger corporations usually find ways to supplement the employee skill set with new knowledge and personal development. They may offer workplace training sessions, off-site motivational seminars and extra-curricular activities. Some are even willing to foot part or your entire education bill. Smaller companies, however, typically do not have staff members or committees to manage such “perks,” and so they get bumped to the bottom of the priority list. If you feel like you’ve fallen into a rut at work, then be proactive and do something about it.
Remember, the real secret to happiness in the workplace starts with your own attitude and behavior. No matter what caused the poor environment at work, only you have the power to turn things around. Beginning today, right now, begin to create your new reality and watch your happiness soar.
Next: Life Balance – What is it anyway?
If you find this article helpful, please donate to The Next 45 Years, so you can continue to enjoy great articles and inspiring stories.