If your present job isn’t bad enough, or if your dream job is still a dream, there are plenty of things you can do to boost your job satisfaction. Here are 10 ways to make your current job much, much better.
So you’re not in the job of the century. You’re not the prime minister, you’re not a rock star and you won’t be retiring at 35 to enjoy millionaire status. To make matters worse, there isn’t even a better job on the horizon. Time to take a deep breath – and make the most of the one you already have.
The good news is that you are not alone. A recent survey showed that employees in the UK are among the most dissatisfied in the world. More than 200 international business people were asked how they rated their jobs, and just 25% of British workers said they enjoyed their work. Economics professor Andrew Oswald of the University of Warwick says people who feel they have no influence over how their work is organised are more likely than most to find work a chore. “We are quite a long way down the scale of job satisfaction in Europe – number 17,” says Oswald. “Maybe it’s because we work the longest hours, commute further than in other nations and feel we have less control in the workplace.”
Don’t panic – we have 10 sure-fire ways of making your job work for you. Taking the imitative is the key. Instead of waking up on Monday morning feeling sick at the thought of the office and your mad, obsessive colleagues, be positive and get organised. That means looking at the areas of your job which are useful to you, and the opportunities you have to develop now – before you move on to pastures new. Equally important, it means getting as much enjoyment as you can out of your job, in spite of its shortcomings.
1. Have a Strategy – Like the baddie in a James Bond film, you need a master plan to get you through the doldrums. “It’s easier to put up with the short-term stuff if you know you are going somewhere in the long-term,” says Judi James of the Industrial Society. So make a realistic list of what you want to achieve in the next 12 months, and another one for the next two years. Keep it simple and within you reach, and include any aspect of your job which is getting you down and could be changed. Talking to a senior person about how they got to where they are now could help you see the bigger picture. Don’t be shy about asking, they’ll be flattered that you value their opinion. Using points 2-9 as a checklist might also help.
2. Have more fun at work – all this emphasis on making it at work could mean you’re taking life a little too seriously. If you’re spending most of your waking life doing your job, it’s a good idea to enjoy yourself as much as you can while you are there. “Often, there’s not much scope for fun at work,” says Judi James. “In fact, it’s banned. You need to create fun, it won’t just happen.” But that doesn’t mean you should be cracking jokes every two seconds. Stay away from workplace moaners, learn to live in the moment – one boss has a bird table outside his window – and think positive. If all else fails, a quick trip to the cake shop to boost team calories can usually be relied upon to work wonders.
3. Get the right training – This is easier said than done if your company’s not offering what you need. However, you can take the initiative. Try contacting your human resources department for a list of courses, or look on the company intranet (internal net system), if there is one. Some firms even deliver training via the intranet, which means easier access for staff. Your local adult education centre is another useful port of call. You may also be entitled to £150 of government funding for an Individual Learning Account (ILA), provided you put in £25 of your own money. “Do be selective,” says careers consultant Helen Vandevelde. “Study the job ads, and get job specifications from firms with vacancies. See what they are looking for, and look at the changing roles within organisations.” Skill requirements change rapidly, so make sure the training you choose will be relevant.
4. Learn to manage your time – “Time management is to do with prioritising. It doesn’t mean doing everything in your in-tray,” points out Cary Cooper, professor of organisation psychology at the University of Science and Technology in Manchester. “You have to accept that your in-tray will never be empty. Concentrate on those things which are important, and do those things. Don’t do the things which aren’t important.” Cooper suggests coming in early, looking at everything in your in-tray and all your e-mails, and prioritising everything you have to do today, this week, next week and so on. If it’s a non-urgent task that has been hanging around for weeks, save time by binning it now. “Remember, few things in business are really that urgent,” he says. “The things which have to be done will get done.” This applies as much to the self-employed plumber as it does to the national sales director.
5. Get a better work/life balance – Making the most of your job means making the most of your life. So don’t fall into the trap of turning into a workaholic. At the end of the day – which should be as near to 5pm as you can manage – walk out and leave work behind. “The work/life balances isn’t just about spending less time at work, it’s about what you do when you aren’t working,” says independent careers adviser Wendy Hirsh. “Voluntary work, music, anything creative: all of these are very therapeutic.” This will do you career more good than being a martyr to your job. “Hobbies, unrelated to work, can help your career – they give you a bit of oomph”, says Hirsh.
6. Change your image – Appearance means a lot at work, and experts agree that making a change in your appearance can alter both the way your colleagues relate to you and the way you see yourself. “It doesn’t necessarily mean going to work in a power suit,” says Judi James. “You can go from smart to casual. One woman I know had been very conservative and then she started to be more unconventional at work, wearing black nail varnish. She said that she found it really inspiring; it reminded her that she could be anybody.” If you’re already wearing casual work clothes, smarten up. But if this job is a means to an end, don’t break the bank in search of a new image that could be totally wrong for your next post.
7. Take a fresh look at your colleagues – Often, it’s the people you work with who make or break a job. Your best tactic may be to live and let live. “There will always be people at work who are hard to deal with,” Says occupational psychologist Alexis Hallam of London-based Career Analysts. “There’s, the person who is envious and jealous of colleagues, the person who is a dead weight and does nothing, and the Machiavellian, who is always trying to pull the rug from under your feet.” Tactics for dealing with difficult colleagues include keeping your relationships on a professional footing, concentrating on the task rather than the person and being clear about what you need from them. Also, try to see their point of view as well as your own. If you know your enemy, you’ll understand where they’re coming from and you’ll be able to anticipate the best ways of dealing with them.
8. Go for more responsibility – If you’re fed up with your job, resist the temptation to go into slump mode. Instead, look at your job in broad terms. What else could you be doing? How does your job relate to other people in the firm? If you want to shine, volunteering for projects outside your day-to-day job can pay dividends. It could be anything from organising the staff away day, to implementing a new IT system across the company. “You can gain a lot of new skills that way and build up the network of people you know in the organisation,” says Wendy Hirsh. The trick is to think laterally and be open-minded about what you might take on. Once you have hit upon your idea, go to your boss with specific proposals.
9. Go for promotion – Don’t hide your light under a bushel – the job of your dreams could be just one step up the career ladder. To find out what’s coming up elsewhere in your company, spread your net wide. Talk to friends, colleagues and managers elsewhere in the organisation. See what skills and experience are in demand. And if you are looking for promotion in your own department, go to your boss with ideas you want to put into action. “Work out exactly what you want to do, and go to your boss with specifics,” advises Cary Cooper. Taking the proactive approach is a good way to get yourself noticed – but avoid using a sycophantic manner and tone.
10. Improve your environment – If you are sitting at a workstation in a dark corner, surrounded by chaotic piles of paper, it’s likely you won’t feel much like the office sunbeam. If you want to enjoy your job, you need to take good look at your work space, even if it’s the counter you stand behind in a shop. So cut the clutter, turn out your drawers and – if possible – move your desk to a lighter part of the room. But beware of making a fetish out of reorganising your work space. “By all means, make sure you are comfortable,” says Helen Vandevelde. “But there is a danger of focusing on the little things, like having lots of picture of your family around, when there are other issues that are making you unhappy.”