It is quite common for people to feel unsatisfied with their jobs. Surveys conducted at various points in time and in various parts of the world, often indicate that up to 50-60% of people are not happy at work. However, very few of these people will actually do something about this situation.
Reasons for this might include the following:
- Prestige value of the current job
- Money
- Being ‘realistic’ and assuming that this is how work is supposed to be
- Resistance from family/friends
- Fear of the unknown
- Lack of clarity about alternative options
- It is much easier to keep things as they are
And so people head off to work every morning (with sullen faces) and spend the majority of their day there. The only hope is the weekend, which is what keeps people going. But Sunday evening arrives soon and the cycle starts all over again.
Don’t get me wrong. Life is hard and we all have to deal with the practicalities and other challenges it throws at us. All I am saying is, that more often than not, we do have a choice and should at least try and do something to change the situation if we are not satisfied with it.
The first step is to identify the cause behind the lack of satisfaction. Here is a list of things which people typically want from their work. Have a look and see which parts are not optimal in your situation.
Career Development
- Organization’s commitment to professional development
- Career advancement opportunities within the organization
- Career development opportunities for learning and professional growth (mentorships, cross training, etc.)
- Job-specific training
- Opportunities to network with others (within or outside the organization) to help in advancing one’s career
- Opportunities to use skills and abilities in work
- Paid training and tuition reimbursement programs
Relationship With Management
- Communication between employees and senior management
- Autonomy and independence to make decisions
- Management recognition of employee job performance (feedback, incentives, rewards)
- Relationship with immediate supervisor
Compensation and Benefits
- Base rate of pay
- Opportunities for variable pay (bonuses, commissions, other variable pay, monetary rewards for ideas or suggestions
- Stock options
- Health care/medical benefits
- Family-friendly benefits (life insurance for dependents, subsidized child care, elder care referral service, etc.)
- Paid time off (vacation, holidays, sick days, personal days, etc.)
- Retirement benefits (defined contribution plans such as 401(k) and other defined plans such as pensions)
- Flexibility to balance life and work issues (alternative work arrangements, including job sharing, flex schedules, telecommuting, etc.)
- Being paid competitively with the local market
Work Environment
- Feeling safe in the work environment
- Job security
- Meaningfulness of job (understanding how job contributes to society as a whole)
- Organization’s commitment to corporate social responsibility (balancing financial performance with contributions to the quality of life of its employees, the local community and society at large)
- Organization’s commitment to a ‘green’ workplace (environmentally sensitive and resource efficient)
- Overall corporate culture (organization’s reputation, work ethics, values, working conditions, etc.)
- Relationships with co-workers
- Contribution of work to organization’s business goals
- The work itself (it is interesting, challenging, exciting, etc.)
- Variety of work (working on different projects, using different skills)
Once you have some idea of the possible culprits, you have two options:
- See if you can resolve the issues and improve your situation in your current job. Realise that no job will be perfect but it should at least satisfy your most important needs
- Decide that you need to change jobs and start looking for options. Here it is very important to have a clear idea of what you want from your next job, to ensure that you do not land up in a similar situation again
No matter which option you pick, you must take action. This is especially so if your levels of dissatisfaction are high, since it can be emotionally draining to continue in such a situation and often it will impact other aspects of your life.
Sources and references: Sandbox Advisors, SHRM