10 steps to love the job you hate final

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10 Steps to Love the Job You Hate

Although we would all ideally love our jobs all of the time, this is not the case for the majority of us. Indeed, a lot of us find ourselves hating our jobs at some point in our lives. Although it's sometimes completely the right thing to do to quit a job we hate, this is not always a realistic option. In some cases it's more viable to do what we can to make our current role bearable. Depending on the attitude we adopt and the actions we take to this end, we may even end up coming to love the job we hate. Whether you hate your job because of boredom, frustration, the hours, the type of work, the people you work with, your boss or the customers, there's always a way through- if not an immediate way out. Firstly, get clear on what exactly it is about your job that you really hate so that you can start the process of finding your way through it. 1. Talk to your boss Think about discussing ways to alter your workload or about the kind of work you currently do. Whether you're underworked, overworked, bored by the work or overwhelmed by it; your boss will understand that you will never be as productive as you could be unless something changes. Knowing that you have the option to discuss your options can be a great start to shaping something new. Be prepared for an open and honest conversation with your boss and evaluate what will be best for you, your team, your boss and your organisation.


2. Look to work with different people Even if you don't necessarily hate your co-workers, it can refresh your outlook on your work and the aspects of it that you do hate to involve different people with it. On upcoming projects, ask to be teamed with individuals you don't usually work with or even interact with at all around the workplace. On a more informal basis, you can ask such individuals for input into your ideas or include them in your brainstorming sessions. On a different level, ask your organization if it has access to external consultants you could perhaps team up with on some things. Mix it up to get a new take on things. 3. Work with people you get on with If you already know which people you enjoy working with and work well with, find more opportunities to work with them. Internally this could mean asking permission to work on your next presentation with someone you know you have good chemistry with. Externally, there will be individual suppliers and customers you have particularly good rapports with. Nurture these relationships, strengthen these bonds and take an active role in continuing to grow and develop them. If you've previously worked with external consultants and you gelled well with them, consider asking for their input again. 4. Explore your options Transfer to a different team or department. If there's nothing going for you where you are, think about manoeuvring a sideways shift. Have a conversation with your boss and see if they are open to the idea of you transferring to a different business area. Think smartly about how you can be helpful in bringing this about rather than sitting back and expecting to be moved somewhere new. Do some research before submitting your request and look at which areas of the organization play to your strengths or what new teams are on the horizon that you might want to get involved with. Seek those interesting opportunities where your input can be valued. 5. Find a confidant Regardless of whether you stay in your current team or switch to a different one, there will be times where you'll just want to let off steam. Although your boss is the person to talk to for a lot of issues, this is not the kind of individual we're talking about here. An alternative confidant may be a colleague, a mentor, a close friend in another department and so on. They will be someone you can trust, someone you can have a private conversation with in a closed space, knowing it will go no further.


You'll be able to talk to this person not only about matters that weigh on your own heart personally but also about co-workers or specific work or office issues you've reached a certain level of concern over. 6. Make the most of your free time A lot of us find ourselves resenting the time we spend at work because of what we're doing -or rather not doing- with our time away from the desk. By spending your spare time with the people you care about, as well as making quality time for yourself and by engaging in activities that invigorate and energize as well as finding time to chill and unwind, you'll find you enjoy both work and play more. 7. Be Healthy Your mind and body will be in a better state to take on the world of work if you look after them through diet and fitness. A poor diet lacking the correct balance of nutrients leads to us feeling both sluggish and irritable, which only exacerbates any negative feelings we experience in the workplace. By eating regularly and more healthily and trying our best to get some regular exercise into our schedule, we increase our energy levels and alertness and we lift our mood. It's surprising how much these changes can contribute to a more positive attitude towards our jobs. Getting enough sleep will also help us feel less tired and more ready to face each new morning. 8. Be Flexible Sometimes it’s just a matter of time- or, to be more specific, hours! If you resent your job because your work schedule restricts you from doing the school run or dropping in on your elderly parents during the day, don't feel you have to put up with it in silence. Talk to your employer about possibly shifting your hours around. For example, to give yourself time to do the morning school run, you could start work a little later and finish up a little later. Likewise if the afternoon run is your responsibility, start earlier and leave earlier instead. With more and more organizations waking up to the reality of flexible working and its bigger presence in the 21st century business world, being creative with your work schedule shouldn't be seen as radical or a problem but rather as a sign of your flexibility and adaptability as a worker. 9. Personalise your working space If we're spending at least eight hours a day, five days a week staring at the same blank four walls and the same boring desk, it's little wonder our office space can feel like a prison and our job like a life sentence. Personalize your working space with photos of friends and family, favourite ornaments or decorations or even a vase of brightly coloured flowers. If your chair is uncomfortable or the wrong height bring in a cushion or two and ask your health & safety officer or office manager to demonstrate how to safely adjust your seat height.


10. Get organized Few things are more demoralizing at work than the inbox on your computer screen filled with unsorted and unread emails; or the inbox on your desk filled with papers you haven't even glanced at yet. In both cases there is no point in putting off dealing with the backlog until some magical point in time when you'll be able to whizz through everything in five minutes flat. Take a minute right now to set aside a window of time where you will sort emails and hard documents alike into different folders so you have a clearer idea of where you are with them. Also, play around with the apps on your tablet or smart-phone to see which ones help you with being more organized in your day-to-day working life. This checklist has been created by Position Ignition Ltd, one of the UK’s leading career consulting companies. Please contact [email protected] for more information or to suggest additional resources.

10 steps to love the job you hate final

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