Whether we admit it or not, many of us have mixed the word hate in the same sentence as our job at one point or another. Sometimes, it’s after a long argument with the boss. Other times, it’s caused by the hopeless feeling when a month long project is expected to be completed by Friday.
With the economy the way it is, it’s even easier to feel down about your career. Chances are good that someone in the office is in deep financial trouble. The added stress more than likely caused additional tension in work relationships, and tension just leads to more despair.
If this sounds familiar, know that complaining to people around you is the last thing you should do because it doesn’t change the situation one bit. Instead, here’s a list of more productive actions you can take.
- Improve Your Communication Skills – Being able to articulate your ideas and point of view is one of the most valuable assets you can learn. Remember that communication is both ways. Be a good listener by being patient, then make an effort to get your point across even when you are too lazy to do so.
- Practice Your Selling Skills – Most people think of selling as convincing someone to buy, but most selling is done on a more intangible level. Every day, we are selling our ideas with our spoken words. Every day, we are selling our value as an employee with our work ethic and every day, we are selling our image with how we act.Let’s face it. Some people are just naturally more talented at this but with practice, EVERYONE can improve. Make a conscious effort to improve your selling skills by listening to people who are convincing and practice selling your ideas often. To people you know and even people you meet on the streets. Don’t be afraid of failure. The more you fall, the better you become.
- Sit Down and Figure Out What You Like and Dislike – Most people who hate their job have never thought about what they can do about it. Perhaps the solution will present itself with just a friendly chat with your manager. Without giving yourself a chance to seriously think of the possibilities, how do you know that nothing will work?Bottom line. Before you sit down and exhaust every possible solution on how to be happier with your job, you have no right to say you hate it because it’s not the job you dislike, it’s what you are doing with it that you hate.
- Gather Your Choices – Once you start thinking about it, you will come up with some possible alternative. Map out a to-do list and take action.
- Test Out Your Theories – As you start acting on the possible choices you thought about, you will get a reality check of your theories. Were you correct in thinking that you were overworked compared with others? Is it true that you can really get a higher salary doing what you do? Pretty soon, you will get a pretty good sense of reality and armed with this information, you can plot a better course of action.
While we are at it, here is a list of “What Not to Do”.
- Complain – It’s been said but it’s worth mentioning again. Understand that you are lucky to even have a job. Be thankful that while millions of people are forced to look for work, you are in a position to choose.
- Buy Things – Many people do this to feel better, but drowning yourself in debt and being tied to your job even more is the last thing you should be doing. Splurging is only going to provide temporary relief.
- Seek Out Like Minded Individual – At one of the companies I used to work for, some of the employees always talked about how unfair the work environment was during their lunch and dinner gatherings. After a luncheon with the group, I was running for the hills because I didn’t need them to affect me negatively.
- Nothing – This is probably the most common, yet most devastating action you can take. If you do nothing, you are letting your negativity bring your mood down. If you do nothing, you aren’t giving yourself a chance to be happy. If you do nothing, you are avoiding the truth. If you do nothing, you are robbing yourself of what could have been.
Do something, and quick! Don’t sit there and say “I Hate My Job”.
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{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I do hope that those people who hate their job truly realize how lucky they are. When we decided to hire an entry level mechanical engineer a few weeks ago, we received 6,000+ applications. Of those apps, 500 had phDs in a related discipline.
The market is still very tough. Be happy you are still getting a paycheck!
The stats are incredible. Money magazine was saying that while the economy seems to be turning the corner, companies are still cutting benefits, salaries and bonuses. It’s tough out there…
I hate my job but I’ve been doing it for the last three years. Then the economy went sour and I was so happy my company didn’t fire me. Ever since that time, I saw my job in a different light. The work didn’t seem that bad, and the long hours actually made me feel good that I was needed.
The job is just what you make of it. If you see it in a positive light, you will feel better about it even if nothing changed.
I’m so happy you completely changed your outlook for the better. I bet that you are happier with everything outside of work as well huh?
Good job (no pun intended)!
I almost didn’t read the post because I don’t hate my job, but I thought the advice works well for everyone.
Communication skills are lacking for many (especially those engineers) and I totally agree that a good communicator is so much more marketable than one who cannot articulate her ideas.
If you hate your job, you should still be lucky you have one right now. Improve your skills and network as much as possible. There could be other opportunities out there that may be a better fit if you know the right people.
That very thought entered my mind the other day, for the umpteenth time, as I was driving to work.
Then another thought dawned: hating an institution whose combined workforce and student body are larger than the populations of most small cities is about like hating a force of nature. OBE (Our Beloved Employer) cares whether I hate it about as much as a tornado or an earthquake would care.
That was a liberating insight. I realized I needed to get over it, stop wasting energy on pointless thinking, and either change my attitude toward work or get another job. Or, as I’m going to do come next December, get quit of the day job altogether.
I never got why people reverted to spending sprees to feel better. It seemed unreasonable to believe that it was anything from temporary.
If only they spent the same amount of money in a course to improve themselves, they would be out of the rut much quicker!
While I was reading your post today, my boss stopped by and talked to me. He is pretty good at keeping employee’s privacy by “not” look at their screens when he talks to them. But…..your huge title “I hate my job. Now what?” just grabbed his attention and……. to be continued…..
(I will keep you posted if I can still come to work tomorrow)
OMG! Please keep me posted.
Looks like I’m safe. I turned all red when my boss came over, but he said “I trust you” and started laughing when I tried to explain afterwards.
Grab more power!
Great way to add enjoyment to your job!
The best way to do that is to seek promotion (legitimate power), the best way to do that is ask for a move up the next time there is a vacancy in the position above you. If you get a “no” ask why not or better still say “what do I need to learn or be better at to qualify for that position”… then go out and learn what you need so your ready for it next time round.
Nothing like a goal to keep you stimulated and give you a purpose to do better at work and hopefully help you at least enjoy your job a little better. I guess the idea is to stop thinking “job” and start thinking “career” and best to start seeing all experiences a learning opportunities.
Ric-orglearn
While having more power works for some, it won’t work for everyone. There are people that simply don’t like more responsibilities and/or money.
Perhaps it’s a lack of confidence, but I’ve met (and supervised) countless people that always told me the last thing they wanted is a promotion. Those people just don’t want to be bothered and the best thing you can do is to leave them alone.
Yes of course you are right as its about what motivates us as individuals, or… extrinsic (external) or intrinsic motivation (like to do it for the satisfaction of an interesting task well done) or again as it is sometimes put the balance between our , Achievement, Power & Affiliation needs or wants.
With the recession hitting hard, people who still hating their jobs are really out of their minds.
I dont’ know that I agree with adding power to add enjoyment. As they say, “With great power comes great responsibility.” There are many reasons to dislike your job and one of them may, in fact, be that you have too much responsibility. I dont’ know that I would actually enjoy being my boss more than I enjoy being me right now.
In fact I would enjoy my job a little bit more if every now and then I was able to have a little bit less responsibility.
nice valuable points.I can not say that I hate job,some time I just do not want to do it anymore.But just after thinking about the economy situation for a while,I decide to stick to my present job.I completely agree your points.It looks like that is what I am doing,thank you for this article.
Best regards,
Avery
Ning, I’ve heard a hilarious news, where a woman Facebook user has been scolding her boss through the Facebook. She forgot that she’d already added her boss as one of her best friends! Well, I don’t need to tell you the end of the story…
The lesson that I learned from the story: No matter how irritating your boss is, try to be friend with him/her, instead of becoming an enemy!
I disagree with most of you. I really hate my job and I cannot change the way I feel about it even in the recession try as I may. People tell me “at least you have a job”. I know I am lucky but it does not make me feel any better about going in every morning and doing pointless work that makes me want to shoot myself. Sometimes I wish I was laid off so I have an excuse to try something else. I am always thinking of plans to escape this mon-fri routine hell. When I do have a feasible plan, I will be getting out of my job ASAP!
Right now, despite being housed in a temporary location, despite the air conditioning being broken, despite where we are being a 3rd of the size of our old office, despite the recession, I LOVE my job.
I don’t always, of course. No one can love their job all the time. But I am extremely grateful just to have one, let alone one I actively enjoy and appreciate.
I can’t love my job. I am educated and I work hard, but am forced to work in housekeeping. The only thing I can do is use my hate as motivation to find a better job asap.