Do you grudgingly roll out of bed each morning, downing cup after cup of coffee in an attempt to work up the motivation to head to work? While this might be the reality for many out there, it certainly doesn't have to be, nor should it be. There are a variety of reasons why you might not be thrilled to go to work in the morning and most of them are pretty obvious, from a bad boss to grating coworkers to feeling like you're at a dead end. Yet there are often more subtle factors at work that make going to work a miserable experience, many of which you might not even realize apply to you. Here, we share some of the often hidden reasons your job seems like torture even when it shouldn't.
1. YOU'RE BORED
If you're finishing assignments quickly, don't find them
particularly challenging, or just don't have enough to do at work, it likely
isn't helping your morale. While some people might think a job that requires
little of them would be ideal, the reality for most people is that a job that
doesn't ask much is just plain boring. You might not even realize how bored you
are at your job until you really stop to think about it. Boredom is one of the
easiest gripes with work to remedy, however, as you can challenge yourself to
take classes, work on your own projects, or simply start looking for a job
that's more engaging with all that free time you have.
2. YOUR JOB IS UNSTABLE
Living in constant fear that you'll be laid off, demoted, or
pushed out of your current position can lead to a whole lot of workplace stress
which, in turn, can make you generally miserable at work and everywhere else.
With the economy struggling and many businesses cutting back, this may be a
bigger concern for many employees than ever before, and one that you may not
even realize is constantly in the back of your mind. Fear can shape your
decisions, destroy balance in your life, and might even make you start to
resent the power your boss has over your life. Learn to realize you can only
control so much in your life, do your best at your job, and start creating a
backup plan just in case the worst really does happen.
3. IT PROMOTES BAD HABITS
People often don't realize how many of their bad habits are
tied to work. Afternoon snacking? Happy hour binge drinking? Lack of sleep?
Skipping workouts? All of these things, and many others, can be tied to a
workplace that is overly stressful and demanding. While you might notice the
stress, you may not notice just how much your work is impacting other areas of
your life, destroying your health, relationships, or work-life balance. When
stress and bad habits are coupled with an office environment that promotes your
bad habits, things get even worse. This often leads to you beating yourself up
about not breaking those bad habits, many of which are tied directly to issues
at work, which ultimately results in you disliking your job.
4. YOU'RE NOT GROWING
One of the reasons you may hate your job is because your job
simply doesn't give much back to you. If there's no prospect of advancement,
and no chance to grow, develop, and learn as an employee, you're bound to feel
frustrated and unhappy. The ideal job should give back as much as you put in,
and if your workplace doesn't offer this kind of payback, it could be weighing
more heavily on you than you realize. If this is one of the underlying reasons
you hate your job, it may be time to start looking for a new one or finding new
ways to push yourself at work.
5. THERE'S NO REWARD FOR HARD WORK
Do you put in long hours, work extra hard, do your best, and
still never get so much as a word of thanks from your boss or coworkers? While
you can't expect to get high praise (or a raise) for everything you do at work,
we all want to feel like what we do matters. If your job isn't making you feel
valued, even if you're helping to push the company forward or developing great
products, then it's almost impossible to be happy working in that position. If
your company doesn't value you, then it might be time to move on.
6. YOU HAVE NO PERSONAL LIFE
For some, the workaholic lifestyle is great, but for the
rest of us, spending every waking hour at work, thinking about work, or tied to
the office isn't a good thing. Even if you like your job, you may begin to
resent its imposition on your personal life, especially if it means missing out
on important events, sacrificing vacations, or just not having any time to
yourself. Really think about how much time you put into work each week. It
might be sucking up more of your time than you realize, which may be a big part
of why you don't have much good to say about your job.
7. YOUR JOB DESCRIPTION HAS CHANGED
If you feel yourself hating your job, it may be because the
job you were hired for has morphed into something else that may or may not
reflect your career goals. Often this starts out as taking on a few other tasks
and can add up to your position being radically different than the job you
agreed to take from the company. While this can be a good thing for some
people, others may find that it makes going into work boring or unfulfilling.
If this is you, talk to your boss or start looking for a position that really
reflects what you want to do.
8. THE COMPANY ISN'T A GOOD MATCH
Surprisingly, it can make a big difference whether or not
you agree with your company's long-term goals, mission, or management policies.
For instance, if you're a high-tech-focused person working for a company that
is resisting the digital revolution, you might feel pretty restricted or
frustrated at work. If HR policies make it hard to do your job, you're not
likely to jump out of bed to get to work in the morning. Sometimes a company
just isn't a good match; you just have to figure out if that's true for you and
be willing to break it off if it is.
9. YOUR WORK GOES AGAINST YOUR VALUES
Do you have to keep your values secret at work because they
don't match the company values? For instance, it's pretty hard to be crazy
about environmentalism when you work for a company that specializes in
potentially deadly chemicals. That's an extreme example, but there are many
more subtle ways that your job can be a mismatch for your personal beliefs, and
that may be an impossible gap to bridge. Ultimately, something will always feel
wrong, and that may lead to you hating your job.
10. WORK FEELS MEANINGLESS
We all want to feel like we make a difference in the world,
whether we're battling hunger, helping a family deal with setting up a will, or
just ensuring people choose the right toaster. Ideally, jobs should offer us
some sort of meaning, but if yours doesn't, then it may be a big part of the
reason you hate going to work every day. This can be especially true in a
large, corporate setting where you may feel like you're just another nameless
person working away in a cubicle. Seek out a job that offers you some meaning
in your work and see how quickly you start feeling more optimistic about going
to work in the morning.
Carol Brown is a freelance contributor to www.Onlinecollege.org and writes the
Job, Career and Education articles for the site. You can view the original post she just shared with us over here.
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