This is the time of year when new initiatives are starting, bonuses are often paid, and things get into a routine at work.  It’s a perfect time to look at your workplace happiness.  Do you “love” your job?   If not, it might be time to take inventory and consider your options.
Workplace Happiness
More than a third of all workers are planning to move to a different job during the next year.  Will a new job live up to expectations, or will they be back to hunting the perfect job in just a few months?

Evaluating Your Job Happiness

Before jumping ship and switching jobs, look inside yourself and evaluate what exactly you are unhappy about.   What criteria do you need to use to make sure the next job makes you happier?   Is there anything you can do to improve your job happiness with your current employer?

Personality

Take your personality into consideration. Do you enjoy social interactions and communication or is working with smaller groups or by yourself more your thing?  Can you concentrate for long stretches of time on a single thing, or do you like constant change?   Is your current occupation using your strengths or tugging at your weaknesses?

Understanding your personality traits will help you to recognize which working environments are best suited for you.  Work environment plays a big role in your happiness at work.

Skills

Next, let’s look at the skills you enjoy using.   Do you like to work with numbers or words?   Do you like to do research?  Are you a problem solver?   Are you strategic?   What skills make you feel energized when you use them?  What skills drain you?

Work Requirements

All jobs have requirements and we might not like all of them, and it is something to take into consideration when looking at a new position.   Do you like working 9-5 or do you want more flexibility?   Do you want to set your own schedule or work when you are assigned?  Do you want to come into an office or work from home? Are you required to do mandatory overtime?  How often do you have to stay late?

Studies have found that people who work 40 hours or less are usually happier than peers who are working 40+ hours.   If you work long hours you have less time for family and friends.  Unrealistic work demands can decrease employee happiness.

Challenge

Do you have the opportunity to learn new things?   Does your current job challenge your mind on a routine basis or is it routine?   Most people enjoy a bit of challenge.

Money

Some of the happiest employees make very little in comparison to some of the high paying jobs available.  You have heard the saying, “Money isn’t everything.”  While that is true, money is important.  You should be paid fairly for the job you are doing.  Wages and benefits have an impact on your happiness with the job.

While a six-figure salary may appear to make a person happy, if it eats up all their time and is constantly stressful it might not be worth it.  Many will pick a lower salary for more freedom and time away from the job.  Money is not an indicator of job happiness but is something to consider.  More money does not always make a person happier but being underpaid certainly contributes to job unhappiness. Only you can answer the questions regarding how much money contributes to your job happiness.

Other Factors

Other factors that contribute to job happiness include:

  • Relationship to co-workers
  • Treatment of employees
  • Job Security
  • Safety
  • Organization’s stability
  • Relationship with immediate supervisor
  • Communications
  • Culture
  • Future opportunities
  • Training
  • Support and recognition
  • and others

As you take inventory of these items and how they contribute to your workplace happiness, you might find you are not happy and want to make a shift.  Utilizing a coach for career guidance may help you find the perfect job that would be a better fit for your personality.

Let Me Help

If you need help preparing for the job-hunt, contact your Career Coach, Rachel Schneider, at Career Find for an Introduction Call.  I can help you create a resume that will differentiate you from the competition, develop a unique job search strategy, and help you to feel confident as you begin the interviewing process.