Why Do You Work?

Why do you work? Often the first response to that is “for the money” but when you dig a little deeper money is rarely the primary motivator, although of course it is a significant factor. Take a few moments to think of 5 reasons why you work.

When money is the main reason for working, it’s often as a means to an end. As in, I’ll do this job I don’t like because it pays well, and stay until I’m in a position to do what I really want. But financial rewards are important and we women are notorious for under valuing ourselves in this area and not always asking for enough. (Latest survey says a 98 year wait for UK women to get equal pay with men – good grief)

Reasons for Working

I sometimes work with groups approaching retirement; one of the questions I ask them is what does work give them? First, with the prospect of a living on a pension looming large in their minds, they always say money. But then some more interesting facts emerge. They enjoy the status of being employed, particularly if in a senior position and they like the companionship. They like the satisfaction of a job well done, of feeling that they count.

Surveys

This is borne out by research into what makes people content at work. People like the opportunity to do what they do well every day, to use their skills; they also like that work to be recognised to be their line managers. In addition they are happy in workplaces where someone takes an interest in their development, and where training and staff development is valued and supported.

If you find yourself in a role where you’re not getting any of things, you may wish to consider moving jobs. If that’s not possible, consider how you might build some of these things into your life by other means. When work isn’t working for you, then you need to take responsibility for managing your own career, because no one cares about it as much as you do. If you haven’t got a good employer, or good line manager, you just have to grab the career reins yourself!

Photo Credit: Valdas Zajanckauskas

How To Improve your Working Life with 3 Simple Ideas!

It’s hard enough at the best of times if you don’t like your job but when there’s an economic downturn it can feel like a prison sentence. Good jobs are thin on the ground, and let’s face it, we’ve all got to eat and pay the bills. And so you stay put and try not to rock the boat too much but it’s eating away at you. Your enthusiasm starts to wane, you lose motivation,your joie de vivre for other parts of your life is affected and before you know it you’re well and truly fed up!

How to Improve Your Working Life

Here’s three tips to help you cope with the bad times and get ready for the upturn (trust me, this will pass).

1Don’t Take it Personally, Think Global

We women have an uncanny ability to personalise things. Thoughts like ‘Why me?‘, ‘I’m no good’, ‘I’m so unlucky’ start to morph into ‘I’ll never get a good job again‘, ‘no one will employ me’. It’s a downward spiral and doing you no good at all. I’m all for being realistic about situations and the reality of this situation is that there is a global economic downturn and ‘times is ‘ard’ for almost everyone. It is not personal.

2 Upgrade Your Spam Filter

Now about those little messages dropping unwanted into your brain as you sigh over yet another unrewarding piece of work you have to do. Believe me, they are making you feel worse. So if we want to feel better we need to deal with them. If you’re a regular reader you’ll know I’m very into evidence based research and using techniques that work. Well, positive thinking is not something off the wall; it’s a technique that works and is used in treatment models for all kinds of conditions.

First you have to identify your negative messages to self (write them down as the thoughts go in; I bet you’re really unkind to yourself sometimes). Then you have to harness that negative impact for a good and positive one. So turn your spam into something helpful, like ‘ I am good at what I do’, ‘this will pass’, and so on. I can’t write them for you as they have to be something that sounds like you talking and doesn’t make you squirm with embarrassment!

3 Find Something Fulfilling Outside of Work

When you’re not getting what you want from work try and get it from somewhere else! Work out what you’re missing: challenge, stimulation, new learning, team work, responsibility, money maybe, and see if there is a way of finding that outside your current role. You could offer yourself and your skills to a charity, maybe do an additional part time job (that’s harder but not impossible), start an online course, read a self help book and try out what it advises, sign up for an evening class…. Give yourself ten minutes to jot down all the possibilities, don’t censor anything. Or better still do it with a friend and make it fun.

I’d love to hear how you cope or have coped if you’ve ever been stuck in a job rut. And don’t forget my book ‘When Work Isn’t Working’ covers all of this and more.

Photo Credit: Kostas Kitsos

Why Do You Work?

Here’s a quick question for you to ponder:

Why do you work?

The obvious answer is money but dig a bit deeper than that. What does work give you?

Your list may include:

• friendship
• training
• personal development
• status
• getting out of house
• connection with wider world
• opportunity to network
• opportunity to take a few risks
• opportunity to stay in comfort zone
• ability to contribute, to make a difference
• being part of a team
• keeping you up to date in your field

Of your own list, what is the most important to you?

Job or Career?

Having a job is not the same as having a career; you will have very different feelings about a job, usually its just a means to an end. Jobs come and go and can disappear in an inkling, often for reasons well beyond your control.

A career is something you have for life (although you may have several careers in one lifetime!) A career is something YOU control.

I have had jobs (too numerous to mention!) and I have had three careers – as a professionally qualified social worker, as a manager, and now as a specialist in change.

A career is a lifetime experience of making the most of your skills, your knowledge and your life experiences. People with careers tend to read and study in their spare time and it doesn’t feel like drudgery. A career is something you develop and plan. Having a career that you love really does mean that work isn’t working!

It’s your life, your career. Don’t hold back from spending time thinking about and planning your career. It’s time well spent, whatever age you are! There will be knock backs along the way, and times when you leap ahead. But knowing what you want, having goals and milestones along the way, will ensure you get where you want to be and then help you stay there.

What has been the best move you have ever made to help you take charge of your career?

Are You Working Too Much?

A recent study, reported in the European Heart Journal (May 2010), has followed the health of more than 10,000 civil servants since 1985.

And they conclude that working too much is bad for your heart (as well as a whole lot of other things I might add!)

Their research shows a 60% increase in heart related illness such as non fatal heart attacks and angina in those who work three hours or more longer than a normal 7 hour day. One or two hours overtime made no difference.

They cite several possible reasons why this might be so. It could be that people who regularly work longer hours are type As, classified as aggressive, competitive, and very time conscious; prime candidates for heart disease. Another factor could be psychological distress, such as depression, anxiety, lack of sleep, or not relaxing enough before sleep. They may also be the type to carry on regardless, even though they feel unwell.

The study was done exclusively on white collar workers in the public sector so may not hold true for everyone.

But the message is clear. Don’t let work run your life, rather let it be part of your life in your control. And if you find work is making you feel stressed and anxious on a regular basis , do something about it! Talk to someone at work, consider a different job, change your attitude towards to work, take back control. Don’t let your career run you, It’s YOUR career, take charge!

Are YOU in Charge of YOUR Career?

When was the last time you really paid some serious attention to your career? In times of economic slowdown it’s even more important to be thinking seriously about your job.

Research shows that successful people are ‘career resilient’; they take charge of their own learning and development and are ready to reinvent themselves to keep pace with change.

In your career lifetime you may have several different types of career and business. Young professional, to homemaker, part time work perhaps, professional woman, senior management, or international entrepreneur?

Try this exercise. Close your eyes, and allow yourself to relax. Breathe out as long as is comfortable and you will take in a much deeper breath as a result. Now, imagine that you are coming home from work in a year’s time. You have just had the best of working days for you. You are so thrilled. What has happened to make it so great? In your mind’s eye see yourself going through your day in your brilliant new job and make a mental note of what is happening? Where it it happening? Who is there?

As you bring yourself back to the present, take a pen and jot down anything that has come to you. Dare to dream that you CAN have the working life you want. You just need to know what it is and then you can make a start!