How can you make your working life more enjoyable?

 

Without getting a new job, or even finding a new career

 

Hello and a very warm welcome to Episode No 19 of ‘Your Bravo Career’

My name is Mark Crossfield, I’m a Professional Career Coach helping you to love your job and build a great career.  

 This podcast is about why your career matters

How you can enjoy what you are doing day each day at work

and how to build a great career along the way.

Introduction

In this episode, I’m going to be talking about things you can do in your current job to make it more enjoyable. 

 

After all, the solution to job dissatisfaction is not always to up-sticks and find another job or change your career.

 

In fact, one of the first places to begin in your quest to loving your job is to start where you are.

 

So, I’ve got for you 5 Ways to love your job again                                                     

 

I will also be discussing a News item which is all about a recent study relating to how we feel about our jobs since the start of the pandemic.

 

And,

 

As usual, I have got some helpful resources to share with you, to help you in your career and 

 

stick around until the end as I will have an inspirational CALL to ACTION for you.

 

So, without further, here is your Career News …

Bravo Career News

I saw this week some research carried out by Aviva – they always seem to be doing work-based research, don’t they?

They have found that nearly half of employees are less bothered about their careers since Covid. And that we have become less focused on our careers as a result of the pandemic.

 

·      47 per cent of employees care less about climbing the corporate ladder

 

Also,

·      21 per cent reporting a negative impact on how they feel about their job

 

I’m actually surprised it’s not more than 21%.

 

The findings also reveal that:

 

·      35% of employees feel their work/life balance has improved over the pandemic, 

·      20 per cent has been negatively affected. (Homeworking/frontline)

 

In some organisations the pandemic has polarised the workforce, some people have been thrust onto the front line and yet others are maybe working from home and in some cases what is required from them has lessened.

 

Nearly half (44 per cent) also said they feel they can never switch off from work, with 39 per cent feel that their employer does not encourage them to do so outside their working hours.

 

This “always-on” work culture has led to 40 per cent of employees feeling concerned about work-related burnout.

 

This is after the guardian recently reported that the average length of time an employee spends working in the UK has increased by 25% since being at home. 

 

Burnout can be heightened by the fact that we have had a lot of personal issues to deal with during the pandemic, for example caring for others.

 

  

Let me know.

 

 

 

Ok, let’s get on with the main part of the show.

 

And I know from my coaching work that sometimes this means helping you to change your job or to start a new career but, in many cases, there are lots of things you can do in your current job to make it much more enjoyable.

 

Here are 5 ways you can fall back in love with your job, even if you’re not digging it right now.

 

1.      Focus on what you like about your work   

 

I’ve noticed that when we start to drift into losing our mojo at work, it’s usually because we are predominantly focusing on the things we don’t enjoy. 

 

As we slide into a negative mindset in this way, we find it harder to spot the enjoyable aspects of work.  Instead, if you can, turn your attention to the things you do enjoy or could enjoy about your job.

 

You see, when we choose to focus on those enjoyable aspects, it becomes easier to feel better about your work situation as your thoughts become predominated by the good stuff. 

 

Naturally, there will always be less enjoyable parts to your job, doing your accounts, that Monday morning report as well as such things as your daily commute, but if you can turn your attention to the good stuff and let this predominate in your thinking, your job will be much more enjoyable. 

 

You will also have the fortitude to tackle the less enjoyable aspects of your work.

 

The second way is to …

 

 

2.      Find the meaning in your work

Of course, your commute becomes even less of an issue when you are travelling to do something you find meaningful. Moreover, repeated surveys attest that we are more likely to love our work if we find meaning in what we are doing.

 

Meaning is very subjective though and highly personal – what’s meaningful to you might leave me feeling unmoved. Also, the meaningful aspects of your job don’t have to be ‘great causes’ or ‘noble actions’. They can be simple contributions such as supporting an internal team to achieve success or improving customer satisfaction rates.

 

Additionally, if you do aspire to a ‘greater cause’, your contributions can be small in the overall scheme of things but still give you significant meaning. You may recall the man mopping the floor at NASA headquarters in the 1960s who proclaimed that he was helping to put a man on the moon. 

 

So, to find meaning in your work think about what your why is, what’s important to you about what you are doing. The following questions might help you:

 

-       What is the big picture aim of your organisation, and what is your role in achieving that?

-       What societal benefit is there from what you are doing?

-       Who are you helping by doing what you are doing – both internal and external to the organisation?

-       Which teams do you support in your work?

 

Ok, let’s move onto the third way to love your job …

  

3.      Improve your work relationships

The quality of our relationships at work makes a big difference when it comes to enjoying the job. The better our relationships, the happier and more engaged we are likely to be. Good work relationships, however, like any relationship, need active steps to make them work. 

Here are some suggestions:

-       Strive to communicate well with your work colleagues by using an open and honest approach together with Active Listening.

-       Help and supporting other work colleagues where you can and take time out to talk to and understand their needs

-       Appreciating work colleagues for their contribution

-       Be positive around your colleagues, creating an energy that helps to strengthen relationships

Ok, so far we have

-       Focus on what you like about your work

-       Find the meaning in your work

-       Improve your work relationships

 

And, in a few minutes, we will look at the final 2 ways you can fall in love with your job again, but first, it’s time for Career Resources

Bravo Career Resources

One thing I have spotted this week is a playlist on TED which is a series of talks for when you feel burned out. Here is the playlist.

 

The list includes great talks from:

 

-       Andy Puddicombe (All it takes is 10 mindful minutes)

-       Kelly McGonigal (How to make stress your friend)

-       Imogen Heap – a great stripped-down version of ‘wait it out’

-       Elizabeth Gilbert (Your elusive creative genius), and

-       Adrianna Huffington (How to succeed? Get more sleep)

 

 

 

Well worth checking out.

 

Ok, let’s get back to Part 2 of the episode.

Part 2

So the first 3 ways to fall back in love with your job are:

 

-       Focus on what you like about your work

-       Find the meaning in your work

-       Improve your work relationships

And the 4th way is …

4.      Re-design your job

A good way to enjoy your job more is to make changes to your job such that you are utilising more of the skills you like using and undertaking the tasks that bring you enjoyment. Sometimes you can also add new duties that play to your strengths and help you to improve your success in the role.

 

This re-design can often be done and without consultation with your manager. Maybe you can devise a new way to do a task, or you bring into play a skill that you previously hadn’t thought of using. Simple shifts like this can make a big difference.

 

If a bigger re-design is needed, you may need to meet with your manager to discuss your request. In advance of the meeting, make notes on ideas you might have to aid the conversation and show that you have given some advanced thought.

 

And, that leads onto my final way to love your job again, which is …                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

5.      Negotiate a pay increase

How much you are paid matters. For some people, having their pay expectations met can lead to a renewed sense of job happiness. Conversely, not having your expectations met can kill the vibe in an otherwise enjoyable role.

 

Your salary is how your company shows you that they appreciate your work and value you and your skills. And, of course, it’s psychologically rewarding to know that the company value you in this way. Feeling under-appreciated, on the other hand, can negatively impact your confidence and joy for the job.

 

Securing a pay rise is all about knowing your worth, preparing well and presenting a valid case to your manager and to this end I have produced a FREE guide – How to Get a Payrise – which you can find on my website.

 

The first thing to understand is that discussing your salary aspirations with your manager is a perfectly normal part of the employment process. And in the guide, I help you decide when the best time to have the conversation should be, prepare for the meeting with your manager, and what to say.

So, check out that FREE resource on my website.

 

 

So, there you have it, the 5 ways you can fall back in love with your job. I hope you have found these words helpful. To recap:

 

·      Focus on what you like about your work

·      Find the meaning in your work

·      Improve your work relationships

·      Redesign your job

·      Negotiate a pay increase

And, that just leaves the Career Take Away

Career CTA – your call to action

Review these 5 ideas and choose one of these and get started today on loving your job. This might mean booking a meeting with your manager, having a one to one with a colleague to improve a relationship, or simply focussing on the things you like about your job.

So, that’s it! We’ve come to the end of another episode.

 

I hope you enjoyed the new format.

 

Let me know what you thought of the format and of course the content I have covered today.

 

You can email me at mark@bravocoaching.co.uk and you can find the show notes at bravocoaching.co.uk/podcast.

 

If you are interested in working with me, you can book a free discovery call on my website.

 

Also, … have a look at those helpful resources on my website, most of which are FREE.

 

If you haven’t already subscribed, why not do that now. It’s all free of course and I’ve got lots of great content coming your way and some interesting people who I will be interviewing soon.

 

Also, why not share this podcast? Sharing a podcast with somebody else is very easy and it’s a great way to build your network. (Thanks by the way to Jeanette for this tip which she sent me)

 

Have a wonderful week and I will speak to you again in a couple of weeks time.

 

Bye for now.