Employment

How To Boost Your Job Satisfaction

Most of the workforce spends over 40 hours a week of their lives at the office, or doing work related duties. Naturally, spending all this time can foster a lot of negative thoughts around your job.

If you relate to this, know that you are not alone. According to a 2017 report by Teem, 48% of employees say they are unhappy at work. While this is a pretty grim statistic, don’t jump ship to another job just yet. There are some tangible steps that you can take to feed into your work satisfaction.

Stay organized.

A huge portion of unhappiness at the workplace comes from stress. Now, there is only so much you can do to manage the workload that is given to you, but significant efforts should be made in order to stay organized and up-to-date on your work.

Maybe you’re not great at writing things down, or maybe you don’t often keep your meetings up to date? There are little things we can do throughout our day to make sure that things are running smoothly. If something unexpected comes your way, you’ll be more equipped to handle it.

Maintain a healthy lifestyle.

You’ve probably heard this time and time again, but it bears repeating. Your diet and overall health have a powerful effect on your mood. You should try avoiding fatty or heavy foods while snacking at work– if you’re groggy or weighed down, you will have trouble getting work done.

In addition to this, you probably already know you should be exercising for health reasons. At a minimum, if you’re sitting at a desk for 8+ hours a day, you can set a reminder to get up and walk around in order to get your blood flowing once every hour or so.

Speak up.

Make it a personal challenge to speak your mind in meetings and express your individuality. Not only will you get the job done more closely on your terms, but it’ll grow your confidence on the whole. It will take practice to build this confidence, but the boost in morale will really help with your satisfaction with your job overall.

Tread lightly, as you don’t want to come off overly aggressive. Avoiding conflict or negative attention comes naturally to most people, but becoming a catalyst for positive change and resolution will help change your outlook on office life.

Make your space your own.

Another old classic, if you’re spending a majority of time in the office, you may as well make it your own. Work on filling your workspace (whether it be a corner office or a cubicle) with personal items, or decorative pieces that will bring you joy.

It will also contribute to you feeling more comfortable at the office if you have some snacks, supplies, a change of clothes, etc. with you. It’s your space, so feel free to get as creative as you can.

Negotiate your terms.

Most importantly, before you accept a position, you should consider negotiating the terms of your employment. Be sure to gauge whether it’s worth it for you to do so. Extra vacation days or a higher salary are important to staying happy, living a balanced life and ultimately having good job satisfaction.

If you choose to do so, consider that you may have to walk away from the offer. This will help you be more aggressive during negotiations. Ask yourself if you’re in the position to negotiate. If they are considering hiring you even though you lack experience, you won’t have an upper hand.

Lastly, know the landscape. The job market is complex, so it’s important to know the context in which you are interviewing for a job. Is your salary competitive? Are salaries generally competitive in your industry? Is negotiation acceptable for the type of contract you’re signing? Do your research before you choose to negotiate, or ask for advices from a headhunting professionals.

Satisfaction in your work is important, because your employment is a significant part of your life. Garnering a sense of positivity and satisfaction at the office unfortunately isn’t always easy, but it is worth your time to take steps towards building a healthy and happy environment for yourself.

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