How To Enjoy Your Job...
    Or Find A New One!

My Home Office

1) Get stuff done. Away from water-cooler gossip, desk interruptions and meetings, you can power through those work tasks and still make time for coffee. Demonstrate to your boss that you can achieve more on a day from home, and you can ask for another one next week. Focus on being productive instead of just busy.

2) Work when you are most productive. You have the freedom to choose what hours to work. If you are a morning person, start early and be finished by mid-afternoon. Or have a lie in and take the afternoon shift.

3) Get some exercise.

4) Save money.

5) Save your family life.

6) Your company wants you to take the day at home. Studies show that working from home makes for a more motivated workforce, reduces sickness absences, reduces staff turnover and reduces office costs. It also helps reduce workplace stress which costs UK business 5 billion per year. (http://www.workwiseuk.org)

7) Save the planet. If all commuting workers spent one day less on the road, rail and bus systems per week, vehicle emissions would drop, air pollution would be reduced and the carbon footprint could be drastically cut.

So talk to your boss and make a case for a day at home this week that benefits everyone.

People deeply desire recognition and acknowledgement for what they do. Studies have shown that employees are motivated by praise and appreciation before promotion or a bonus.

A word of praise, a personalised email of encouragement or thanks can make all the difference to how people feel about their jobs. These mementos last longer than the pay cheque and show that someone has valued what they have done. There are some managers and even companies that people love to work for because they are known for having a special way of treating people. These managers and companies recognise that people really are their means of doing exceptional business, and treat them accordingly.

Many employers seem to think that employees are paid to work, so why should they be praised as well. But if companies do not have a culture of praise and appreciation, it will be reflected in their retention rates.

Here are 5 ways to incorporate praise and appreciation into your workplace.

· Encourage a culture of appreciation. Give out positive energy and appreciation of others, and you will find it coming back to you. Start appreciating what other people do at work. Focus on the positives, rather than the negatives. Try thanking other people, and they will begin to appreciate you in return. This works at all levels of the organisation. Appreciate your Managers and appreciate your direct reports and co-workers. Everyone’s role is important and if people start to tell each other this, then the effect will be felt throughout the organisation.

· Write a thank you note to someone who has performed well – on paper, with ink. In these days of email, a handwritten note will stand out as something special. Use a good quality card and be sincere in what you write. People will keep these cards and too often they are only given when they are leaving the company. Giving this recognition during employment will improve their job happiness and retention rates.

· Stop the blame and use it as a lesson learnt session instead. If companies have a blame culture, then people feel they cannot take risks or try to improve things for fear of censure. Encourage people to contribute and praise them for trying something new. If it works you will want to use their idea. If it doesn’t, then praise them for trying, and analyse how it can be done better next time. Don’t criticise and blame, but praise and encourage.

· Use the monthly meeting to award people for a job well done in a public forum. Have an original award and give it to people for going above and beyond their job description. This may relate to a demonstration of company values or for excellence. One example is the First Penguin award used at Carnegie Mellon, which is given for being a risk-taker and being ahead of the pack. It refers to the first penguin that dives into the ocean containing predators, someone fearless and ready for anything. What original award could you start at your workplace?

· Be aware of what people are doing in the workplace. If someone does a particularly good job, reward them unexpectedly. For example, tell them to have an expensive meal out with their family and put the cost on their expenses. Have a “Special Day Off” award when someone gets to have a day off for free and still get paid. Or get tickets to a sporting event and take a group of employees instead of clients. Make your employees feel that they are worthy of excellent treatment. After all, they are the ones who make the company work.

Praise needs to be genuine, so all of these should be done with sincerity. These points have nothing to do with the institutionalised “praise” of bonuses and organised rewards/commissions. These examples are for unexpected thanks and appreciation of what people do over and above their job descriptions. Reward people for their service and their loyalty, and you will find that they give even more.

Relax on your day off!

The US state of Utah has been trialling a mandatory 4 day working week for state employees (around 17,000 people). People work longer hours on the days they are at work, with Friday off.

This has the following benefits:

• For the company, a reduction in power and energy on Fridays resulting in savings to the company/government and tax-payer as well as lower emissions from the reduction in commuting.

• Increased productivity by 9% meaning happier works who can work more efficiently

• Improved quality of life and work/life balance for those employees involved. No Friday commute, more time with the kids, time for exercise or hobbies, reduction in stress. 70% of workers say they prefer it.

• Makes the employer more attractive to recruitment candidates with higher employee retention

On a personal note, I shifted to working 4 days a few years ago and it is definitely the best thing you can do to improve your mental and physical health if you are ground down by working every day.

Having that extra day means you get time to do things other than shopping, chores, washing and all the things you have to do just to maintain the status quo. You can improve relationships, exercise and generally feel like life is not just work after all!

If you think your company won’t go for it - well, just ask! You never know until you do ask and you may be surprised! In this economic climate, companies are more than happy to look for ways to reduce costs and retain key employees.

Image: Flickr Creative Commons Virginia Zuluaga

If you have that sense of dread on Monday morning about going to work, then you are not alone.

This article, featured in Australian BMag discusses Mondayitis, the problems and solutions. It features the book “How to Enjoy Your Job” and author Joanna Penn. Thanks to Kylie Welsh for writing the article!

Click here to read BMag online as a ebook flipmag OR/ Click here to download the article only.

IMAGE: Flickr Creative Commons Studio Sushi

I recently went to Bali on a wonderful weeks holiday and came back feeling recharged and enthusiastic about work, and life in general. I had no email, no internet, no mobile phone, no social networking for 8 days. It was wonderful!

There is a a campaign in Australia right now to encourage people to take their leave: No Leave, No Life. It informs employers why they need to encourage people to have a holiday, and also helps employees see the benefits.

Australian employees have built up a staggering 123 million days and $33.3 billion in accrued annual leave, with 1 in 4 Australian full-time employees accruing 25+ days leave. When did you last have a good holiday?

Benefits of taking a holiday:

• A Happier You. You, your family and your work colleagues will appreciate the rest you will get. You will be happier and more enthusiastic at work if you have had a break.
• Get some perspective. 40% of people don’t take holidays because of the amount of work they may need to do, but the workplace will carry on without you. It is easy to think those tasks you do are critical, but the world does not stop because you are on holiday. Yes, you may have a big To Do list the first few days back, but your productivity also improves with a break so you can deal with it faster. Life is also short, and you need to enjoy yourself when you can.
• Get well and healthy. Stay in bed for an extra few hours and catch up on sleep. While swine flu hits the world, it is important to be rested and well and having a break can really help.

If your employer has a problem with you taking some leave, check out these tools for employers.

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons Davide Schiano

A friend of mine is desperately unhappy in her job at the moment. I feel for her because I have been there too. You don’t want to get out of bed in the morning, you eat too much because you need some reward, you moan a lot and your relationships suffer. You are deeply miserable. Even in a bad economy, life is too short to be this miserable.

There is a simple solution. Resign from your job. It is not difficult. The barriers are in your mind.

So, how do you resign from a job?

1. Make a decision. This is the hard part because you will have many reasons NOT to resign. The pay is good, it’s not that bad, my friends are there, what if I can’t get another job…. and many more. But you WILL find other work, and you will be happy again. This job is not good for you if you are that miserable, so make that decision for your physical and mental health.
2. Tell your Manager/Boss. You will usually have to say something in person to someone. This can be hard, but I find the best approach is to be humble, apologetic and stay on good terms. “It’s me, not you”, kind of like splitting up with a date. It is an increasingly small world so don’t burn your bridges and storm out.
3. Write a resignation letter. The resignation letter does not have to be much at all, but it is legally required. This can be an email, or a physical letter. I would generally present it to my Manager when speaking to them as above. It needs to be dated to mark the day of resignation and you might want to include the date you expect to be leaving, or want to leave e.g. if you are on 2 weeks notice, note your last day. The company may choose to let you go earlier, or ask you to stay longer, but your contractual terms still stand. I usually include a Thank You of some kind, to keep things on a friendly note. You need to say you are giving in your resignation/resigning, and then you sign it. Typically, this will take 2-3 lines!

You will feel remarkable after resigning – the world will be lighter, you will smile and walk taller. You will have struggles ahead, we all do. But don’t let fear of resignation trap you in a miserable job. Life is too short!

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“A fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work” is fair enough. However, a lot of the time you do go the extra mile and work the long hours.

A word of praise, a personalised email of encouragement or thanks can make all the difference to how you feel about a situation.

These mementos last longer than the pay cheque and show that someone has valued what you have done. There are some managers and even companies that people love to work for because they are known for having a special way of treating people. These managers and companies recognise that people really are their means of doing exceptional business, and treat them accordingly. However, too often it seems people are treated as resources rather than individuals who are valued for their own sake.

So why is this important? Isn’t it enough that we get paid for our work?

For many people in the modern Western world, the pay is well above the poverty level. It can be assumed that everyone can feed, house and clothe themselves so work is generally not just about survival anymore. Once the basic needs are fulfilled, then work must be about something more than that.

It should give people the opportunity to develop and grow, and appeal to something other than just financial gain. There must be personal growth, something that can be achieved, a goal to reach towards, respect from others and rewards appropriate to the situation. Your self-esteem is also affected by what peers and managers think of you, as well as how much you perceive you are valued.

What kind of work will make you feel valued?

People have feelings, aspirations and something to add to companies if given a chance to express themselves. The following areas contribute, in part, to making work more positive and demonstrating that people are valued.

• Self management and autonomy. Being trusted to do the job without micro-management.

• Helping others. Doing things for other people can help escape negativity, especially if the job seems pointless or repetitive. In being needed by others, individuals can feel useful and valued.
• Being able to make decisions and not have those decisions overturned.

• Taking control and responsibility over specific areas of work.
• Ability to achieve goals and succeed at tasks.
• Being given the opportunity and encouragement to take the initiative and act creatively without fear of blame.
• Being rewarded appropriately and in proportion to the job done.
• Confidence in being able to plan your personal life around work. Stability in working hours.
• Being treated well and respected as a person and not as just a company resource. Acknowledgement of your other important roles such as partner or parent.

Which of these would make you feel valued at work? Are there ways you could improve any of these areas for yourself?

Fortune magazine has just posted the 100 best companies to work for in 2009. Google has slipped from no. 1 to be replaced by NetApp – their policies include ditching a travel policy for common sense, writing future histories instead of business plans, and leave includes adoption aid.

They also have a perks list which includes: 100% of health care premiums, encourage work-life balance and telecommuting, and some even help with buying a home and scholarships for kids.

What does your company do that makes it a great place to work?

One company grabbing the social networking trend is Serena Software, who have introduced Facebook Fridays for their staff. On Fridays, staff can spend an hour updating their sites and contacting friends and co-workers, using the site as a de-facto intranet and watercooler. Building stronger relationships within the workplace and also encouraging social interaction with potential clients and employees is obviously important, and social networks like Facebook are the way people are now doing it. You can now use social networking to get a job, as well as check on potential employees’ social lives. Recruitment is also moving online with LinkedIn becoming the professional choice.

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Here are the 6 main reasons people hate their jobs – which applies to you?

1. I’m Bored

My work is boring, repetitive and doesn’t challenge or interest me. I count the minutes I have to be there and I am desperate to leave at the end of the day.

2. I’m Stressed
My job is too stressful. I have too much work/too little time/too much travel/ not enough holiday/not enough time for relationships/family and no time for the rest of my life. I am overworked, exhausted and heading for burnout or a breakdown.

3. I’m Under-rewarded
I am not paid enough, not rewarded enough for my work, and not recognised for the job that I do.

4. I’m Trapped

I feel trapped in this job. I need the money to pay the bills. I am not qualified for anything else, or I won’t get paid so much if I go elsewhere. People depend on me so I have to keep this job.

5. Other People
Other people make my job a nightmare. I hate my boss/manager. Other work colleagues upset/annoy me. I am treated badly/bullied/harassed at work. I feel undermined, micromanaged or not trusted to do what I am employed to do.

6. I’m Mismatched

There is a mismatch between what I want to do and what I am actually doing. I don’t know exactly what I want, but I know it’s not this. There’s no meaning in my job. I feel the work itself is pointless.

Work has become something that has to be done, rather than something people look forward to. This can leave people feeling trapped in jobs they don’t enjoy. Everyone wants to work at something that is meaningful, that they enjoy, that utilises their skills and is appropriately rewarding. In general, people don’t want to stop working completely, but they want to stop working at their particular job. They may not know what to do about it or how to change the situation. The big question they ask is: “How do I find the right job for me?”

Many people focus on being happy ’sometime in the future’ when they earn more money, or when they retire. But what is the point of waiting that long and living life being miserable now?