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

One of my favourite websites for business related tips is Smart Company.

They have just released a free download of tips in the areas of Managing People, Cashflow, Wealth/Super, Tax, Entrepreneurship, Marketing, Web 2.0, Online Tools, Sales and SEO.

Definitely worth reading for links to some of their top posts this year.

It was reported in The Australian last week that Seniors want to raise the age of retirement to 75

For an aging population, there were some comments that must be noted:

1. By 2030, more than half the population of Australia will be over 50 years old
2. “the issue of aging ..is a greater crisis than climate change”
3. Australia is wasting the talents of millions of older people
4. “we cannot economically sustain a retirement age of 65″

This is an important issue for all developed countries where women are having fewer children later, if at all. The boomers are also wanting to continue their lifestyles without being pensioned off to watch TV all day, and want to continue to work and add value to companies and meaning to their lives. A discussion of age policy is also critical because governments just can’t afford to pay the age pension when the working population will be so few compared to the retired within this generation.

So how does it affect your working life – which is what this blog is all about?

• Do you want to retire from this current job/ industry at 75? Can you bear it for that long? If not, better make a change in your job/ career earlier on.
• Do you have enough money to retire earlier? If the age pension is dropped, or only starts at 75, can you afford your present lifestyle in the future?

These decisions on policy will affect everyone, and it will not just be Australia. With the economic crises in the US and UK, similar discussions will be had.
A friend commented the other day how fast her life was flying by. Suddenly it is September 2008 – where has the year gone?
When will you be 75? The years will fly by, and you don’t want to be on the non-existent government pension then. So start now by reviewing your financial situation, and looking forward – even just a few years.

Chapter 8 from the free How to Enjoy Your Job workbook also contains questions and diagrams to help with your financial situation.

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons J Haggard

I love my job

People ask me why I enjoy my job now, when in the past I have been miserable.
The following are some of the main reasons – as you read them, consider if these are important to you too, and do you have the chance to achieve them in your job?

• Freedom of time and control. I work for myself and get paid by the day. So I can choose to go to work and get paid, or to stay at home and not get paid. I have freedom of time and control when I need it.
• Great people. I work with a great team. My Manager trusts me to do the job and doesn’t micromanage. She lets me have time off when I need it and appreciates that I have a life outside of work. She appreciates my alternative career as an author. My colleagues are good fun, we trust each other and our personalities work well.
• Being valued and appreciated. Even though I am a contractor, I am valued for my role in the team. I contribute and am recognised for that. I am asked for my opinion, and it is taken into account.

• Challenge and variety at work. I work on projects that often overlap so there is always something else to do and new deadlines to aim for. I get to work on different parts of the design and have variety in the tasks I work on. There is a certain amount of stress, but there are always people who can help if the workload is too much. There is a good work/life balance focus in the organisation and we are encouraged to exercise as well as leave at a reasonable time.
• A higher purpose and longer term focus. I have a purpose that is above and beyond my current job. I am focussing on developing my career as an author, writing and learning in my spare time. My work is not the most important thing in my life.

• Financially rewarded. I am paid at the market rate for what I do, which is a good wage and I am able to invest and save as well as pay the bills.
• Time for self-development. I have time every day to study and read. Although in the past, my commute has been a pain, I now appreciate it as I spend nearly 2 hours a day reading and developing myself in areas outside of work.

What do you enjoy about your job?

How did I get to this point?

It was an active decision to find a way to enjoy my job after years of job misery.
I wrote down what I wanted and aimed for that. If you have read about the Law of Attraction and synchronicity, you will know that what you focus on, you are more likely to get.  As I wrote the book “How to Enjoy Your Job”, it became a self-fulfilling prophecy and my work changed into something I enjoyed. The book contains my findings along the way and the processes that can also help you enjoy your working life.

The media is filled with the rocketing oil prices at the moment. The jokes are starting to circulate on the net.

People are starting to cut their car journeys. Airlines are going bust or adding more fuel surcharges to the bill. My flight just got cancelled for tomorrow because Qantas are laying off staff and economising. This seems all bad. But look on the bright side!

1. Volunteer to do a research project into how your organisation can reduce its carbon footprint and be more energy efficient. Work out how much fuel all employees would save if they worked from home one day per week. This does only work if you are in an office environment, but most jobs have admin tasks that can be left to one day per week. Use this to your advantage. Working from home is actually more productive, plus you get to see your family and get some exercise in as well.

2. Use Skype, webcams and e-meeting rooms for your interstate or international work. Save on the flight cost (financial and to the planet). This also saves your social and family life. Or at least tell your company that cutting down half of the commutes would be more economical. Many people say that travel is one of the most stressful things they do – physically and for their emotional life, so cutting it down would help everyone.

3. The lifestyle we are finally being forced to live is better for us now, and the future generations. We have been talking for so long about climate change, but now the economics are forcing behavioural change on us. We have less money in our pockets – but by changing our behaviour, we are benefiting the planet.

4. The above may make you think all greeny and leftie – but capitalism lives on in the carbon neutral future. With all the global economic crisis being touted, now is a great time to get in on the big sale of stocks/shares. Get educated in the green investment arena. Who will benefit from carbon credits, from the oil decline, from the move by governments to greener energy? In times of turbulence, money changes hands. Make sure some of it heads in your direction.

There is a growing army of people trying to change the way we work, and the message is getting louder.
If more of us concentrate on improving our working lives instead of moaning about them, then companies will change.

“Be the change you want to see in the world” – Mahatma Gandhi

Today I am recommending the Happy at Work Manifesto by Alexander Kjerulf

It contains 25 points on how you can change your work life to make it happier. I agree with all of them.
One of my favourites is

21: Happiness at work ain’t rocket science.
The things that are necessary to make me happy at work are really simple and can easily be brought into almost any workplace. Recognition. A positive attitude. Learning and growing. Sharing decisions. Openness.

You can also check out Alexander’s blog at http://positivesharing.com/

Photo: Flickr Creative Commons Garry Knight

In order to make change happen in the workplace, companies and individuals need to shift their ideas about what work is, and what a job entails.

One company that is trying to enable this change is http://www.justmeans.com/

Why is Just Means important?

The goal of JustMeans is to question the assumptions behind how we have traditionally thought of value.  Both how organizations create value and also what we value in our lives.  Our goal is to showcase the organizations, ideas, people, and collaborations that are shaping the future of business.  In providing a platform where thousands of individuals and companies trade knowledge, we hope to exponentially lower the transaction cost of doing business in the world of social responsibility.  Only then will we be able to create the sustainable future and lives that so many of us want.

We call JustMeans the trading floor for social responsibility.  In the old days, trading floors were established to drive down the transaction costs of trading commodities and equities.  Lower transaction costs meant that more deals could be done, more goods traded.  Back then, value was defined by a price.  Today, it is as well, but there is much behind that price.  If you create a $0.79 pork burrito, does that price accurately reflect the externalities on the environment, labor, or our health care system?  In our own neighborhood in Harlem, 125th street is lined with every fast food restaurant where a full meal can be bought for $5.    As Amartya Sen has pointed out, the average longevity of a resident of certain poor neighborhoods in New York is lower than that of an average citizen in Bangladesh.

What are the main types of jobs on your site?

JustMeans is different from other platform in that we believe that you can create change in all three sectors (non-profit, for-profit and government).   Companies that use JustMeans to find talent include entrepreneurial non-profit organizations, clean technology firms, socially responsible venture capital firms, Fortune 100 companies, small to medium growing businesses, and development project management positions.   Most people that use JustMeans have a real skillset, like marketing, finance, or engineering and are looking to implement that skillset to help grow a business or department.

Why did you start Just Means?

After studying economics at the University of Chicago, I was concerned about the lack of focus on externalities/public goods in the curriculum.   Value was defined by short term financial gain and this definition shaped my colleagues perception on the role of business in society.  A successful business was one that created short term financial value at all costs, a successful career was defined by the size of your paycheck.

As a result, I created StartingBloc, a non-profit organization that educates, empowers and connects emerging leaders to drive positive social change across sectors.  The organization started with a $1,000 grant from the University of Chicago and I continued work on it for over four years.  The idea was to create a competitive leadership development program for undergraduates and young professionals.  In partnership with leading business schools, we showcased the people, organizations and models of change that were driving the fields of social enterprise and sustainability forward.    Running the organization was tremendously rewarding but I felt that we needed a place where these ideas could be showcased to many more people.

The companies that use your site include Timbaland, Jumpstart and MBAs without Borders. What do companies like these have in common?

They all share an understanding that there are many groups that companies/organizations should be accountable to beyond just investors/donors.  These groups include current and potential employees, customers, vendors, suppliers, communities, journalists (both old and new), and the environment.

Do people who work for a meaningful purpose enjoy their jobs more than other people?

Yes.  I think this is just human nature.  People are inherently good.  If you are working on something that you are passionate about and also has a positive impact on the world, you are going to feel like you are an active participant in shaping your reality.  Paulo Freire, author of Pedagogy of the Oppressed, discusses how the lack of meaningful work is one form of oppression.  Through work, people become active participants in creating their world.  If you do not enjoy your work or find freedom through it, you are essentially oppressing yourself.

What is your number one tip for being fulfilled in your job?

Figure out what you are passionate about.  The money will follow.

If you are interested in finding out more, check out http://www.JustMeans.com

Animals are great – I love my cat Shmi and he makes working at my desk a joy. He comes and sits on my lap while I am typing and loves the printer.

It turns out there are actually benefits to having pets in the workplace.

An American Pet Products Manufacturers Association survey of businesses allowing pets in the workplace confirmed the benefits http://www.sfspca.org/advocacy/pets_at_work.shtml:

· 73% of the companies surveyed said pets create a more productive work environment.

· 27% reported a decrease in employee absenteeism.

· 73% indicated pets led to a more productive work environment.

· 96 % said pets created positive work relations.

· 58% of employees stayed late with pets in the office.

This site also outlines “petiquette” (for dogs) including:

· Make sure your dog is socialized to people and other dogs before he goes to work.

· Make sure your personal workspace can comfortably accommodate your dog.

· Avoid squeaky toys and collars that jangle.

· Keep your dog clean and well-groomed.

If you can’t take your pet to work, they can lower your stress levels at home by:

· Pets improve your mood and make you smile

· Pet owners have lower blood pressure

· Dogs encourage you to exercise

· Watching fish swim can be a form of meditation and help you sleep

· Having a pet gives you something to talk about with like-minded people so can help build social networks

· Pets are great listeners and some are very empathetic. Crying will usually elicit a lot of sympathy from your pet.

http://stress.about.com/od/lowstresslifestyle/a/petsandstress.htm