Let’s face it: The only place most of us
spend much time besides our homes is at work. In fact, we may spend more time
at work and with co-workers than we do at home with our families. You can’t
possible be healthy if you hate your job. You can’t spend 40-plus hours a week
in an environment you don’t like and remain healthy.
We know that attitude affects health. Let’s look at
how your job can affect your attitude. Working day in and day out at a job you
hate will increase the stress in your body and, over time, will reduce
immune-system function, decrease digestive function, increase blood pressure,
and cause other biochemical changes that will reduce your quality of health.
One study showed that job satisfaction was the most
important indicator of whether or not a person injured on the job would be able
to heal fully. If a person was unhappy with their job before the injury, they
were less likely to heal and return to work than those who were satisfied with
their jobs.
If
you lose sleep, if you come home exhausted, if you dread Monday morning, if
your boss or co-workers intimidate you, if your boss or company has unrealistic
demands, if your co-workers don’t treat you with respect, or if your work
environment is hazardous or unhealthy, then you’re more likely to get sick.
When
someone is in an abusive personal relationship, we encourage them to get out of
it, and sadly shake our heads in disbelief if they don’t. But when someone is
in the same type of relationship with their boss or job, we call them
“dedicated,” a real “go-getter.” Would you accept your spouse or friends
screaming at you? No? Then why accept that from your boss? You deserve to be
treated at all times with respect by your boss, regardless of how your opinions
may differ or what mistakes you may have made.
Your company should be kind to its employees. If it is
not, you should be looking for another job. You should not put up with hostile
or unkind coworkers. You have the right to work in an environment free of
harassment. You also have the right to say “Enough.”
Some
people are expected to work many more hours a day than full time. It’s one
thing to be hired to work sixty hours a week, and quite another to be hired to
work forty hours a week and then be regularly expected to work sixty hours. I
know that lots of people do it, but does that mean it’s right? No, it just
means that it’s common. If you’re being asked to work more hours than you were
hired for, and it’s making you exhausted, stressed, unhappy, or all three,
maybe you should be looking for another job.
I’m not saying you should march into the boss’s office
and quit. But take a serious look at your work situation. If you’re not happy
with it, start by identifying why
you’re unhappy. Is it the tasks that make up the job? Problems with your boss
or co-workers? Are you working too many hours? Is your work environment
uncomfortable? Once you’ve identified what makes your job unhealthy for you,
work with your Human Resources department to make changes that will benefit not
only you, but every employee. If you feel you can’t work with your boss or
company on positive changes in the workplace, then it may be time to look for
another job.
Is it
possible that you’re unhappy because you’re in the wrong line of work for the
person you are? Your true work might be something totally different from what
you’re currently doing. If you work at a desk but would like to be outside all
day, or you love to interact with people but your current job means that you
work more or less alone, then maybe a career change is in order. As they age,
mature, and change, many people find themselves in careers that no longer suit
the persons they have become. If this is happening to you, acknowledge your
ability to grow and change, and embrace the need for a new career. It’s bound
to be better than the old one you’ve already begun to hate.
If you decide it’s time to find another job, start by
making a clear commitment to yourself to keep looking until you find something
that really fits you. Use all the resources available-the Internet, job fairs,
networking with friends and business associates. Make yourself a regular at the
job-placement and career-counseling centers at your local university. Use trade
journals and trade fairs to explore other companies. Keep an open mind-who
knows what might come your way?
While you’re exploring the endless possibilities,
remember that you’re looking for a change. It’s easy to get into the rut of
looking only at a certain career classification, or certain hours and certain
wages. Take the chance of at least exploring outside your usual realm. You may
find that a company offers a similar job, with similar wages and a better work
environment. Or maybe it’s a totally different job, one that actually makes you
smile, but the wages are lower. Then it’s time to decide what’s really
important, your money or your health. Making less money may be okay if it means
less stress, fun co-workers, and more interesting work.
You may even find a new job where the wages are
higher, the boss actually works with you and not against you, and the other
employees treat you like a member of the family. It could happen. All I’m
saying is that you don’t know until you start looking around.
You spend a lot of time at work, your health is
important, and you deserve to be happy. If your job is adversely affecting your
health, choose to make a change.
Further Reading
Do What You Love, The Money Will Follow, by Marsha Sinetar
What Color Is My Parachute?, by Richard Bolles
How to Find
The Work You Love, by Laurence G. Boldt
Finding
Your Perfect Work, by Paul and Sarah Edwards
What Should
I do With my Life?, by Po Bronson
www.jobhuntersbible.com
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