What to Do when you Hate your Job? Do the test and Find out if You need to Change!

Introduction

Fed up with or even hating your job? A lot of people are in search of what to do best, or what alternatives they have.

You want to make your job a success; you like to see an increase in your own job satisfaction, but how to do that in your current work situation? These are the questions that a growing group of people is faced with. They are fed up with their work, suffer from the reorganization or their manager, are bored with their jobs, but also know: it will not be easy to just switch to another job.

Not many alternatives

For those working in dwindling industries or professions, or for people over 50, it is often true that there are hardly any alternatives. The majority of this group might still be unemployed after searching for a year or more. Therefore many people hold on to their jobs and they often feel like being in a prison of sorts. Read on and find out what to do when you hate your job.

For those of you who are still having doubts about quitting, start by doing the test below and discover if you really need to change jobs.

For those of you who have difficulty in finding another job, I will conclude this article with a very good, if not the best, alternative. The escape route!

Is it time to look for something else? Do the test!

What is fun for you in your work is of course very personal. For most employees at least the following points are important for their job satisfaction. How about you? What is important for you?

Look at the following statements and only tick them if this is applicable to you within the context of your current job.

1. After my holiday I have no issues going back to work
2. I find my work meaningful
3. After work, I usually have enough energy to do other, nice things
4. I can make a meaningful contribution to the organization
5. I can fully use my qualities in this job
6. My work and my contribution is appreciated
7. I see myself having growth opportunities within this organization
8. I see for myself new challenges for the future in this job or in this organization
9. I have great colleagues
10. I usually enjoy going to my work
11. I talk with pride about my work
12. I talk with enthusiasm about the organization I work for
13. My work is close enough to my interests and personal values
14. In my work, I can express my values and what inspires me
15. My manager is open to my personal growth and development
16. I get and feel the freedom to openly discuss my wishes and aspirations with my supervisor
17. I can be myself in my work
18. I’m satisfied with my work-life balance
19. I am satisfied with my salary
20. I’m satisfied with my work content

Do you have between 15 and 20 tick marks?

Then you are probably all right! Your little dissatisfaction may stem from temporary conditions which may disappear or will improve shortly. If you can identify what’s not right, you can see how you can change this.

Did you tick at least 10 of the 20 statements?

In this case, it would be wise to evaluate and reconsider your current work. What do you miss in your current job? How can you change this? In any case, it is very important that you take an active role in this process (see the three possibilities below). Examine the possibilities to find more fun in your current job.

Leave the possibility open to change to another job. But before you rush into action, it is advisable to assess where your dissatisfaction comes from. Is it likely that your discontent would be solved by moving to a new employer?

You have ticked fewer than 10 statements

This looks like it is the wrong job for you and you should be looking for a different company. Clearly map out what your qualities, desires and motives are before you go looking for a new job. This way you can better find a new place that really suits you!

Still make sure you have explored all possible avenues to enhance your current working environment, for which the following three methods may help:

Look at the things that you can change, even if only a little

Increase the knowledge that is helping you avoid those steering movements becoming too crude, and therefore primarily would be aimed at escaping. Before you know it, you started another job, only to find that you miss a lot of the good aspects of your previous job.

So look for opportunities to work with other colleagues and or to fulfill a different role. And also you do not want to be tied up too much with your work. Sometimes the need to do more with your creativity is better accomplished outside of work. For example, join the board of the neighborhood association or follow a course in sculpture. It may sound like a truism, but experience shows that it is difficult to see opportunities when emotions become too strong.

You can tell yourself a different story.

If you’re overwhelmed by your emotions, you are often not at your best. And just like a lot of things going on at work, it is important that you stay energized and focused on solutions. Do not spend all your energy on brooding away. Do not lose your creativity because you have become afraid of criticism.

Or that you, out of frustration, end up in a conflict, so the problems only get bigger. It is in fact “healthy” thinking, a term derived from the widely used methodology REBT (Rational Emotive Behavioral Therapy). The aim of this down-to-earth method is to get a better grip on your own emotions. You can, for example, train yourself to be less affected by the criticism of your manager and are therefore much more targeted to find a solution.

Creating a realistic Plan B.

Continue working on the assessment of opportunities, investing in your network and upgrading yourself as a product of the labor market, not stopping when things liven up. This will immensely increase your independence, and you will never have to be alone because you see no other options. And another important thing: you can only succeed if you’re not too worried about losing your job. If that’s the case you can easily lose qualities such as being critical, having initiative and integrity and the chances of success would become smaller.

Conclusion + Recommendation no. 1

Resigning if you’re not enjoying your work, it is often not the best option. The reasons are, that the alternatives are scarce or because they have other disadvantages. But also because there are often more opportunities that look better than they really are. By remaining alert to opportunities, redirecting your own thoughts and emotions in a practical way and maintaining or achieving your own independence through a good Plan B, chances are that even in a regular, somewhat shitty job a lot of benefits can still be found. And that job does not have to feel like a prison. You can read here what to do when you become unemployed.

Prepare an escape route

So, what if you really need to get out of this job and finding another job is not easy or even next to impossible (exactly the position I was in a year ago)? Why do you not become your own boss? Why not work from home on the internet? Why not start your own internet business? Most people will probably think, oh dear, how am I going to do that.

Let me tell you right away: with my recommended community literally, everybody can do it!

Start a new life today!

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