Career Trends: 6 Reasons Why You Hate Your Job and What to Do About It

Edition: March 9, 2022
Curated by the Knowledge Team of ICS Career GPS

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• Excerpts from article by Ayush Jalan, published on Makeuseof.com

Job satisfaction ― a term that we often hear mentioned during team meetings and also see in job descriptions ― remains elusive to many in practice. Why is that? Why is it so common to find people dissatisfied with their jobs and feeling stuck in their work lives?

If you find yourself in a similar situation, it’s a good idea to list down the parts of your job that you don’t like and tackle them one by one.

Here are 6 key reasons for job dissatisfaction and suggested remedial actions:

1. Your manager is not a good leader

• Many-a-times, a neglectful manager can ruin what would otherwise be a great job.
• Good managers look to inspire their team and address their grievances.
• Neglectful ones, on the other hand, may show unprofessionalism or be inconsiderate.

What to Do:

• When dealing with a neglectful manager, it is easy to jump to conclusions about their personality.
• Instead, the focus should be on their management style.
• They might wrongly perceive their style as effective as it may have worked for them in the past. 
• Bring the same to your manager’s attention and humbly ask them to modify their management style. However, remember to remain professional and respectful.
• Assume that they want the best results for the company and are unaware of how their method is hindering you in the process

2. You can’t spend enough time with family

• Business owners and managers have a misconception that everyone has an entrepreneurial spirit.
• Being ambitious about your career is good, but most people want to relax at home after their work day and spend time with their family.
• One’s determination level towards their job depends on how much stake they have in the company.
• Sadly, amid the unhealthy hustle culture, it is common for employers to propel their employees to work overtime.

What to Do:

• Request your employer for remote work. Not only does it cut down your commuting hours, but it is also helpful for employees who are parents, need medical care, and perform better solitary.
• You can spend more time with your loved ones, become less stressed, and increase productivity.

3. Your work is irrelevant to your values

• As a person, your values and your job requirements might not always in be harmony.
• This mismatch between your values and work can lead to distress and feelings of being out of place.
• For instance, an environmentalist wouldn’t want to work in the oil industry.

What to Do:

• Understanding that it is alright even if your work life and values don’t always align.
• Motivation can be channeled in other ways.
• If quitting your job for a new one is not an option, you can find volunteer opportunities online that focus on contributing to the causes you believe in.

4. Your coworkers are toxic

• For maintaining professional decorum, many of us tend to keep quiet about our coworkers who may be unpleasant.
• A coworker’s unprofessional attitude is not your job to fix.

What to Do:

• You may not control your coworker’s behaviour, but you can control how you respond to it.
• The more attention they receive from you, the more it may work as an incentive for them to provoke you further.
• You can maintain a polite distance from them or overlook their comments.

5. You don’t feel needed in your team

• A major reason why people get demotivated and unwilling to go to work is that they are not sure how their services contribute to the company goals.
• They may not realise the value they bring and feel as if they aren’t needed.

What to Do:

• Talk to your manager and ask them to help you visualise your role in the company, preferably using a performance report. 
• A session with the HR manager can remind one of the value of their position.
• It is helpful at times to take a step back and measure your efforts in quantifiable terms.

6. You’re not rewarded for exceeding targets

• Completing your work sooner than expected sometimes cause you to be allotted even more work.
• Being a fast worker may not always be appropriately rewarded, leading towards lowering incentives.

What to Do:

• You can ask for a pay raise if you feel it would help compensate for your higher performance.
• If not, ask for additional benefits like paid leaves or vacation days.
• If that is not possible either, ask to be paid according to your direct performance instead of a fixed monthly salary.

One-third of our life is spent working, so it is natural to want to make the best of it. It is a good practice to try and improve your work environment.

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Have you checked out yesterday’s blog yet?

Career Trends: 10 Ways to Increase Your Influence in a Highly Positive Manner

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(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article mentioned above are those of the author(s). They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of ICS Career GPS or its staff.)

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