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Life At Work
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How to Stay Happy at Work
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How often do you get the Sunday evening blues? Every now and again, or every
week without fail? If it’s the latter, maybe you should think about moving on…
But lots of people find themselves in the situation where they’re not ready to
move jobs just yet – perhaps because they’ve only been in the role a short time,
or because they want to gain more experience. So if you find yourself in the
situation where you’re in a job that is okay but not brilliant, or that you
really need to see through for a period of time, what can you do to make it more
interesting and - dare we say it – more fun?
Here are some suggestions:
Positive Thinking
Focus on the
positives – what do you really like about your job (come on, there must be
something)? How could you incorporate more of that into your working day? Remind
yourself of the other positive aspects of your work – your friends and
colleagues, for instance.
Challenge
Yourself
Find new challenges. One of the reasons that we can get
restless in our job is, quite simply, boredom. Think about ways in which you
could make your role more interesting. Perhaps you could volunteer to mentor new
staff, or spend some time every week shadowing people in other departments to
get a broader perspective on the business? Discuss your ideas with your manager.
Flexible Working
Is there scope for you
to work more flexibly? Working from home one day a week, for example, could give
you more variety. This is not an excuse to get up late and lie around watching
daytime TV, though – you’ll need to be able to show some output for your time
away from the office! Again, discuss the options with your manager.
Learn More
If you feel you’re not being
stimulated enough mentally, consider doing some training or a course that is
work-related: it will give you new insights, help to keep you fresh, and will be
a useful addition to your CV when you are ready to move on.
Network
Network more. If meeting new people is not
already part of your role, find ways to incorporate it. Meeting people and
getting fresh perspectives can help you to keep yourself interested and
interesting. If there don’t seem to be many networking opportunities where you
are, create some! Organize a team outing, or arrange for you and your colleagues
to meet up with staff from another part of the company.
Have Some Fun
Inject a bit of fun into your workplace.
That could be as simple as croissants on a Monday morning or a team drink on
Friday afternoon. Or it could be a more structured social event. Your work
colleagues don’t have to be your bosom buddies, but you’ll enjoy your working
day much more if there’s a bit of banter and humour around. Just because your
work is a serious business doesn’t mean you can’t have fun while you do it!
Improve Your Social Life
Make an effort
to do more interesting things outside of work. If your working week consists of
getting up in the morning, going to work, coming home, having dinner, slumping
in front of the TV and then going to bed, your job is going to have a
disproportionate impact on your overall mood. Try to fit a couple of social
engagements into your week – a dancing class or an art exhibition, perhaps, or
just a catch-up with friends you haven’t seen for a while. Having something to
look forward to during the week will help to make it more bearable.
Prioritise Your Workload
If you find
that your problem is you’re working such long hours that you don’t have time to
have fun outside work, let alone in the office, you need to tackle this. Get
used to prioritizing your workload – negotiate extensions to deadlines if
necessary – and make yourself leave the office on time at least 3 nights a week.
Most of us have periods when we’re extra-busy and end up working long hours, but
if this is happening to you routinely, you need to get out of that rut. |
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