Workplace happiness and career satisfaction have recently become a strong buzz in our streets and social circles. How do we measure what success looks like? How do we acknowledge when our jobs are becoming a real threat to our wellbeing? Over the last years, working with thousands of job seekers in recruiting and various career coaching programs, we are seeing 2 key factors that have a direct impact on both workplace happiness and career satisfaction.
Where do you stand? Read on for a brief self-diagnosis.
You know that endless uneasiness that slowly crawls into your day to day work? Do you struggle to get certain tasks started and procrastinate some until they become unbearable and you are lagging behind with your timelines? You feel unproductive and inefficient at some tasks, yet in other tasks you thrive! Only that the thriving tasks are a mere 2% of your work. So you often find yourself excited and volunteering in other people’s work. Sounds familiar? And still: You remember when you had a job you loved. You always felt like work is effortless and you would often lose track of time. This could also be experienced while doing outside the office tasks. All these are signposts that could lead you to discover your ideal job and what you should be spending most of your effort and time on.
Values are those aspects in your life you attach most importance to. Feeling apathetic in your job? A value has been touched. Feeling happy? Another has been tickled. Feeling infuriated? Take a step back, what about the actions touched your values nerves? Reconnecting with your values is easy! First, check out NVC needs list (google is your best friend) Then, take some time out to review the list and pick your 10 core values. Then, the fun begins! Cross-check these with your current realities. Which of these are you living or not in your current job? What impact is this having on you?
How about you start a one month journal? Every day you note down the type of tasks you worked on and how you felt about each. Observe the patterns of what feels effortless, fast, energizing, you are more inclined to jump into doing and the opposite. You can also seek feedback from your trusted colleagues. Somewhere in there, lies the foundation of the type of work you should be investing and growing in. You will also start to learn more about what matters for you and how that has shaped or not your career decision in the past.
Interested in a more in-depth analysis of your career satisfaction magic ingredients? Talk to us today! Email us at happycareers@edgeperformance.co.ke