You must have heard yourself umpteen number of times cribbing about the kind of job you are in, or the Hitler boss you have or the jealous colleagues who can never get enough of themselves. These sound like valid reasons to But in truth, they’re only the surface cause of your misery. Dig deeper, and you’ll discover underlying reasons you’re unhappy at work that are, fortunately, fixable.
1) What You Say: “The Hours are Too Long”
The Real Reason: You’re overloaded with responsibilities but are afraid to push back and say, “No, I can’t take on more.”
The Symptoms: You’re the first in and/or the last to leave, and even when you’re not at work you have a Pavlovian response to the “ding” from your smartphone.
2) What You Say: “I Hate My Co-workers”
The Real Reason: The problem might not be the people but rather the culture of the organization.
The Symptoms: You feel ganged up on or left out, or you find yourself arguing--a lot.
3) What You Say: “I’m Underpaid.”
The Real Reason: You feel stifled and unfulfilled.
The Symptoms: Simple–you look at your paycheck and grumble.
4) What You Say: “I Feel Trapped in this Job”
The Real Reason: You are bored and unchallenged by your job, yet quitting is not an option.
The Symptoms: You dread Mondays and the days feel incredibly long.
5) What You Say: “I Hate My Boss”
The Real Reason: Your boss doesn’t fully recognize your efforts causing you to feel unappreciated and resentful.
The Symptoms: When his name is in your inbox or you hear his voice coming down the hall, you cringe.
6) What You Say: “I Chose the Wrong Career”
The Real Reason: You’ve given up on your dreams.
The Symptoms: Feeling discontented and as if work is something you have to do, not something you could ever enjoy.
7) What You Say: “I’m Bored at Work”
The Real Reason: Your efforts have been unrecognized.
The Symptoms: You feel unmotivated. You seek out diversions to real work, such as updating social media or shopping a flash sale.
8)What You Say: “I’ve Hit the Ceiling”
The Real Reason: You’ve given up control of your career to someone else.
The Symptoms: You feel powerless over your career and don’t see a way out of the job you’re in.
(Image credits: www.thirdoptionmen.org)