Find Happiness on the Job

You hate your job. OK, maybe "hate" is too strong a word. At the very least, you're not happy and wish for a change.

Yet transformation doesn't come easy, because, like many others, you might get mired in the obstacles. There are bills to pay so you can't just quit, there aren't enough jobs available, or you simply don't know what to do next.

The quandary is enough to make the best of us snooze the alarm eight times before dragging ourselves to work, or impatiently watch the clock crawl toward the end of the day.

There is hope. According to mental health professionals, people can improve their occupational situations, either by switching employers, vocations, or attitudes.

The Right Job for You

The first step to loving your labor appears to be figuring out who you are, and what you want and need in a job.

"Different people have different needs, and different things that motivate them," says Roni Reiter-Palmon, PhD, director of the Industrial/Organizational Psychology program at the University of Nebraska, Omaha.

"For some people, the whole notion of having a secure job is more important than pay; for others, having prestige is more important. For a third group, they don't really care what job they have, as long as they're making a lot of money. You have those people who would take a low-paying job just to be satisfied; and then you have people who don't want responsibility."

In addition, Reiter-Palmon says people's needs change over time. At some point in their lives, some folks desire a flexible schedule because they need to take care of kids. At another time, they may want more hours because they're saving up for a car, house, or a higher degree.

Psychiatrist Jeffrey P. Kahn, MD, agrees that everyone wants something different in a job, but also points out a recent survey of American workers showing that most people want to feel like they're part of a big happy family, and that they are treated with respect and integrity at work.

Yet the occupational perks may have their limits in delivering inner bliss. Kahn, who is a member of the American Psychiatric Association's Committee on Business Relations, says people's personalities play a role in how they perceive the atmosphere and relationships at work. "Some people will think they're underpaid or mistreated almost anywhere they are," he explains. "Others will feel the opposite. They'll feel content no matter where they are."

An employee's personality is, indeed, a big factor in job satisfaction, says Frank Schmidt, PhD, professor of human resources at the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business. He says personality traits can be traced to the tendency for some to be emotionally stable and for others to be neurotic.

These traits have a genetic component, notes Schmidt, but past and present experiences in and out of work also affect perception of a job.