The first day of spring has officially been and gone. Although 2017 officially starts in January of course, for many people, Spring is really when they start to think about the year ahead. The winter months tend to be more about trying to get in and out of the cold weather and sort of muddling through. So, resolutions and good intentions aside, we are probably not in the best frame of mind to be thinking about the future.
Spring, on the other hand, is exactly the opposite. Longer days, the occasional bout of sunshine and the general feel of a change is a good time to take stock and ask ourselves what should be a simple question but often is far from easy to answer.
Am I happy in my current job?
If you are, then you probably just gave a resounding yes and the rest of this article, while still being of interest because we should all do the handful of tasks below now and again, is probably going to re-affirm that.
If the answer you gave was ‘sort of’, or perhaps ‘mostly’ then the five suggestions below may well produce a firmer answer. An undefined answer could well be a worrying sign that you need to either count your blessings and remember that you do like your employment, or take stock and think about moving on.
Of course, if you answered no, then this article is for you. If you gave a negative response, you really need to do something about it because your work-life balance is probably also out of kilter and being unhappy at work is a bad state to be in.
So, here is a little exercise.
Get yourself a pen and paper and answer these five questions twice. Go through the list once and write a yes or no answer only. Then go back and write a couple of lines to explain why you answered with yes or no.
- Do you look forward to going to work in the morning?
- Do you feel your work is recognised as valuable?
- Do your managers lead and inspire you?
- Can you see where you will be in five years?
- Do you have regular reviews that are useful in planning your career?
So, if you have answered yes to most of them then congratulations, you love your job, and you have clearly defined what it is you like in the additional answers.
If you answered with more than one or two ‘no’ responses or you hesitated about answering yes to a lot of them, then you clearly have doubts about your role and your career. More to the point, the reasons you put down will tell you why.
All these are indicators that you are not experiencing job satisfaction. Did you notice that money wasn’t mentioned though? That is because these points are often more important – if your current job doesn’t give you the money you need to manage, then you certainly need to do something about it anyway.
A time for change?
Spring is a time for growth and change, and if your answers point to you needing to do just that in your work life, why not come in and have a discussion with us.