Does your job suck?

Does your job suck? Do you get the pre-work Sunday night dread?

Check this simple model of where job satisfaction comes from. See what might need to change for you to experience a greater sense of satisfaction in your work.

Enjoyment and Meaning are two of the key elements within job satisfaction.

Whilst you will have your own variation of what these words mean, let’s explore what we generally understand about these two words in a work context:

Enjoyment (at work):

You turn up for your job at a reasonable hour, having seen your loved ones in the morning. You are greeted by your cheerful boss before helping yourself to a coffee and having a laugh with one of your colleagues.

Having relaxed into your morning work and done some necessary tasks, you start work on a project that requires all your focus and attention. Time flies by as your engagement in the task soars high.

After a relaxing lunch break and an engaging afternoon’s work you head off, back to your family or to spend your evening doing the things that you love.

Consider these 3 aspects of ‘’Enjoyment’ at work:

• Positive Emotions
• Engagement
• Relationships

How would you rate your level of Enjoyment for your current role? (High, Medium or Low)

Meaningfulness (at work):

Perhaps you don’t get the warm welcome or the relaxed working hours, but the work you’re doing matters to you. So regardless of your conditions you feel driven to turn up for work because if you don’t, something important won’t happen.

You are serving a person or a group of people who need your input. You are making a difference in the work that matters to you and regardless of the thanks that you receive, you know what you are doing has meaning.

You work hard to develop new skills so that you can add even more value and achieve personal progress at the same time. There are also clear goals that you are working towards through projects with clear deliverables that you are motivated to strive for.

Consider these 2 aspects of ‘Meaningfulness’ at work:

• Meaning
• Accomplishment

How would you rate the level of Meaning you get for your current role? (High, Medium or Low)

Based on your ratings for these 2 areas, where does your current job have you placed on this chart?

Ideally, everyone has the opportunity to do enriching work which provides both an environment and conditions in which you can have enjoyment, but also allows you to do something which brings you a sense of meaning.

But perhaps you find your work comfortable and you get most of your meaning outside of your job.  Or perhaps work isn’t enjoyable in the way described above, but it is packed with meaning and purpose which makes is worth the pain or sacrifice you make on a daily basis.

One without the other can be sustainable for a time, but the more enjoyment and meaningfulness that you can bring into your work life the more connectedness, motivation and satisfaction you will experience.

Both of these elements are directly linked to your Values. Which components of enjoyment and meaning are most important to you?

Take the FREE survey at pathboss.com to discover more about what your Values are and how you can make changes to your life today to enhance your satisfaction levels.