You’re miserable at work and you know it. Or maybe you don’t.
Could you be miserable at work and not even realize it?
It’s possible.
There are tell-tale signs that you’re unhappy with your job, like dreading work. If your goals and the company’s goals are no longer in line, you may feel out of place there, and it stares you in the face every day.
You wouldn’t be alone. Forbes reports that unhappy employees outnumber happy ones two to one worldwide.
But there are more subtle signs than dreading work, as well.
When Being Miserable Isn’t Obvious
If it isn’t obvious that you’re miserable, why should it even matter? Can’t you go around being miserable as long as it doesn’t bother you?
Sure. You could.
But read this:
According to The Huffington Post, the average person spends just under 80 years on Earth, and 13 years of that time is spent at work. It probably feels like you have spent more time at work than the recent data gives you credit for.
Still, you have to ask, do you want to settle for subtly miserable, or do you want happiness at work?
Thought so.
That’s why it’s important to find a job that pays well but doesn’t feel like work.
However, not many people are lucky enough to find a good paying job that they actually like early in their careers, and many find themselves in their 40s and 50s looking back with regret.
That’s because there’s more to life than having a job that pays the bills. Working for a company should also mean your goals and theirs are aligned, as it’s one of the best ways to find fulfillment in what you’re doing. In fact, the market outlook for psychology graduates from Maryville University reveals how there is now a demand for better understanding the “correlations between business objectives and employee behavior”. If you don’t have the same outlook and you don’t share the same goals as your company, it could lead to you becoming unhappy at work—another major reason for employee dissatisfaction.
The good news is, you can find a way out.
How To Know if You’re Miserable At Work
Want to know if you are miserable at work (and you’ve just been kidding yourself?)
Here are some of the not-so-obvious cues that you’re unhappy with your job:
You’re not so psyched about going to work
There’s a difference between wanting that extra few minutes of sleep and really dragging your feet getting out of bed. Maybe it’s not full-on dread of work, or “Sunday-itis,” but you still feel a certain sense of dread about the hours you will have to spend at work. If that’s the case, then maybe you’re just no longer happy there. Think about how your attitude has changed since you first started working for the company all those years ago, or, if you never liked it in the first place.
You get easily distracted
Focus, or ‘flow’, comes quite naturally to people who are interested in what they’re doing. If you struggle to maintain focus throughout your hours in the office, maybe your body is telling you that it no longer finds fulfillment from the tasks that you’re doing. Business Insider notes it could mean a loss of passion, especially when the smallest things distract you from important tasks.
You see more of the bad than the good
Ever noticed how when you love something, you see all the perks and a positive future? If all you see in your job are the negative points, and even the smallest aspects of your job and work environment annoy you, maybe it’s your subconscious telling you you’re no longer happy. If you can no longer remember why you chose to work in that company in the first place, there’s a good chance you need to re-evaluate your position and find a new way to move forward.
You feel stuck
Maybe you don’t feel sad or bad about going to work, and maybe you don’t dread it every morning. Instead, you may feel that you are stuck in a rut. This is very common for middle-aged workers who have been with a company for many years. Changing jobs can be one of the toughest decisions you can make, especially if you are in your 50s, but staying in a position that has plateaued is much worse for your wellbeing and career.
You don’t talk to your family about work
If the last thing you want to do when you’re with your family or friends is talk about your job, it’s a hidden sign that you’re unhappy with your career. People tend to talk about the things they’re happy about, and if you want to don’t want to discuss work, it’s a sign you no longer want to be there. A good way to change your thinking is to talk about future options you would like to consider. By opening up, you could start charting a new course in your life.
Stop being miserable at work
It’s not easy to move on from a job you’ve been with for a long time, but it’s also not healthy to stay in a workplace where you’re no longer happy. To figure out what to do next, check out the top 5 tips for what you should do if you hate your job on the Wishingwell Coaching blog.
Article specially written for wishingwellcoach.com By Hannah Erin