CAREERS CLINIC
RICHARD REID, PINNACLE PROACTIVE
I’m stuck in a rut in my job, but don’t want to leave my company at the moment. What can I do to feel more enthusiastic about my working life?
THE most important thing you can do is to speak to someone – your manager, an HR person, even colleagues. Suffering in silence and taking no action will only make you more disengaged and can lead to depression. It will be in their interest to help you, since they’ll want you at your most productive.
If you can’t alter anything directly to do with the make-up of your job, though, there are a number of small changes you can implement to your daily working life that will improve things.
When people become fed up at work and retreat into their shell, they’ll fall back on the tasks they feel most comfortable with, like a security blanket, which reaffirms that sense of being stuck in a rut. You should volunteer for things that are a challenge, and start stretching your skill set again. If those challenges aren’t being set by your manager put yourself forwards for them yourself. Don’t wait to be pushed, put yourself forward.
Put some effort into working your relationships. When people are disenchanted they tend to become more isolated and withdraw socially. So make the time to walk the floor and talk to people – you’ll start rebuilding important relationships, and because it has that element of spontaneity it breaks the routine and makes the workplace more interesting. Wherever you can, avoid conducting work business with colleagues by email if they’re in the same office as you, because it acts as a barrier to building those relationships.
Even tiny things will make a difference. An untidy desk will tend to be a reflection of how you’re feeling inside – a cluttered workspace suggests a cluttered mind. Reorganise it, move things around, throw unnecessary paper away, and renew things. It may seem minor, but it can make a big difference.
Make sure you take proper breaks, and certainly don’t eat lunch at your desk. Things like lunch and coffee breaks need to become activities in their own right – it breaks up the monotony and refreshes the mind. You’ll find you actually get more done in a shorter amount of time – it’s about working smarter rather than harder.
www.pinnacleproactive.com