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Feel like a ‘square peg in a round hole’ at work?
Sally [not her real name] came to me frustrated and ready to hand in her resignation. As a Sales & Marketing Manager for a small/medium company she had delivered some pretty impressive results over the past 3 ½ years. However, after a corporate takeover some 8 months prior, her enthusiasm for her role had continually declined, and she dreaded going to work because she felt extremely uncomfortable. What used to be an enjoyable and challenging work environment had become quite the opposite, causing her to feel extremely agitated, unmotivated and unhappy.
Does this sound like you? If so, you are certainly not alone as there are many people unhappy and dissatisfied with their careers and experiencing the ‘square peg syndrome’.
In working with clients I have found there are three main reasons that can cause discomfort and dissatisfaction within a workplace. These include:
Physical Environment
Your physical workplace is very important and can either help or hinder your job satisfaction and overall work performance levels.
Do you like your work space? Does it spark motivation and creativity within you so that you can do your best work? Or does your environment drain you of your energy.
After the takeover at Sally’s work she was moved from an office space with lots of windows and natural light into an office that had only one small window. The office was smaller and near a thoroughfare so she was often interrupted by colleagues’ voices breaking the concentration she needed to develop her marketing material.
Relationships
Establishing strong bonds and having solid relationships with colleagues, customers and suppliers in the workplace is important. Have you created a network of people in your workplace with whom you can be authentic – your ‘real’ self? Is there reciprocal empathy, trust and integrity with your collegial relationships?
One of the most destructive elements in a workplace is disagreement and hostility between colleagues whether aggressive or passive. Many of Sally’s former team members had either been relocated or had left and the people she was now working with seemed unapproachable or unsupportive leaving her to feel like an outsider.
Job Functions
Are the tasks you’re performing interesting and motivating or are they repetitive and boring? Do you have an awareness of your career interests and work values and how they can impact on your overall level of happiness and fulfilment at work?
While only some of Sally’s job functions had been allocated to other staff, she was just not enjoying her role as she had been previously. And, with her family telling her that she should be happy to still have a job alongside her lack of self-awareness she continued working in an environment that was continually draining her of her energy and motivation.
Luckily, Sally realised that something had to be done and after undergoing some self-assessments and self-exploration she was able to enhance her awareness around what she needed to do and was able to put some action steps into motion that allowed her to get her career back on track. Stay tuned for next fortnight’s article where we will learn what Sally did.
Continued success! Till next fortnight!
If Sally’s story sounds like what you are experiencing in your own career and you would like to have a chat please feel free to contact me at: info@a-e-c.com.au
To your success!
Annemarie
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Here’s a picture of one of the more colourful butterflies we saw. Isn’t it beautiful? Hopefully you’ll be able to see the vibrant colours of its wings.
