Shitty Job? Why are we just so unhappy?

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: "Scheiß Job? Warum sind wir nur so unglücklich?"

Every day and some even at night we are doing our job - often we don't even ask what we actually do and why. Be silent about asking wether the job resembles our conviction. 

How often do you reflect your job and how often do you sort your job into the overall concept of your company? Is your work fun? Or do you even see a deeper sense in it? 

Monster in connection with the GfK published a Study regarding this very subject. It shows clearl, in comparison to other countries Germans are unhappy with their jobs. Especially job-starters and Young Professionals aren't too convinced of their jobs. Look at the British - here every 10th ist that happy he would do his job even without the salary. So what is it with us, that we are just so uncontent?

I found a great short film which shows quite meek jobs:

Does a job always have to be fun? Or is it enough the salaray is paid? This is something everyone has to decide for himself. Personally, I find it very important to have a meaning behind my job and to know exactly what I am doing. This means, my job has to complete me and I like my job. And this is exactly why I do pick my employment. In the end, employer, the job and its tasks and I have to match. I want to attribute to the company's success and be aware of my responsibilities as well as how to be successful. A well mix of responsibility, significance and fun is important.

Why I write all these things? Well, in my hitherto professional career I often worked with people who didn't know why they are doing the job they do and why they actually should come to work every morning. If this ever happens to me, not finding the meaning and fun in doing my job, I would (have to) change this situation immediately. Changing the job within the company or finding a new employer. 9-to-5 Jobs aren't my thing. For this I am too much of a dissedent. What matters to you in a job?

Ralf

Shit on security! - We want self-realization and perspective!

Translation from Ralf Junge's blog entry: Scheiß auf Sicherheit! – Wir wollen Selbstverwirklichung und Perspektiven

It is a typical phenomenon, you complain about your job and certainly express your dissatisfaction by grumbling persistently. But let's be honest: it is not gonna change one bit. In the long run colleagues and friends are annoyed. I noticed this, so I did it. After long reconsidering of my current situation, my unhappiness and career perspectives, I resigned.

I welcome you to another episode of "Us Dissidents".

The decision was no where easy for me to take! I technically give up a secure job at a growing company with a great team. But what is security when I don't find my vocational fulfillung in my job? And when I am looking forward to the weekend and despite monday? And why do I tell you this anyways? 

The German Handelsblatt recently wrote about youg employees: "Because the members of Generation Y are not as (strongly) bound to their employers as their predecessor: Since constant flexibility of them is demanded, more frequent job changes and movings are not problem for them. Therefore they have no problem resigning"

The vocational self-realization plays no role. As I noticed, I want to develop in a different direction than I was able to in that certain position. I noticed also, for the last weeks I allowed many compromiseses because my security thought was stronger. I thought, 'oh c'mon, a secure job and a great team is great, get it together'. The security makes dull, yes inactive, because it is convenient. But at some point compromises became bigger and unbearable. So I resigned. To change directions of my life and my career. Finding new incentives.

Do you know what the awesome part is? Quite early I talked with my boss about my thought and shared my worries. In regard to this we thought about redesigning my job. We distributed tasks anew and initiated new projects. Nevertheless I resigned since I wanted to move into a completely different direction. In most other cases however, this employer behavior made its contribution to a longer employee commitment. It shows (in my case as well) the appreciation of employees. Keep a continueing dialogue between you and your employees and work on solutions together as soon as dissatisfaction or the urge to change job occurs! This is one of the essential tools of Employer Branding! It shows each employeer, he or she is an important part(icipant) of your company.

The commitment binding didn't work with me. But I keep being an ambassador recommending my now former employer as a great one to work at nonetheless. And this pretty much is a great success as well! 

How do job starters want to work?

Translated from Ralf Junge's blog entry: Wie wollen Berufseinsteiger arbeiten?

In my last post of the Us-Dissidents Series I was looking for answers to the question, if - the young job starters - need to be labeled. Today I am asking: How do these young starters actually want to work? 

Actually it is quite simple - we want to work self-determined and flexible, not necessarily bound to work hours and - place. Apparently there is a revision and rethinking at companies. The other day I just read an article in Karriere Spiegel written about "Job Sharing". Private occasions, photos, music or videos, nowadays we pretty much share (almost) everything - why not the job as well? Job Sharing is a concept of part-time working. One position is staffed by two workers (in part-time), sharing all tasks and having less than 40 hours a week to sit at the desk. Tasks and working hours are splitted between both workers. According to Karriere Spiegel this model of part-time working was excercized by about 20 Percent of companies in 2009. 

"Companies experiment with such things", said Susanne Schwarz, Head of human Resources at Exozet Berlin. I have met Susanne at the HR Bar Camp this year as she spoke about flexible workplace engeneering. Some of her Colleagues work abroad - practically in home office. This is possible as well and companies discover these kind of techniques working for them - literally. 

Now does this mean I want to persuade you to change your way of workplace and working hours radically? No. This would be a (few) step to far for now. But, I would like to inspire you to consider thinking beyond the the regular and conventional  possibilities of conditions designing regarding a job. Susanne Schwarz told me in a conversation: "The Management has to change, meaning, the way how they lead their employees. It needs to be more even and transparent. And this hierarchical Up-to-down delegation won't exist anymore hopefully. This is eaxactly what the young generation demands"

Exactly! We want to walk the discourse together and think about and realize possibilities, opportunities and changes, you name it, together! Talking to us on eye-to-eye level is important to us. And so should be our opinion to you as well. This is how we would liek to create a transparent company and working atmosphere in which we actually like to work at and everybody's attribution is contributing to the companies success.  

Do-Gooder. Dream Dancer. Waverer. Work-Refuser. These are merely a few names current career beginners are titled with often - describing the legendary "Generation Y", those belonging to the population group born between the years of 1980 to 1995.

I was born in 1984, which makes me a member of this particular generation. Since you, as dedicated readers and Human Resourcer, care so much about this generation, I would like to share my thoughts and opinion with you, trying to give you some insights on this matter. With this, a new category of our Blog is born: Us Dissidents. 

RJ

The Five Most Important Things

Translated from Ralf Junge'es blog entry "Die fünf wichtigsten Dinge"

What if your company´s employées come to work each day with a bright smile and are embracing their job because it gives them the feeling of accomplishment and fulfills them? - Unrealistic! Yer, I thought so, too.

Lately I have looked more intensively into the subject of Corporate Culture and Leadership and I came upon this interesting book named  "The Big Five for Life" by John Strelecky. If you did read his book, you wouldn't find the intial question of mine less unrealistic as it appears. More likely it is a question of the Coporate Culture after all. 

Strelecky describes a leadership principle which aims to accomplish a balance between personal aims of Life and Job - these aims are the "Big Five". The idea goes back to having Safaris in Africa which are only titled successful when the five infamous animals of the wild were really seen - Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Elephant and Buffalo. As there are also the five most important things man has on his personal bucket list. The accomplishment of those are ones own benchmark for success and realization. The Big Five serve the compliance of the "Purpose for Existing (PE)" which every person and company should define in the first place. The better the employée's PE fits to the company's the higher the likelihood of a long and fulfilling employer-employée-relationship for both parties. 

For that matter a Corporate Culture has to develop in which well qualified people are hired who will have receive the freedom to figure out how to work successfully - again for both sides.

As written in the book, talented "people don't need somebody monitoring their behavior."  They don't work that well because they are monitored, but because they can identify themselves with their work and like their job.

When recruting new employées already, Human Resources Decider have keep an eye on the matter if the preferred candidate fits to the Corporate Culture, not if the candidate fits the profile of the vacant position in each detail. If employées find fulfillment and accomplishment in their Job, the risk of psychological diseases such as Burn-Out Syndrome is reduced and more energy and creativity is put in as effordt by the employée.

Nothing hinders a project more than a person who has the wrong job or is notoriously unhappy.   

„The Big Five for Life“  is a very interesting book which certainly contents some impulses and much food for thought in regard to the own Corporate Culture and ones own Leadership. It nudges to question a few things - the own way to work, leadership and certainly the own path to self-realization.

RJ