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Job satisfaction: Strategies to make work more gratifying
Stress mounts when work is no longer satisfying. Here's a look at the underlying causes and ways you can boost your job satisfaction.
By Mayo Clinic staffYou dreamed about an ideal job in which you'd be motivated, inspired, respected and well paid. And for a while, your job may have been all that.
But now it seems the honeymoon is over. You've lost your job satisfaction, and you find it harder and harder to get through the workday. And that means your stress is mounting. Learn what you can do to reignite your job satisfaction and reduce your stress.
Why you can lose job satisfaction
Lack of job satisfaction can be a significant source of daily stress. To help get your stress back under control, figure out what exactly has caused you to sour on your job.
Reasons why you may have lost job satisfaction can include:
- Bickering co-workers
- Conflict with your supervisor
- Not being appropriately paid for what you do
- Not having the necessary equipment or resources to succeed
- Lack of opportunities for promotion
- Having little or no say in decisions that affect you
- Fear of losing your job
- Work that you find boring or overly routine
- Work that doesn't tap into your education, skills or interests
Take some time to think about what motivates and inspires you. You may even want to work with a career counselor to complete a formal assessment of your interests, skills and passions. Then explore some strategies to increase your job satisfaction.
The link between work approach and job satisfaction
Work is often approached from three perspectives. Usually all three perspectives are important for job satisfaction, but one is often the priority:
- It's a job. If you approach work as a job, you focus primarily on the financial rewards. In fact, the nature of the work may hold little interest for you. What's important is the money. If a job with more pay comes your way, you'll likely move on.
- It's a career. If you approach work as a career, you're interested in advancement. You want to climb the career ladder as far as possible or be among the most highly regarded professionals in your field. You're motivated by the status, prestige and power that come with the job.
- It's a calling. If you approach your job as a calling, you focus on the work itself. You work less for the financial gain or career advancement than for the fulfillment the work brings.
Do you recognize your approach to work? One approach isn't necessarily better than the others. But it's helpful to reflect on why you work if you're unsatisfied with your job and are ready to move on. Think about what originally drew you to your current job, and whether it may be a factor in your lack of job satisfaction.
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