It's another dreary day at that same old dreary job. They say familiarity breeds contempt and nowhere is that more obvious than working at a place you simply can't stand. The daily grind of punching in from 9-5 (it can be even worse if you're on shift work) can sap your strength and leave you less than elated about getting up every morning.
But finding another job right away in these uncertain times is tough and giving up your seniority if you've been there a while is even harder. What should you do if you can't quit but would love to? Here's the surprising advice from some experts: look for the positives and find ways to take action where you can.
And as that old TV commercial advises, 'never let them see you sweat.'
"No matter how unhappy you are, it's important to come in to work with your game face on so that you can be sure of retaining your current job while you're thinking about finding another one," explains Mary Crane, who consults a number of Fortune 500 companies.
Her game plan: act like you're loving the place and do even more. In fact, she claims doing the opposite of what you feel is paramount, including arriving early and staying late, acting like you're eager to hit the ground running. "Make yourself the one person that every manager would hate to lose," she adds.
But what if your boss is the problem? Sam Glenn couldn't stand the person he was toiling for at a small computer consulting company. He's the type you may know well - micromanaging every decision an employee makes. He thought of quitting but decided to try a different approach by, in effect, confronting the bully and politely and respectfully asking if there was a way someone else could oversee his work.
The key: reminding the boss that it's for the good of the company and keeping ego out of it. "I said, 'Look, if you want me to do better here and get you the sales you want, I need a different supervisor. I don't do well when I'm being micromanaged,"' the 37-year-old told the higher-up. "'And No. 2, sometimes you yell a lot, and I don't do well with people who yell at me."'
It worked and Glenn found things improved at his position as his boss cut him some slack. "Instead of going to a job you hate every day and living with all the stress and anxiety, you need to sit down and address it with the powers that be," he suggests, something that's often easier said than done. "Nobody's going to get done what you've got to get done while there's an elephant in the room. You've got to kill it while it's small."
And don't completely blame your boss. Glenn points out in tough times, they're under just as much pressure from their own superiors to produce more and more results with fewer and fewer resources.
Ironically, the ex-salesman met with so much success that he's been able to quit and is now a workplace consultant and motivational speaker, telling others how to fight back without leaving an otherwise good job.
Meanwhile, Crane has more coping suggestions of her own.
Find the positive part of your job and emphasize it to yourself even it's just a small task in your daily routine. Another tip may be the hardest of all: never let your colleagues know you're unhappy, either verbally or via email. It could get back to the boss and destroy the image you're trying to present.
If things are really bad, keep working while building up professional contacts you can use to eventually escape when there's an opening elsewhere.
And don't be afraid to use your Human Resources department. Depending on the size of your firm and your age, they may be able to let you in on other opportunities around the company, give you advice about handling problems, arrange a leave of absence or work out an early retirement package that could give you enough dough to afford to seek employment somewhere else.
But Crane notes times won't be tough forever and it's better to earn a paycheque doing something you hate than limited unemployment insurance doing nothing. "The reality is that work is work, and it's not always fun," she concludes.
For a growing number, that's one declaration that may be stating the obvious.
How to survive an unhappy job environment:
- Ask if you can telecommute at least once a week.
- Ask for a more flexible schedule, such as working early-morning, late-night or weekend shifts. This will allow you to avoid trouble with co-workers as well as traffic.
- Move closer to work. This will allow you to get in to work earlier; without a long commute, you stay fresher and happier throughout the day.
- Make an anonymous suggestion for corporate retreats/seminars covering topics such as teamwork, anger/stress management or cultural sensitivity.
- If you have a really boring job, ask if you can contribute in more creative ways that might be fun. For example, if you enjoy writing, volunteer to do the company newsletter (in exchange for doing less official work, of course).
- Start using financial planning tools which allow you to quickly see your total assets and liabilities. Knowing your financial situation will give you more incentive to stick it out in a bad job.
Source: Will Chen, editor of finance and career site
WiseBread.com via The Associated Press