Are you worried that the job you’re in isn’t the one for you? Or that your employer doesn’t care enough about the state of their employees? Nowadays, it can feel easy to be trapped in a position that doesn’t work well for you. It can be easy to feel like you should just accept your working conditions. But that’s only going to make you miserable in your job. Here, we’re going to look at the kind of treatment and respect you should deserve from your employer.
Your role
You need to start by looking at the job role, itself. Is it the job you expected it to be? Does your role fit as it was said on paper or has it evolved (or devolved) in the wrong direction? There may be signs you’re unhappy in your role you haven’t picked up on. If you’re feeling underemployed or like your attention is moving to other careers, a switch of roles might be what you need.
Your environment
You might very well like the role you’re in but hate the environment, instead. Toxic workplaces can suck all the engagement and motivation out of a job you adore. So learn to identify when people bring harmful influences into the workplace. See if you can avoid them or take action against them. Your employer will, in a lot of cases, recognize when someone is bad for their team.
Your development
Regardless of what your job is, if you care about your career, you need to think about the future. You need to think about where you go next and how you get there. A good employer will realize that their individual employees have their own plans and ambitions. They should be offering training or mentoring opportunities. Don’t stick with an employer who stifles you.
Your workload
Similarly, don’t stick with an employer who overworks you. Sometimes, it’s not done intentionally. If someone sees your productivity and believes you can handle more work, they may see you as a resource they can depend on. But it’s important to be able to communicate when you are getting too much work. If they are the kind of employer you need, they won’t assume that you’re being lazy.
Your safety
There are things more important than how much work you do or the path of your career. We’re talking about your health. Your employer has a responsibility to keep you safe within the workplace. If you have safety concerns, they should be more than willing to tackle them. If they don’t, and the worst happens, you need to set them straight. Advisors like Katz Friedman can help you assign responsibility correctly.
Your boss
Sometimes, it’s just the person above you who is the problem. Whilst you don’t want to be hard to work with, it’s important to recognize when it is the boss that’s the problem. You can try to help them address their problems with communication or motivation. But sometimes you just have to recognize it’s not a battle worth fighting and move on.
