The Office Jungle. Judi James

I had no choice in my career and feel bored and resentful.

      12 This was the job I wanted but certain factors make it less enjoyable than I had anticipated.

      13 I hate my job but I am stuck with it.

      14 I have no idea whatsoever.

      The demands made on you at work may be immense – bosses expect loyalty, commitment and dedication, while the work you produce is supposed to be well-nigh flawless. Reassessing your options and ambition is like having a spring-clean. Knowing you’re unhappy in your job is not a step forward – but understanding the need to compromise is. So is planning objectives.

      The human brain needs challenges and objectives for stimulation and happiness, but it’s hard to keep sight of those longer-term goals if you’re peering at them over a mountain of paperwork, e-mails and constantly-ringing telephones.

       ACTION PLAN:

      1 Make time for yourself, and for self-assessment, rather than always listening to and relying upon other people’s opinions of your talents and abilities.

      2 Find out how you got into your present job and target any areas of unfulfilment.

      3 Develop your own positive inner voice and listen to it.

       2 Do You Hate Your Job?

      Let’s assume you hate your job and you have no choice but to stick with it. No – let’s go back a step. If you hate your job you should change it. You can’t? Then you are in the same situation as a lot of people, stuck in a job they loathe so that they can pay the bills.

      Trapped

      Of course you should still look around the jobs circuit, because knowing for sure that there is no escape from the routine you’re in could just send you over the edge. Job ads are fascinating because they allow us to fantasize. Keep trying, though. Someone has to get each job. If you give up applying you know you’ll do no better.

      Back to the job you’re in. Why do you hate it? Possibly one, some or all of the following reasons:

      1 It’s boring.

      2 You hate your boss.

      3 You’re overworked.

      4 You’re taken for granted.

      5 The job’s too easy.

      6 The job’s too difficult.

      7 The job’s too repetitive.

      8 You hate your colleagues.

      9 The journey’s too demanding.

      10 You feel unfulfilled.

      11 Your pay is too low.

      12 You hate work.

       Boredom

      Being bored can induce stress, inertia and irritability. You may feel your life passing before your very eyes. Boredom can make you want to scream with frustration. It can occur through being both over- or under-employed, although many people fail to recognize the symptoms when they’re busy.

      Long-term boredom has a flattening effect on the brain. When stimulation reaches a zenith we become docile and dull. We forget we used to be interesting people. Some of us even get interested in the terribly boring things we have to do at work.

      This failure to differentiate the dull from the fascinating is a disease that leads to suffering at home, too. This is where you are most likely to inflict your Tales of the Expected on your nearest and dearest, rattling on for hours about someone from Audit who took the wrong mug from the kitchen to water his desk plant and the ramifications thereof, without ever once realizing that your partner and kids lost the will to live two minutes after you opened your mouth.

      If you are bored in your job look around – is there anything a wee bit more stimulating in the offing? Avoiding the options of alcohol or an office affair, is there any work to be done that you feel you might find a challenge?

      Or is there anything you could organize among your colleagues that might make the day go with a bit of a buzz? (Again – preferably not sex or boozing.)

      If your feeling of frustration, boredom or being unfulfilled is long-term, try compiling an action plan to get yourself out of a rut.

       ACTION PLAN:

      1 Look around for another job.

      2 Look around at your own job. Is there any promotion you might apply for? Are there any other duties you could volunteer to take on that may relieve the boredom a little?

      3 Can you work flexi-hours? Could a change of timetable make any difference?

      4 Is there anything you could organize with your colleagues? Team sports against groups from other companies? Charity events? A company magazine? If the job is dull some external stimulation like this may make things a tad more interesting.

      5 Sandpit. Allow and plan for several times in the day when you do something you would like to do.

      • Do you work alone? Could you play music as you work?

      • Take time out for a good cup of coffee or treat yourself to some exotic flavoured tea.

      • Eat a snack that you’d otherwise think of as a treat.

      • Take a break to go window shopping at lunchtime.

      • Swim in your lunch hour.

      • Paint.

      • Sketch.

      • Play with stress balls.

      6 Develop an exciting prospect outside your job. Do something that could make you rich or famous one day. Join your local dramatic society. Take guitar lessons. Write a novel or a cookery book. Sketch out a TV sitcom, based around the tedious characters you have to work with. Turn your colleagues into comic stereotypes in your mind. This will help you enjoy their little idiosyncrasies, rather than loathing them. Buy a metal detector. Learn about antiques and visit car boot sales – involve yourself in anything that leaves the door to a better life ajar.

       3 Are You Being Stereotyped?

      Stereotyping is rife in large companies, where it may be easier to assume a full, though fleeting, knowledge of each employee than to take time to be aware of each person as multi-faceted and capricious.

      So square pegs get hammered into round holes, and employees who are good at their jobs suffer because others never perceive them in any other role.

       Warning Signs

      You may feel that you have been stereotyped by your boss or colleagues. Warning signs may be subtle, but the following indicators should be noted:

      1 You are never stretched in terms of capabilities.

      2 When you ask your boss for something more challenging to tackle he or she smiles as though you are joking.

      3 You turn up for work early or on time but people are so used to your tardiness that they fail to notice you’re there.

      4 You moan so frequently that colleagues assume you’re being sarcastic when you say something positive.

      5 There are noticeable gaps in business discussions when colleagues turn their eyes to you, expecting you to come up with the same old lines or viewpoints.