Job Satisfaction and increased profits go hand in hand. A happy employee will work more efficiently, possess a more positive outlook towards their job and co-workers and will ultimately strive to achieve the best results possible for their company or organisation. Increased job satisfaction extends to one’s personal life too. It’s a well known fact that if you are content in your work life then you are more likely to lead a happier home life and vice versa.
Though a common misconception, job satisfaction is not exclusively linked to salary, company perks or the amount of paid holidays one receives. For the most part, job satisfaction is related to the respect one commands from their fellow employees, the amount of trust placed in them by their superiors and the meaningfulness of the work they do. It is worth remembering however, that the financial rewards of a job do rank highly although not as highly as the value of one’s employment.
Before you make a start on increasing your own job satisfaction, it is important to ask yourself a few important questions. Firstly, if you feel that you are not being respected in your job is it due to another reason. For example, if you feel that your manager or fellow employees do not respect you is it because they are too busy themselves to stop and praise you? Also, if you’re feeling a little out of your depth regarding your skills, consider how long it has been since you qualified and how far technologies and procedures have progressed. Maybe all you need is a little retraining in the appropriate field.
A simple and effective way to increase job satisfaction is to get yourself noticed by changing your attitude and overall demeanour in work. This may involve being friendly and caring towards fellow staff and clients, show an evident enthusiasm for your job; one that your employer will recognise and commend you for. Demonstrating commitment to your team will also earn you respect, especially if you think up potential improvements for your department, a project you are working on or employee interaction.
Another way to improve job satisfaction is to identify and assess your life’s priorities and also re-evaluate the reasons why you entered the profession. Have you accomplished any of the goals you set out to achieve in the first place? Do you still have the same passion for the profession that you had when you first started? You need to think carefully about what you want to get out of your job and identify the tasks you will need to undertake in order to realise these goals.
Finally, a common complaint from employees experiencing lacklustre in their job do so because their job has become second nature to them and they are no longer get a sense that they are being challenged. You will need to look into the developments of the industry and perhaps invest your time in doing a course in the relevant field. Many Personal Development Courses deal with ways to improve job satisfaction and create a more positive outlook.
