057. How to Survive That Job You Hate

I bet you dread Mondays! And sometime right around Sunday evening you start to hit the tomorrow’s Monday slump, right? Your stomach starts turning knots the moment you realize you are going to go to sleep and wake up and it back to the job you hate. I get it and I’ve been there.

You may hate your job but there is a reason why you are there. It could be you need the money, it may be meant for you to be there. And what I mean be this is sometimes we go through certain experiences in our lives to either help ourselves or help others. Sometimes you may be placed in a certain situation because there is a lesson for you to learn that you will need further along in your life or you may be there to help someone else learn a lesson they will need in their life. Either way you cannot rush God’s timing and you must make yourself content with your job until sometime else comes along.

First conduct a self-assessment. It’s clear you hate your job, but why do you hate your job? Is it the people? Do you feel like your work is meaningless? Is it not challenging or exciting? Or maybe it’s the environment or organization that you don’t like. Assess the aspects of your work that you may be able to change to make your work life a little better. For example, if you feel like your work is unfulfilling or not challenging enough consider picking up some special projects at work and discuss it with your boss. If you are unhappy with your schedule or salary talk to your boss about it. Communication can save nation, sometimes all it takes to change your situation is having a transparent conversation with your boss. I even wrote a whole blog on how to ask your boss for a raise, so check it out for help getting the conversation started.

In addition, make a list of all the pros and cons of you current job and determine if your job is salvageable or if it is time to move on. If you decide it’s time to move on to another job, start looking for other employment, but don’t quit your current job another you have another job. As you look for a new job, be mindful of the current aspects of your job you don’t like so you avoid those in the next job.

Change Your Attitude. If you can’t change the situation, change your attitude. I know you have heard this a million times, but it’s true it really works! Change your mindset or how you look at your job. Every job has its silver lining right?! So focus on the aspects of your job that you do like. Always maintain a professional and courteous attitude. Don’t take your frustrations out on others. Never burn bridges, keep in mind you may need your boss or colleagues for recommendations or references. Consider the skills and knowledge that you are learning at your current job you will be able to use in the future.

Set boundaries. If you are in a toxic environment, it can become draining and difficult to deal with on a daily basis. Set boundaries for your workplace. For example, my employer was shorted staffed and I often came in early and stayed late to help out, but the more I did the more it became expected for me to do so. It was stressful and tiring doing this over time and I had to let my boss know I could no longer do this and went back to my regular schedule. I had to be crystal clear what hours I was available to work. Remember it is okay to say no at work, check out my blog Sugarcoating no for some creative, yet tactful ways to tell your boss no.

Vent to your confidant. Sometimes it helps to be able to vent about how much your job sucks! Vent to your confidant someone outside of work that you can trust. Not Facebook. No matter how much you hate your job, Facebook is not the place to share how much you think your boss is a lazy douche bag. Have a trusted friend that allows you to air your grievances about your career. I know that complaining isn’t going to fix anything but sometimes you just have to get your feelings off your chest. Besides having someone on the outside to vent to may help you change your perspective or offer sound advice as someone on the outside looking in.

If you have decided it’s time to move on, don’t quit your job until you have another one. Just like in life, every job has its season.

Share this video with someone who’s always complaining about their job.