Answer this – Why do you work?

Published on Wednesday, Dec 26, 2007

Why do we work? A redundant question indeed! Everyone has to work to put food on the table and a roof over their heads.

But, are things so cut and dried? Is work just a complex, dead-end drudgery that we just have to do to earn bread and butter?
Well, it definitely is about the money, but not only about the money! Else, why would, say a Bill Gates or Mukesh Ambani still be working? This again begs the question – why do we work so hard even after becoming wealthy?
Besides, why do bankers abandon their lucrative professions to turn into violinists, lawyers reincarnate themselves as chefs and CAs as cinema producers! And, if work did not go beyond the earnings aspect, how would the concept of ‘voluntary’ work even come into being?
Think again, what would we do 24 hours a day if we did not work. How long can you watch TV, read, sleep or even play golf for that matter? In fact, pleasure activities acquire meaning only when punctuated by work. Even leisure is defined as time spent recovering from work!
Therefore, earning a pay cheque may be the prime motivator, but that is not the one and only incentive for doing work. Apart from meeting the material aspects and paying the bills, work compensates in many non-monetary ways too (and, I am definitely not talking about the ‘in kind’ perquisites that come with most jobs!)
Apart from the social conditioning that we ‘have to’ do ‘some work’, ask yourself why you really work. While most of us do view a job as a means to a pecuniary end, everyone has their own set of reasons for doing what they do. These can range from:
• Work gives meaning, purpose, direction to my life
• It’s about doing something I am good at – a celebration of my natural strengths, talents, knowledge
• I love what I do, it is a source of joy for me
• Work provides satisfaction, support, hope, a sense of personal fulfilment that is unparalleled
• My work gives me an identity – ‘I am a business consultant’ or even ‘I am a musician.’
• It is a source of pride, recognition, it stimulates my self-esteem, leading to a fuller life
• I like the challenge of – accomplishing goals, solving problems, making decisions or adapting to change
• Work lets me be creative, experience new things, learn more
• My work is part of a constant strive for excellence in whatever I do
• I like to be part of a team, I enjoy the camaraderie with colleagues or interaction with customers
• A sense of idealism may come into the picture where work is a personal mission to make a difference, create a better future, give back to humanity or simply to serve people.
• On a more basic plane, work provides physical activity that keeps me busy; it helps me fill my time with something to do everyday!
Little wonder then that it is always said, ‘You are what you do!’ To encapsulate, a job not only provides an income, but also fulfils a variety of other needs - mental and physical exercise, social contact, a feeling of self-worth and competence.
So much so that many people stay put in low paid jobs because they derive a lot of personal satisfaction from other aspects of that job. It may be that they feel a sense of pleasure when they see the results of their efforts or feel that they are doing something useful.
Yet, people do get trapped in bad jobs or so completely caught up in making ends meet that they fail to realise the pleasures of work.
But, the next time you catch yourself cribbing, ‘Oh! I got to work’ recall the famous insight of eminent psychologist Theodor Reik, “Work and love - these are the basics. Without them there is neurosis”.
Remember, we don’t ‘have to’ work as much as ‘need to’ work – and that makes all the difference!

PAYAL CHANANIA

Have you got your role right?

Published on Wednesday, Dec 12, 2007

What is your job all about? This is quite an obvious and basic tenet of any job – one that actually needs no mentioning. Yet, in the hullabaloo of getting a new job, joining formalities and settling into a high-pressure role, this crucial epicentre often goes overlooked.
In fact, ask someone the rationale behind his or her job, and most of them will be at a total loss. Don’t we enter the workplace with a personal perception of performing the job, and continue to take it from there? But success hinges on the actual content and not our assumptions of the same. And what if our interpretation of what we should do and what actually needs to be done is totally inconsistent?
In such a case, all the hard work and sincere attempts go down the drain as we may be doing things that add little value to the job, that too at the cost of more important tasks. Ultimately, we just end up meandering around in a vicious cycle - without any career progression and wondering over the ever-eluding success.
Therefore, hastily moving into a job without understanding the ground realities will only set you up to fail. It is essential to comprehend exactly what a job entails, what is expected of you and then perform accordingly, in order to maximise your career growth even while contributing to company productivity.
Then and only then, can you limit your focus to the necessary activities that constitute success, away from those things that you don’t have to or even, shouldn’t be doing.
The limelight is on Job Analysis as a powerful tool to get to the heart of your job priorities, i.e. the multiple duties needed to perform the job that you have been hired to do. Only by understanding why your job really exists, can you get a firm grip on the essential components, tasks and functions that constitute job success.
This will help you to cut through the clutter and distractions of superficial tasks that keep your work schedule overloaded forever, yet never provide value to the job or the organisation.
Here’s how to take control of your output with job analysis:
Analyse job description: This is not the synopsis posted in classifieds or on job boards, but the formal documentation that lists out in detail the key job objectives and priorities. Also, carefully peruse all business documents and procedure manuals related to your job to determine particular job duties and their relative importance.
Study performance reviews: Reviewing the assessment criteria will shed light on the precise behaviours that are expected and rewarded, thus helping you to figure out where you can prove your abilities and worth. Talk to your colleagues or past employees to identify what you are expected to achieve and what constitutes good performance.
Inspect strategy: Most people are not even sure of how their job function fits into the overall structure of the organisation. Delve into the organisational vision and goals set out in the mission statement to align your priorities in coherence with company strategy. This will enable you to ascertain and concentrate on those tasks that directly contribute to business success.
Authenticate: Discuss the job purpose, requirements and key actions with your supervisor. Once you develop a comprehensive profile of do’s and don’ts, run them by him for further corroboration. Also, substantiate the support, training or improvement needed to carry out the job effectively.
In an unstructured company, jobs may be haphazardly designed with managers themselves unsure of what exactly employees are supposed to do.
This chaos can further undermine your position and performance. The onus is on you to cut through the inaccuracies and work at establishing a clear understanding of the job content, role, objectives and responsibilities. Work on them with your manager to precisely define the expected outcomes.
Therefore, a thorough job analysis will help you to bridge the yawning gap between what you do and what your boss thinks is important. This will provide the basis for what tasks to concentrate on, which ones to de-prioritise/delegate and also those that do not even form a part of your job.
Once you work out the discrepancies, not only will you be able to manage the workload and excel at the job, but also derive a sense of unparalleled accomplishment.

PAYAL CHANANIA

Fine-tune the job you hate, think again

Published on Wednesday, Nov 28, 2007

Do you snooze the alarm clock eight times every morning and still pull up the covers hoping that the day would just melt away? Does even the mere thought of work inspire dismay and misery galore?
On a rational note, no job is utterly blissful that it makes you bound out of bed all the time (lucky are those that do!). In fact, a recent survey reveals that 87 per cent people don’t like their jobs. Although every job does come with its shar e of ups and downs, it should not inspire total horror or abhorrence either.
While it may definitely seem so sometimes, work is not a synonym for ‘serving time’! It can be annoying or intolerable intermittently, but is also immensely gratifying at times.
If someone is stuck in a lousy job, the loathing not only leads to stress, absenteeism and lower productivity, but also drastically impacts the rest of the employee’s life. Therefore, if you catch yourself getting the blues every time you head for office, it is time to take matters into your own hands. After all, everyone deserves to be happy at work!

From sour to sweet
The job may be terrible and horrid. It may make you feel hopeless, disgruntled, angry, frustrated or downright miserable. But switching jobs is not always the best solution. In fact, most of us cannot even afford to quit (or change our jobs too often). Face it, the next job may just prove worse than the current one. Instead of bailing out too fast, go through a checklist before making a radical shift.

What’s wrong?
Try to put a finger on what exactly turns you off and the underlying reasons for the same. Is it the repetitive work, job hours or low pay? Do you abhor the lack of recognition or need promotion opportunities? Or, do you want to escape bad boss/dreadful colleagues?
Identifying the root cause of your dissatisfaction is half the battle won. So, take an inventory of your work and categorise which factors you hate or are indifferent to. Differentiate these from those aspects that you actually like, that will help you to identify specific concerns and complaints that sap your energy. Also, highlight what exactly you seek from work – is it money, satisfaction, independence or power?

What to do
While you cannot control the organisation or the nature of your work, what you can do is change how you work or how you feel. Here’s how:
• If you are overwhelmed with work, instead of merely grumbling about the unending pressure and workload, try to figure out the real cause. It could be that you have poor time management skills, need to delegate more work or just learn to say ‘no’.
• In case of an ‘abilities and interests’ difficulty, bridge the gap by learning a new skill that will ease your work. Taking short, interesting courses can be invigorating.
• If interpersonal issues are hampering your ability to enjoy the job, try your best to befriend your colleagues and improve team relationships. If need be, communicate your concerns to the manager and solicit suggestions on the same.
• A poor relationship with the boss can also impede you from being effective at work. Either sort out the differences without needless griping or angle for a lateral transfer into another department.
• Swapping assignments or volunteering for new projects can ease the tedious monotony.
• Inject some fun into your daily routine with a jovial sense of humour. Just cracking a few amusing quips can inject vitality into the job at hand.
• If you still do not obtain any delight from your job, seek contentment in other aspects of your life. A good work/life balance with pleasing hobbies and other pursuits makes doing the work worthwhile. Else, a short holiday can also give a refreshing break.

Scoop up the positives
Be realistic, as hardly anybody can love his or her job all the time. Operating with such high expectations only sets you up for dejection.
What is important is to like the work at least most of the time.
Focus on the benefits that made you choose the job in the first place. It may be the proximity to home, flexible hours, level of responsibility, autonomy, training facilities, responsive boss or supportive team members or even the free lunch coupons. Stop and realise the reality, as the job may actually be better than you think. This may make you do an about-face and even fall back in love with the job!
Beware, job dissatisfaction may actually stem not from the work but from your own insecurities or unhappiness. If your personal problems are making your work life miserable, there is no point in changing jobs. It’s advisable to explore the private issues. Then seek family or professional help to resolve them.
If you still feel the same after exhausting all other possibilities, as a last resort consider a job or career change.
A fresh start can ignite your passion, but make sure you know exactly what improvements you seek before moving.
Even mental health professionals uphold that, ‘People can change their occupational situations, either by switching attitudes, employers or vocations!’

PAYAL CHANANIA