You're Not Alone
You're Not Alone
Folks get to work, get themselves prepared for their day, sit at their desks or in their vehicles or whatever it is they do and then go to work. No matter the level of the position, this is a common, every day thing.
Yet one of those weird anomalies is that most people feel as though they’re the only ones who are going through the grind. Even if they’re in an office with 100 other people, they feel as though there’s not a single other person there who’s going through what they’re going through, who feels like they do. Sometimes they’ll sit with some other folks at lunch and the group will complain, yet when the person goes back to their desk they feel like they’re all alone once again.
Think about being management. In most circumstances, you are the only person in your position at that organization. How many vice president of sales does a company need? How many directors of patient accounting will one hospital have? Each position is unique, which means the work each position has is something someone else has deemed crucial to the operation of the daily business. So, because you’re the only one in that position, you may feel as though you don’t really have anyone to talk to.
Trust me on this one; you are definitely not alone. Here’s a statistic for you; more than 85% of all managers had never led anything in their lives until they became some kind of leader in a business setting. Here’s another; at least 76% of all employees, when questioned, have said that they have periods of time when they don’t like working where they happen to work.
While I’m at it, let’s look at some other statistics that many folks probably have never heard. It is estimated that 42% of all employees are in some kind of caregiver situation of a loved one. Just over 38% of all employees will voluntarily leave there they work to go to another employer each year; in some industries, that figure is as high as 69%. Only 26% of employees nationally feel as though they’re full participants in what’s going on where they work, 55% say they’re not involved at all.
Numbers may just be numbers, and I’m sure there are other surveys that have been performed that may change some of these figures a little bit, but the purpose of my bringing in any of these statistics is to prove one point; there’s a lot of people who, in some ways, feel pretty much the same way. Many of them may work where you work, but definitely in other workplaces there are dissatisfied employees.
You already knew this, but now that I’ve mentioned it again, the first question is which one are you? The second question is, if you’re dissatisfied, what do you do about it? The third question, different than the second because of its scope, is what should you do about it? Let’s look at these three questions.
1. Which one are you? I can’t answer this one; only you can. However, be clear as to the meaning of the question before you attempt to answer it. For instance, a quick determiner someone might want to use is “do I yearn for time off from work or do I want to be at work as often as I can?” The first part of that question definitely says you don’t want to be where you are; the second part, however, is a little more suspect. Do you find yourself always wanting to be at work because you like what it is you do, or are you afraid that if you’re not there someone will discover something you wish they wouldn’t? Are you afraid that if you’re not at work someone else will determine that they don’t really miss you and take your position away from you?
Some of the questions to ask yourself are these: Do you have difficulty getting ready to go to work? Do you like the work you do? Do you feel as though there’s too much pressure to perform? Do you get along with your co-workers (peers, management, upper management, etc)? Do you feel like a valued member of the staff? Are you content with what you’re paid based on the work you do?
2. If you’re dissatisfied, what do you do about it? First, what you don’t do is talk with other co-workers about your dissatisfaction, at least initially. The biggest mistake most people make is that they think of someone they’re friendly with at work as one of their friends. They’ll tend to share sensitive information with their co-workers, not knowing whether that co-worker will use that against them later or not. When it does happen, you end up feeling betrayed and abused, and unfortunately there’s no one to blame but yourself.
So, if you don’t do that, what do you do? Do you just grin and bear it? Do you find ways to complain? Do you try to sabotage the operation? Do you take frequent vacations and mental health days? Do you start looking for another job?
3. What should you do about it? The easy answer is to do something. The worst thing any person in any position can do is just take it and move on. You won’t give your best, the work situation may never improve, and that doesn’t benefit anyone. You could complain, but instead of complaining why not think of what the issues are and come up with solutions, then present them to someone?
You could try to stay away from work as much as possible, but who’s that going to hurt more, you or the company? Absenteeism is a dirty little business, and if you’re missing time without a valid reason you ruin it for other employees. Not only that, but at some point someone’s going to realize that not only have you probably violated your company’s rules, but maybe you’re not really needed at that company. If you’re looking to be replaced, this is the way to go.
You could always look for another job, but this isn’t the best way to go in all situations. One, you might be going from one bad situation to another; is it better to deal with the devil you know rather than the devil you don’t know? Two, if you take some time to think about what the issues are, the problems may lie in your own mindset, in which case, switching companies won’t solve your problems. If you still want to explore this one, why not try to learn first what you don’t like about where you are and try to resolve something first? After all, at this point, what would you have to lose?
If you’re in management, why not try one of these two things: join an organization that caters to your particular position or hook up with an executive coach. Both of these options may cost you some money, but they both offer you what you can’t get anywhere else; camaraderie of some sort, someone who you can talk to about either the technical issues you have in your profession or the leadership and management skills you may feel you’re lacking. Some companies will pay for some of these options, which is even better, and may be a benefit to you, because the company may feel encouraged that you’ve decided to try something to improve yourself, which can only help the company in the long run.
These are only some suggestions. There are plenty of other things one can do, within and outside of the work place, to help alleviate these feelings of isolationism. Whether you’re a manager or an employee, though, it’s always up to you to change your situation. Just remember, you’re not alone.
Youre Not Alone - To learn more about this author, visit T.T. Mitchell's Website.
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Every day people wake up, get themselves cleaned up in some fashion, and head out the door to go to work. This is a universal thing; it’s not something that only happens in America, but it occurs in every country in the world. Even the poorest of countries have folks who go through this same process on a daily basis.
Folks get to work, get themselves prepared for their day, sit at their desks or in their vehicles or whatever it is they do and then go to work. No matter the level of the position, this is a common, every day thing.
Yet one of those weird anomalies is that most people feel as though they’re the only ones who are going through the grind. Even if they’re in an office with 100 other people, they feel as though there’s not a single other person there who’s going through what they’re going through, who feels like they do. Sometimes they’ll sit with some other folks at lunch and the group will complain, yet when the person goes back to their desk they feel like they’re all alone once again.
Think about being management. In most circumstances, you are the only person in your position at that organization. How many vice president of sales does a company need? How many directors of patient accounting will one hospital have? Each position is unique, which means the work each position has is something someone else has deemed crucial to the operation of the daily business. So, because you’re the only one in that position, you may feel as though you don’t really have anyone to talk to.
Trust me on this one; you are definitely not alone. Here’s a statistic for you; more than 85% of all managers had never led anything in their lives until they became some kind of leader in a business setting. Here’s another; at least 76% of all employees, when questioned, have said that they have periods of time when they don’t like working where they happen to work.
While I’m at it, let’s look at some other statistics that many folks probably have never heard. It is estimated that 42% of all employees are in some kind of caregiver situation of a loved one. Just over 38% of all employees will voluntarily leave there they work to go to another employer each year; in some industries, that figure is as high as 69%. Only 26% of employees nationally feel as though they’re full participants in what’s going on where they work, 55% say they’re not involved at all.
Numbers may just be numbers, and I’m sure there are other surveys that have been performed that may change some of these figures a little bit, but the purpose of my bringing in any of these statistics is to prove one point; there’s a lot of people who, in some ways, feel pretty much the same way. Many of them may work where you work, but definitely in other workplaces there are dissatisfied employees.
You already knew this, but now that I’ve mentioned it again, the first question is which one are you? The second question is, if you’re dissatisfied, what do you do about it? The third question, different than the second because of its scope, is what should you do about it? Let’s look at these three questions.
1. Which one are you? I can’t answer this one; only you can. However, be clear as to the meaning of the question before you attempt to answer it. For instance, a quick determiner someone might want to use is “do I yearn for time off from work or do I want to be at work as often as I can?” The first part of that question definitely says you don’t want to be where you are; the second part, however, is a little more suspect. Do you find yourself always wanting to be at work because you like what it is you do, or are you afraid that if you’re not there someone will discover something you wish they wouldn’t? Are you afraid that if you’re not at work someone else will determine that they don’t really miss you and take your position away from you?
Some of the questions to ask yourself are these: Do you have difficulty getting ready to go to work? Do you like the work you do? Do you feel as though there’s too much pressure to perform? Do you get along with your co-workers (peers, management, upper management, etc)? Do you feel like a valued member of the staff? Are you content with what you’re paid based on the work you do?
2. If you’re dissatisfied, what do you do about it? First, what you don’t do is talk with other co-workers about your dissatisfaction, at least initially. The biggest mistake most people make is that they think of someone they’re friendly with at work as one of their friends. They’ll tend to share sensitive information with their co-workers, not knowing whether that co-worker will use that against them later or not. When it does happen, you end up feeling betrayed and abused, and unfortunately there’s no one to blame but yourself.
So, if you don’t do that, what do you do? Do you just grin and bear it? Do you find ways to complain? Do you try to sabotage the operation? Do you take frequent vacations and mental health days? Do you start looking for another job?
3. What should you do about it? The easy answer is to do something. The worst thing any person in any position can do is just take it and move on. You won’t give your best, the work situation may never improve, and that doesn’t benefit anyone. You could complain, but instead of complaining why not think of what the issues are and come up with solutions, then present them to someone?
You could try to stay away from work as much as possible, but who’s that going to hurt more, you or the company? Absenteeism is a dirty little business, and if you’re missing time without a valid reason you ruin it for other employees. Not only that, but at some point someone’s going to realize that not only have you probably violated your company’s rules, but maybe you’re not really needed at that company. If you’re looking to be replaced, this is the way to go.
You could always look for another job, but this isn’t the best way to go in all situations. One, you might be going from one bad situation to another; is it better to deal with the devil you know rather than the devil you don’t know? Two, if you take some time to think about what the issues are, the problems may lie in your own mindset, in which case, switching companies won’t solve your problems. If you still want to explore this one, why not try to learn first what you don’t like about where you are and try to resolve something first? After all, at this point, what would you have to lose?
If you’re in management, why not try one of these two things: join an organization that caters to your particular position or hook up with an executive coach. Both of these options may cost you some money, but they both offer you what you can’t get anywhere else; camaraderie of some sort, someone who you can talk to about either the technical issues you have in your profession or the leadership and management skills you may feel you’re lacking. Some companies will pay for some of these options, which is even better, and may be a benefit to you, because the company may feel encouraged that you’ve decided to try something to improve yourself, which can only help the company in the long run.
These are only some suggestions. There are plenty of other things one can do, within and outside of the work place, to help alleviate these feelings of isolationism. Whether you’re a manager or an employee, though, it’s always up to you to change your situation. Just remember, you’re not alone.
Youre Not Alone - To learn more about this author, visit T.T. Mitchell's Website.
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