Work Not as Fun as it Used to Be? Finding Job Excitement Again May be Simpler than You Think.

Not every day is filled with excitement.  We don’t always show up for work remembering why we were so enthusiastic about getting the job in the first place.  Yes, it’s true, some days just aren’t that [...]]]>

 

 

Work Not as Fun as it Used to Be? Finding Job Excitement Again May be Simpler than You Think.

Not every day is filled with excitement.  We don’t always show up for work remembering why we were so enthusiastic about getting the job in the first place.  Yes, it’s true, some days just aren’t that hot.  But when you work in a department like HR, attitude is a pretty important thing.  So how do you give those workday doldrums a kick in the pants?  Here are a few suggestions:

Start a New Project.  Oftentimes we get down on our job because we’re simply bored with it.  That’s normal, a part of the ebb and flow of everyday life.  Try taking on a new project, something that benefits everyone and/or makes your job easier.  You may just find that with a fresh focus, you’ll get excited about work again.

Plan an Event for Your Coworkers. I’m not talking about a big black tie affair.  But something simple–a group activity either scheduled during working hours (like a lunchtime ice cream social) or after hours (a night of karaoke and pizza) will not only give you a break from the daily grind, it’ll give everyone a chance to bond over more than just the usual salad in the breakroom.

Buy a Fish.  Sounds weird, but it works.  I used to keep a beta fish at my desk, and he was fantastic company.  I sure miss Ed.

Make a List.  Make yourself a list of all the reasons you wanted this particular job or career path in the first place.  Chances are, there are one or two items on your list that haven’t been your focus lately.  For example, maybe you really wanted to be there for people, to make a difference in their lives.  How can you get back to achieving that and making it a part of your day again?  Rediscovering what it is you love about your job is a fantastic motivator.

With just a little time to think things over, you may find the reasons you’re unsatisfied are pretty simple.  Sure, there’s always the chance you’ve simply outgrown your job, but before you give it up for boredom or turn in your resignation, take a good look out for simple fixes.  Sometimes the best jobs are right under your nose.

Giving Your Employees Room for Creativity Works Every Time!

I think we’ve all learned an important lesson from watching the recent events and misadventures of our banking system.  Handing out hefty paychecks and private jets doesn’t exactly give a company’s employees incentive to work creatively and build a better business.  What social science has shown [...]]]>

I think we’ve all learned an important lesson from watching the recent events and misadventures of our banking system.  Handing out hefty paychecks and private jets doesn’t exactly give a company’s employees incentive to work creatively and build a better business.  What social science has shown us is that giving employees room for creativity almost always helps a business grow, keeping workers engaged and happy, even giving them that all-important sense of fulfillment in their jobs.

Google gives us a great example here.  Their workers are given 20% of their total worktime to work on whatever project they want.  They set aside their usual tasks to brainstorm, create, experiment.  What has that resulted in?  GMail, for one thing. Orkut, Google News, and numerous other Google biggies have been birthed through this process as well.  Where would Google be without all that creative freedom given their employees?  I can’t say for certain, but I can only imagine we wouldn’t be talking about them much, if at all.  Instead, Google has become an icon for creativity turned loose in the workplace.

Other companies have tried such experiments as well.  A software company in Australia called Atlassian started giving their engineers “FEDEX Days” a few times a year. During those 24-hour periods, engineers were told to leave their usual tasks aside and work on whatever they wanted to.  They were to brainstorm and come up with something new and inventive.  The following day would result in a big meeting in which everyone presented their ideas.  (Hence the name FEDEX Days:  they must deliver something overnight.)  The resulting ideas and software fixes were so productive that Atlassian eventually shifted over to the Google model of allowing their employees to work on whatever they wanted during 20% of their worktime.

These are just a couple of examples of what might happen when a company encourages creativity.  Of course it goes without saying that fair wages and true signs of appreciation are key, no matter how much freedom and creativity is allowed; but one thing’s certain: You won’t have to write out any million dollar bonuses to have happy, creative employees!  If only our banking system would have thought of that one…