How to get more satisfaction from work without changing jobs

Did you know that 80% of the people are unhappy in their jobs? Quite staggering right? There are many reasons why people feel disengaged from their work or employer. I regularly hear women are bored, feel stressed or unappreciated, are badly managed or they don’t like the type of work they’re doing.

How do you feel about your job? Are you still motivated and fully engaged or do you dread Mondays and do you only enjoy life in the weekends?

You might be one of the women who’ve considered looking for another job, but given the current situation, think sticking it out is the best option for now.

The good news is there is a great way to bring more happiness into your work life without having to change jobs.
It’s called job crafting.

Types of job crafting

Job crafting is redesigning your work in such a way that your job gives you that sense of meaning again. You’re not redesigning your job completely, but you make improvements so that it becomes a better fit for you. In other words you ‘craft’ yourself a job you love.

There are three types of job crafting: task, relational, and cognitive crafting^[1].

Task crafting
Task crafting is changing what you do. For example, giving preference to work tasks you really enjoy, starting new tasks which you think better suit your interests or considerering the time you spend on your various tasks.

Relational crafting
Changing how, when or with whom you interact is called relational crafting. You could think of organising special events in the workplace, connecting with colleagues in a different department who have similar skills or mentoring new employees.

Cognitive crafting
Cognitive crafting means changing your mindset about the tasks and relationships that make up your job. Remind yourself about the significance your work has for the success of the whole organization or for the broader community. Or think about the way in which your work positively impacts your life at the moment.

3 steps to craft the job you have into the job you want

If you’d like to ‘craft’ your job, follow these three steps:

1. Start with a job analysis.
Which activities give you energy and which drain you? And how long do you spend on each activity per day and per week?

2. Make clear what you would like to change.
Could you do more of the positive activities, take on a new task or interact more with customers?

3. Discuss your proposal with your manager and colleagues.
How does your crafting idea fit with the organisational goals and with the work your colleagues are doing? Together you might be able to identify opportunities for redistributing tasks. After all, someone else could be fed up with something you would love to do more of.

Definitely give it a go because job crafting is a simple way to make meaningful and lasting changes in your job, both in a flourishing and bad economy.

Have a great week!
Eefke

PS: Curious how coaching could help you to take a new step in your career? Feel free to contact me without any obligation.

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[1] Berg, J. M., Dutton, J. E., & Wrzesniewski, A. (2013). Job crafting and meaningful work. In B. J. Dik, Z. S. Byrne & M. F. Steger (Eds.), Purpose and meaning in the workplace (pp. 81-104). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.