Why it’s important to love your job (and what to do if you don’t…)
By: Claire, redwigwam
We spend a lot of time at work. You may feel as though you see your work colleagues more than your friends and family!
But do you love your job? And does it matter if you don’t?
Well yes. It does.
Now, let’s be realistic. Everyone has good days and bad days. But if the bad days, when you feel bored, stressed, frustrated or anxious are outnumbering the good days, it’s a big red flag that you’re unhappy in your job.
And how we feel while we’re at work plays a huge part in our overall health and happiness.
People who enjoy their job are more likely to be optimistic and motivated. They’ll learn more quickly and tend to make fewer mistakes.
Disliking a job can lead to higher stress levels which doesn’t do anyone any good!
When you love your job, work becomes a choice and something you enjoy doing rather than a burden on your time.
Now, let’s be realistic – everyone has elements of their job they don’t enjoy. Indeed, you even get a bit of a buzz when you accomplish a task you’ve been dreading. But if much of your time at work is doing things you dread, it’s maybe time to start thinking about a career change.
Have a look at this blog post for some tips on how to find a job you really love.
10 reasons why loving your job is so important.
1) You produce a better quality of work
If you care about what you’re doing, it stands to reason you’ll do a better job.
Rather than passing something off as done when you’ve hit the bare minimum requirements, you’ll find your proud of what you achieve – and want to tell everyone about it!
2) You’ll be more productive
When you enjoy what you’re doing, you’ll want to, well, do more of it!
You know how it feels when you’re faced with a task you’ve been putting off. You start the avoidance tactics, being distracted by anything or everything to put off getting started.
Ultimately, it results in you doing a rushed job and the task taking waaaaaaaayyyyyyy longer than it should have!
3) You’ll feel an improvement in your mental health
Some stress is unavoidable at work, but if you feel on edge the whole time, it will have a serious impact on your mental health. So enjoying your job and working in a stress-free environment naturally has the opposite effect.
If you do feel your mental health suffering because of work, please do reach out as appropriate for some support. If you feel this can’t be achieved via your line manager or HR team, reach out to one of the many support lines out there.
There’s a summary of places you can call for help at the end of this blog post: How to look after your mental health while you’re at university.
4) Your overall health and wellbeing will be better
Less stress = Looking and feeling healthier.
Stress is bad for us. Constant negative thoughts and worry have a negative impact on our bodies – and get in the way of our productivity.
Employees who experience a lot of work-related stress are more prone to illness. They’re also less likely to exercise which can start a downward spiral of inactivity and unhappiness.
5) You’ll be more likely to stick at a job
Maybe you’ve moved through several jobs in quick succession.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with that – many of our Wigwammers enjoy working between different jobs and businesses, preferring the flexibility it can offer.
But if you find yourself flitting between jobs because they don’t feel quite right, it’s probably time to think about reassessing your job choices. Maybe think about working for redwigwam to try out a variety of roles in different sectors, but without the long-term commitment.
When you’re happy with where you are working, you’re much less likely to feel inclined to move on.
6) You’ll feel happier in your everyday life
How much better would your day be if you looked forward to going to work, excited for the challenges ahead?
Your enthusiasm for work will naturally spill over into other areas of your life – if you’ve spent 8 hours doing something you really enjoy, that evening trip to the gym will also seem much more appealing!
7) You'll feel more motivated
When you love your job, you’ll feel motivated to improve in your role and take the next steps on your career journey.
You’ll be interested in more training, hungry to learn and enthusiastic to share your journey with others.
If you hate where you work, the motivation will be gone. You’ll be more likely to just turn up and do the job – but nothing extra.
8) You’ll feel more engaged with the company and their values
You spend a lot of time at work. And if you’re engaged with the company, your boss, your colleagues, that time is a lot more fun.
Time at work doesn’t feel like a chore when it’s a place you look forward to going to and with people you enjoy spending time with.
9) You’ll make fewer mistakes
When you’re engaged in what you are doing, your focus is better, meaning you make fewer mistakes.
Of course, no one is perfect, and things do go wrong. But if it’s an environment where you are highly engaged and trusted, you’ll learn from your error and move on.
If you find you really don’t care about mistakes you have made, you’ll get sloppy and make more of them!
10) You’ll have increased confidence
Ever felt inadequate at work? Or that you’re not really contributing to the overall company goals?
Your job is meant to offer a sense of pride and purpose – and when you feel as though what you are doing is making a difference you will feel happier and have more confidence in your work.
Fallen out of love with your job? Join redwigwam today for instant matches to 100s of flexible jobs in your local area.
