10 Reasons Why You Probably Hate Your Job: Part 1

Do you ever find yourself saying “I hate my job?”

Since being made redundant from a fabulous job in the brewing industry, I spent around 5 years in the employment wilderness.  In those 5 years I took on a number of marketing roles in myriad industries from travel, consultancy and retail.

I enjoyed the majority of these roles but there was one particular job where I dreaded going in every morning and uttering that immortal phrase, “I hate my job”.  When I first started the job, the company’s training method was to give me a mountain of manuals to see if I would sink or swim and it seemed the majority of my colleagues were quiet happy to watch me drown.

I’m sure we have all had jobs where it’s a struggle to get out of bed in the morning and you eventually arrive at your desk struggling to find the motivation to work.

Unfortunately this may be the reality for many people in their existing roles.  Although there can be obvious reasons why you hate your job; from a terrible boss to an uncooperative team.  Sometimes the reasons you are feeling miserable in the workplace can be more subtle, many of which you may not even realise are happening.

I’ve listed below the top ten reasons why it may be time to start searching for that new opportunity:

I hate my job: 1. You are working till stupid-o’clock

You are working late, losing weekends and yet you still feel that you’re not moving forward in your job or workload.  Worst still is that you may be picking up the slack from colleagues or even your boss.

Or maybe that boss isn’t giving you the recognition you feel you deserve for going that extra mile?  Everybody likes to feel valued at work, so if you feel like your efforts are all in vain and that the company doesn’t value you, then perhaps it’s time to move on.

I hate my job: 2. Bored, Bored, Bored

Nothing makes a day drag longer than when you don’t find you job particularly challenging or if your workload is too light.

I’ve had first-hand experience in my earlier career of jobs where if I’d knuckled down I could have probably got a day’s work completed before lunch.

There may be people in the workplace who think that this is the ideal scenario.  But the reality is that a job that requires very little from the individual is just boring and will have a terrible impact on that person’s morale.

If this is you, then you may want to think about the feasibility of moving within the business, talking to your boss about your current role, or if all else fails then it may be time to seek pastures new.

I hate my job: 3. Your work-life balance is shot to pieces 

I have friends who love the workaholic lifestyle.  They think nothing of working every night till the small hours, sacrificing their personal life for the sake of career.

Whilst there will always be the odd occasion when you will be expected to stay late and perhaps even lose the odd weekend to work, this should never become the norm.  Whether it’s because of poor time-management or the fact that you simply have too much to do, you should consider how much personal time you are losing to a role and whether it is worth it or not.

Can you redress the balance or is it time look for a job where you can at least have a semblance of time to yourself?

I hate my job: 4. Your current job is unstable 

Benjamin Frankin once said that nothing in this world can be said to be certain but death and taxes.  And with a struggling economy and many businesses cutting back their staff numbers, there is no longer such a thing as a job for life.

But it can be incredibly demoralising if you live in constant fear of being laid off or ousted from your current position.  And the misery you feel at work will spread to your personal life and you may begin to resent the power your boss has over your life.

Take control.  Do the best you can in your current role and start creating a back-up plan just in case the worst does really happen.  Ensure that you keep your CV up to date and keep abreast of any changes that are happening in the sector or industry you are particularly interested in.  And remember, some things will be out of your control, but you will feel so much better if you are prepared, should the worst does really happen.

I hate my job: 5. The job I do goes against my morals and values 

The role I mentioned in the 2^nd paragraph of the introduction which I didn’t particularly enjoy, was working in the shady world of subprime finance.  It was a job I took when money was short and job options thin on the ground.

But almost from day one, I found it hard to swallow that the company was fleecing its customers by charging a mind bogglingly high APR and throwing in spurious admin fees left right and center.

As my marketing began to attract more and more custom into the business, I began to feel more and more uneasy about the job I was doing and decided to move onto a new challenge and into a job I could be more proud of.

You may be experiencing something similar in your workplace that is making you say, “I hate my job”.  The only solution is to look for something else and then at least at an interview, you will have a valid reason for moving on if your stay with your current employer doesn’t last all that long.

I hope you could you could empathise with some of the examples above.  If you haven’t identified the reason why you continuely say, “I hate my job”, you can read the 2^nd part and a further 5 reasons why your current job may not be the one for you.