How to be Happy at Work
Do you leap out of bed in the mornings looking forward to another day to make a positive contribution to your company?
Or do you drag yourself out of bed groaning and dreading the thought of another day at the ‘fun factory’?
I receive many calls from professionals in need of career coaching as they feel stuck in their careers, are looking for a change or are in-between jobs and don’t know what to do. Many people say they want or need a change because of a culture clash with their boss or they feel there is a mismatch in professional values that are causing dissatisfaction and they don’t feel happy at work.
During my coaching sessions, I uncover a lot of other issues that may affect their level of satisfaction at work – too long a commute, lack of work/life harmony, feeling underpaid, overworked, no flexibility, and the list goes on.
In order for each client I work with to take control of their career, we focus on the actions they must take to rebuild their self-confidence, self-esteem, resilience and desire for success.
Then we focus on what really makes them tick, what their Dream Role looks like and what they need to create a professional and personal life that is rewarding, satisfying and provides the financial stability that they need to enjoy life.
We may identify a skills or knowledge gap and, if it is essential for progression, we explore ways to gain the skills and knowledge required to keep moving towards their professional goals.
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I was interested to read the Upskilled Annual Australian Career Survey when it was released recently as I need to stay up to date with industry trends so that I stay relevant and provide up to date value to my clients. This new report focuses on What Makes Us Happy At Work and Australia’s readiness for the changing world of work.
This report is based on an online survey of 3,418 Australian workers and non-workers, conducted via email between September 2015 and September 2016. Those who participated are from every state and territory across Australia. They represent a wide range of industries, employment types, and age groups so it’s a good indication of what Australian really want.
Let’s have a look at some of their findings:
WOMEN
Women have higher work satisfaction levels than men even though women have significantly lower average incomes compared to men. 18% of females earn over $70K compared to 34% of males. It’s interesting to note that pay is not closely correlated with job satisfaction for women.
THE HAPPIEST GROUP
The happiest group of respondents were the self-employed followed by full-time employees and employers. Casual employees experienced the lowest levels of job satisfaction, which still indicates that the group experiencing the lowest amount of job satisfaction was still fairly satisfied.
Workers from the Northern Territory were the happiest of all followed by South Australia and Queensland. The other states did not fall far behind however what is it that makes those in the NT so happy?
The industries with the happiest workers were Arts & Recreation Services, Design & Architecture, Professional/Managerial and Education and Training. The lowest happiness level was found in Manufacturing. There has been a lot of downsizing in that sector recently which will have affected their happiness levels.
WORK RELATIONSHIPS & WORK/LIFE BALANCE
Interestingly 75% of all workers said they got along with their colleagues and only 8% said they didn’t. And when it came to work/life balance this survey found that it was not a clear indicator of job satisfaction. When it came to whether they enjoyed work/life balance or not, the responses were quite evenly split. I found this a surprising statistic as I have such a strong focus on work/life harmony so perhaps it’s not as important as I think for many of us.
WORKPLACE TRAINING
Over half of the respondents wanted to undertake further study however only 9% said they had their course subsidized. Many stated that funding options would be incentive to study further. Almost two-thirds of unhappy workers said that they didn’t have workplace training.
A particularly interesting statistic was that 50% of workers in Information Technology said that they received no workplace training. This is of major concern as IT and computer sciences have become increasingly important to the future of the way we work and the needs of organizations. When taking on workplace training, staying relevant in areas that have strong demand will open up more career options.
Almost half of the respondents who want further study stated they wanted to do it online only. About a quarter wanted a blend of online/on-campus and only 6% wanted to complete their study full-time on campus. This says a lot about the way training needs to be delivered now and in the future.
So what do these statistics tell you? How do you feel about your career? Are you happy at work or do you need support to move onwards and upwards?
It’s time for you to take action! Click on this link to book an exploratory conversation and find out how you can create the career of your dreams!
To download the full Upskilled Annual Australian Career Survey click here
To find out about Upskilled’s training options visit: www.upskilled.edu.au
