What to do when you're just not motivated anymore
Struggling to find the motivation to come to work? Feeling like nobody cares if you show up or not? I know that I have felt that way before, and it makes all the difference to find satisfaction in your job. This blog post will cover a few things you can put to practice to find more value from your job, no matter what it is!
What are some of the worst jobs you can think of? Garbage man? Fast food worker? Maybe you think working under PMO is the worst thing ever (it’s definitely not). Read this quote
and take a guess at what occupation they have:
“I love patients, I love sick people. I have so much to offer sick people. Because when I
don’t feel good or when I have had to have surgeries, the one thing that has gotten me through has been…jokes, just being pleasant, being upbeat, and having a great attitude. And that’s what I enjoy the most about being here. It’s so upbeat here. In fact, I consider it the ‘house of hope.’ And that’s what I tell all the patients and all the visitors: this is the ‘house of hope.’”
This is a quote from an interview with Candice Billups, a janitor at a hospital. She finds immense joy and satisfaction from her job, a job that others are quick to look down upon. Here is a link to the full interview:
Candice has utilized Job Crafting - something employees do to redesign their own jobs in ways that foster engagement at work, job satisfaction, resilience, and thriving. Studies show that after just 6 weeks, employees who practiced job crafting reported higher satisfaction, job commitment, and attachment to their job when compared to a control group. Similarly, managers noted an increase in effectiveness when compared to the control group. There are 3 main methods used for job crafting: Task crafting, Relationship crafting, and Cognitive crafting.
Task crafting is changing the number, type, or nature of the tasks you are asked to complete. Candice has done this by tackling tasks that allow her to interact with the patients more easily. This includes cleaning up spills in rooms, stocking toilet paper, and changing sheets. She has added additional value to this by building relationships with those she is serving. That is relationship crafting - changing the nature of relationships, interactions, etc. She doesn’t look at interactions with patients as something not in her job description. She sees each patient and recognizes an opportunity to make their stay more enjoyable, to build a relationship, and to leave just a little bit happier. She mentions several times how much she enjoys joking with the patients and lightening the mood. Candice has also utilized Cognitive crafting, changing how one perceives tasks and their meaning, by looking at each task she is asked to do as an opportunity to serve rather than as a checklist item.
Each of us has the opportunity to use this technique in different areas of our lives. Don’t get caught in the “Once I graduate I’ll be happy. Once I get a full time job I’ll be happy” loop. You can be happy now! If you are having a difficult time finding job satisfaction, don’t hesitate to reach out to your team lead or Gordon. They would love to talk with you more about your job and your interests to help you find the right spot where you can add value and feel motivated.
Go PMO!