Staying Job Happy

Most of us are tied to our workplace. Truth be told, I'm very happy at my current job. I work for a small software company and I enjoy my position there. I have the ability and time to try new things while also progressing with a few day-to-day tasks. That said, it wasn't always this way for me. In fact, I struggled to find a job where I was truly happy for the first four years that I was out of college. Each of the jobs that I held after graduation were progressively better, however, none of them were making me happy. Usually my displeasure stemmed from one particular aspect of the job ranging from an aggravating co-worker to a frustrating company policy. I learned over the course of three different places of employment (in those four years) to use the very tricks that were outlined over at The Simple Dollar today in the post When a Few Small Pieces Make Your Job Miserable. My final "unhappy job," I actually followed these instructions to the veritable "T," but to no avail. Unfortunately, some employers just aren't as concerned about keeping good employees. Some employers lack the vision to see the true value in their human capital.

That, honestly, is where Trent's (the author of the blog post above) advice to be prepared to quit comes in to play. Certainly, that's not the goal when you bring a solution to your boss. However, if you're not ready to seek your fortunes elsewhere then you may not be bringing much to the table. Here are the tips in a nutshell:

1. Go in with a positive attitude that your supervisor wants things to be right for you. It may take several days of positive thinking for you to get your head around this (depending upon your situation).
2. Be prepared to explain the symptoms of the problem (I've been feeling very anxious by the end of the day. I'm having problems concentrating on tasks. ... whatever they might be.)
3. Be prepared to explain the source of the problem (Suzie has been consistently causing problems with employee relationships throughout the day.)
4. Avoid the cabal approach. Approach the problem 1-1 with your supervisor first. Only after the problem has reached beyond you should you collaborate with other employees to try to turn your supervisor to see your side of things more clearly.
5. Be prepared to explain how you think the problem might be able to be solved. Avoid solutions such as "fire that person." Try to find solutions that will make "everybody happy." Think as constructively as possible here!
6. Schedule a meeting with your supervisor. Don't "pop-in" unless they are avoiding you. After two missed appointments... consider them to be avoiding you.

Unfortunately, things don't always work out and you'll need to find an employer that does see you for the value that you bring to their organization. Hopefully, a reasonable employer will see that already and you will not need to resort to ultimatums.