Hate Your Job? Take Action Before It's Taken For You

Ever been fired and it was a complete surprise? Ifhim, your days are numbered.
you have, it shouldnt have been. You missed theIt happens over months, not weeks. Your attitude
cues. Whether you created it or the companygradually exacerbates your situation causing you to
decided it, you lost control of your career. Frequentlycontinue the downward spiral. Management becomes
those two are intertwined, and if you dont dissectterse with you. Casual conversation ceases, and their
the experience, you may recreate it.smiles are fewer. The new project that should have
A Gallup poll found that 77% of Americans hate theirgone to you is given to someone else or your bonus
jobs. To me, thats not a surprising discovery becauseis withdrawn. Your boss seems nitpicky. Maybe
most people, before they begin their job hunt, dontyouve become invisible. Youre stressed, and its
do the examination to learn what their perfect job is.affecting your life outside of work.
And after a few years -- or sooner disillusion andAny scenario can contribute to this: youve outgrown
distaste set in. This, combined with fear of change,your job, youre tired of the commute, you feel
creates what they wanted: to be outta that lousyunderpaid, management has changed and philosophies
place. In other words, if you dont tune in, youll tuneof work differ, or youve become tired of the
out, and then youll be gone.existing management style who knows what the
Do you dread Monday mornings? Do you frequentlyreason is, but youd better figure it out and decide
disappear into your office grumbling about your stupidwhat steps youre going to take to rectify the
boss? If youve lost respect and enthusiasm for yoursituation before its decided for you.
company, your attitude is going downhill fast. NextHow do people miss this? Not everyone does. Millions
you dont care about your performance and you startof people hate their job. If it doesnt compromise
slacking, rationalizing with I dont care. Because youyour performance and you hide your distaste from
dont. You start doing the minimum just to get by.those who work there, the only repercussions are to
If you dont notice whats happening, over time, youryour health for lying to yourself and your fellow
company will. So the constant refrain of I hate myemployees.
job - sung to anyone who will listen - is where bellsWhat keeps people from changing is usually fear of
should start going off. If the fun has stopped, itschange. Change is an anathema to most people, The
time to act. And if you change jobs, you need to godevil you know is better than the devil you dont.
to a new job, not away from your old one. WhenWhat if you change jobs and the new one is worse?
your attitude is sour and youre desperate to leave,What if youre more unhappy than you are now?
you lose your objectivity and jump, and risk goingFinding your perfect job means taking control of your
from the frying pan into the fire.career. That means being aware of what youre
Shortly after the quality of your work has dropped,creating. When youre aware, you can discover why
youre called into your bosss office for a performanceyou feel that way and what steps you want to take
chat. If youve done some introspection, you canto eliminate it. In addition to that, you avoid
have a heart to heart: you need more challenge oractualizing those next job fears. But if you hate your
theres an aspect of your job thats been giving youjob, ignore the signs, and stuff everything, all youre
difficulty. Maybe youre having family or personalcreating is sudden unemployment and a lousy next
problems that are siphoning off your mental energy.job.
But if all you do is listen, leave, and silently attack