Those of us working full-time jobs spend a LOT of our waking time at work. Would you say that you are “engaged” in your work? Do you like the place where you perform your job?
One agency reporting on how people feel about their jobs reported that 60% of workers feel apathetic about what they do.
A recent survey performed by Gallup reported that people who are actively involved with their job, and enthusiastic, tend to be healthier than those who are either just putting in their time but not emotionally connected or even so down on their job and/or their employer that they may actually be detrimental to their team’s results.
Gallup has been doing research on the workplace for a long time – I know I have to take Gallup surveys at work every year. My team goes over the results every year, too, and then tries to create action items as a group to improve the scores. One of those scores is related to how engaged everyone feels in their work.
This trend makes sense when you think about it – if you like what you do and where you go to do it, you would be much less stressed than other people performing the same job with less enthusiasm.
Unchecked stress is one of the top underlying causes for up to 95% of doctor’s visits in the United States, which means those people (the more stressed-out ones) would be more likely to have chronic health problems.
When management finds ways to influence their worker’s engagement, everyone benefits – the company does of course, but so do the employees. Health and happiness are often linked!
Whether your company actively finds ways to help you feel more engaged in your job or not, you have the power to find ways to feel more connected with what you do. Here are some of the suggestions shared by Catherine Lovering on smallbusiness.chron.com:
1. You are in control of how you feel, so make a CONSCIOUS choice to ge engaged in your work.
2. Do the best job you can – go above and beyond expectations and become a “go to” person. Volunteer for leadership opportunities.
3. Stay positive and exercise your sense of humor. You will be happier and therefore enjoy your work more.
Approaching your job from a positive place can make all the difference in the world, and if this is something you haven’t tried, you will be amazed at how different you will feel as a result.
