Improving Your Work Ethic
Most people hate the job that they work at. Not surprisingly, many more are actually working in careers that they feel are not really suited for them and what they are passionate about. However, they stick with the career that they are on because it brings them in the extra money that they need in order to live comfortably. That being said, it shouldn’t come as quite a shock to discover that there are people who struggle with their work ethic.
From bosses and supervisors who are overly critical and who micro-manage their employees to nagging co-workers and uncomfortable or mentally-draining work environments, it is sometimes difficult to enjoy what you are doing- let alone have the motivation to want to go to work. For instance, when I worked as a police officer, I used to dread going to work. I knew that all I had to look forward to were co-workers who did nothing but gossip and back stab in an effort to claw their way up the rankings and be on the good side of our sergeants. As if that wasn’t enough, then I had to worry about actually dealing with the criminals. Most days, I actually found myself getting along with the criminals versus my own squad members!
Needless to say, going to work was absolutely de-motivating. Additionally, when I sat down to think of what other factors could possibly motivate me, I came up empty. The pay wasn’t that great compared to the fact that I had to risk my life everyday. On top of that, the hours were long and there seemed to be very little reward for the work that was done. I got some satisfaction out of helping people, breaking up fights or giving advice to others to help improve their lives; but at the end of the day, I found out that I didn’t have much of a life left.
By the time I finished all of my paperwork, got into my car and drove home, I was exhausted. I spent most of my free time sleeping. There was little to no quality of life that I had to enjoy myself. Because of the odd scheduling, it was difficult to hang out with friends. In the end, the best decision that I could have made for myself was to make a career change. Sure, I knew that I wouldn’t have the same sort of job stability or excellent health benefits, but it was worth it to preserve my own sanity.
When discussing work ethic, you walk a very fine line of blame. On the one hand, people want to blame their bosses for being so rigid and unyielding, and on the other hand, it simply may be a case where an employee is lazy or is just in the wrong field of work. Often, in order to get to the bottom of why your work ethic may be suffering, you first have to know what kind of person you are as well as what your financial situation is. If you are in a line of work that makes you truly unhappy, you have to consider whether or not you can actually afford to quit your job in order to pursue something that makes you happy.
In the case of me working for the police department, I knew that it wasn’t something I was going to be able to make a career out of. However, as much as I hated going to work each day, I wasn’t in a financial position to be able to quit and look for other work. Therefore, in my hours and days off from working as a police officer, I was working to find another job. I scheduled interviews on my days off, and once I found a job that I was satisfied with, THEN I made my exit. Work ethic is much easier to come by when you are doing something that you enjoy!
