What To Do If You Hate Your Job


Hate your job? I’ve been there. Those dreaded drives every morning to the office in which you’re either super depressed, or, manic and trying to convince yourself you like it. Then comes the long hours spent watching the clock while you work in anticipation of leaving for lunch then again until you can FINALLY leave for the day. This continues until yayyyy it’s Friday and then before you know it it’s Sunday and boooooo, the blues hit.

It’s the worst but the good news is, it doesn’t have to be that way. It is most certainly possible to start liking your current job and/or find or create a job that you absolutely love. Here are some tips if you hate your job:

1. Look elsewhere

This is super obvious but 9/10 times when people complain to me about their jobs and I ask if they’re applying for new jobs, the answer is no. The first step to not hating your job is to find a new one that you love. Update your LinkedIn profile at an off time so your co-workers miss the update, update your resume and circulate it to your network, touch base with recruiters, browse job openings on your dream company websites (on your own time!), etc. But until that happens and your stuck at a job you don’t like, read on.

2. Build a side hustle passion business

I started my blog while unhappy at a full time job and having the side passion made the suffering at the job much more manageable. I woke up excited about what I was trying to accomplish outside of work which gave me a better attitude at the job. And as it turns out, it got me out of jobs I hated.

3. Make a lateral move

If you like the company that you work for and it’s the contents of your job or your boss that you truly don’t enjoy, look into other jobs within the company. You can confidentially confide in HR about how you’re feeling and what you’re interested in and you never know, your dream job may only be a few desks away.

4. Make friends at the office

Work can feel really lonely leading you to not like the job which is why it’s important to build good relationships at work. Say hello to everyone you pass in the hallways, make friends in other departments and ask them to lunch, lean it at company mixers and I promise you, your work environment will start to feel a whole lot more inviting.

5. Understanding where you’re succeeding and falling short

I once had a job that I really didn’t like because I didn’t feel like I was good at it but it turns out, I just didn’t have a manager who communicated how happy they were with me. It wasn’t until my annual review where I learned that he was promoting me to be his #2 because he’d “never had a better employee.” I was pretty shocked and learned a big lesson which was to be proactive about how others find my work by asking. Set up weekly or monthly or bi-annual meetings to open the dialogue with your managers, those who work under you, alongside you, etc. This will help you understand where you’re succeeding and where you’re falling short which can help you adjust to be better at your job. It’s hard to hate a job when you’re really good at it.

6. Wellness at work

Developing a wellness routine outside of work is totally normal but why not do the same at work? Whether it’s sitting on a ball instead of a chair, using a stand-up desk, taking two 20 minute walks a day, drinking a certain amount of water, sipping on a wellness tonic, closing your eyes to meditate, bringing in photos of loves one that make you happy, etc. build a routine that makes you feel energized.

7. Take a vacation

Before you quit your job and project all your unhappiness on your livelihood, stop, take a pause and get out of town. Get out of your head and give yourself the time you deserve to get in touch with the root of your problems. Perhaps it’s not the job and it’s your relationship? Your roommate? Something else? Just be sure before you break it off with your employer.

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7 comments

  1. Oh I absolutely love these tips! I do enjoy my job, but I go through phases where I am not particularly happy with where I am work-wise (which I believe really is more common than we realize!). I think especially that last tip is one that is overlooked quite often, because just as how stress or unhappiness at work can reflect on your private life, it can certainly be the other way around as well!
    Thanks for sharing!
    xx Janine
    https://walkinmysneaks.blogspot.com/

  2. I think for me the most important thing is to have several things I’m passionate about and cultivating… I don’t hate my job, but the thought of getting home and getting to ‘work’ on something else can really get me going throughout the day… I don’t think I could only do one thing, it would be too much pressure for me
    Lucie,

    http://thefrenchpier.blogspot.com/

  3. Another great tip someone recently gave me is to make a list of things I like and dislike about my job and take an honest look at how they compare; it turns out that I was focusing on the 20% of my job that I don’t like when there is 80% of my job I wouldn’t trade flexibility, etc). It really put in leresoective that I needed to shift my focus to gratitude.

  4. Becoming aware of how you might need to change is a rational first step for fixing a bad work situation. The next step is asking someone for advice.

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