Do Business Well

Personal needs at work

• Do you prefer to work in a small business, a large organisation, or on your own?
• Do you enjoy initiating new developments and seeing them fulfilled in your work?
• How important are workplace friendships? Do you rely upon these daily contacts to provide interest and stimulation to your work day?
• Are you competitive? Do you like pushing yourself and comparing your achievements with others?
• Are you a creative person who needs to express yourself frequently in your work?
• Do you see yourself as a leader? Do you enjoy exercising control over your situation at work and delegating responsibilities to others?
• What sorts of rewards are important to you? High salary; status in the job title; fringe benefits (car, expenses); long-term security etc.
• How willing are you to take risks, to try even though you know there is a considerable chance of failure?
• Do you prefer to work: inside or outside; with people, ideas, or equipment?

The profile, although brief, should cause you to think analytically and constructively about the type of person you are. It is perfectly possible that you have not been working as productively as possible because your job is not fulfilling some basic personal needs. What can you do about this situation? Read on.

Satisfying your work needs

As suggested above, productive workers tend to satisfy their personal work needs in their job. That is, they usually strive to further their goals because they like what they do. Becoming more satisfied at work can be a complex problem, but try the following suggestions.

A very important aspect of work productivity is recognition. When you and your work do not get desired recognition from your boss and others, productivity can suffer. If work recognition and rewards are low or lacking, talk to your boss about the problem. Bosses should be very aware of the importance of positive feedback, but some have difficulty giving this important type of reinforcement.

Look back upon the positive and productive experiences you have had in your work life. Did you enjoy seeing personal projects carried through to completion? Was the job challenging and stimulating? Were you working with compatible others, and if so, what type of people did your particularly enjoy? Knowing what was satisfying in the past is likely to help make your work more satisfying in the future.

Give some thought to your long-term plans, both reality-based and fantasy. It is quite easy to get bogged down in the hum drum and banal events of day-to-day work. Think ahead and consider your future. Positive long-term goals can offer some inducement to press ahead with more vivacity and vigour in your present situation.

A friend, Tom, was just coping with his managerial job. He admitted that he was trapped in his position by his age and his house mortgage. However, he dreamed of the day when he could take his retirement pay and invest in a small garden nursery business, a dream which sustained his drive and productivity at his present job. Whether his plan ever eventuates remains to be seen, but the goal goads him on, especially on his down days.

Jennifer also experienced a growing disenchantment with her job. She had been working as a staff accountant for a large bank and, after fourteen years, there were very few surprises left in the job. She wanted to stay with the bank because of her comfortable salary and the advantageous home loan she enjoyed, but she desperately needed a change. She spoke with the personnel manager about her situation and a transfer to the money market department was suggested. The transfer sounded a bit frightening, but it was a new and exciting challenge and Jennifer accepted. She found her new work in the money market to be much more fulfilling than she had anticipated and after six months, she has no plans to return to orthodox accounting. Thus, transferring within the organisation to a new and more challenging job can be a very productive and propitious step forward.

Making a move to a new department generally requires a positive attitude, an attribute which is all too frequently in short supply in many workers. Regrettably, many people dwell upon the negatives of their work life. Their conversation overflows with complaints, dissatisfactions and other gripes and groans. However, with a bit of encouragement, most people can nominate at least a few positive experiences in their past work careers. Take some time periodically and write down a list of the positive things you are getting from your work. You might think that the list will be very short, but sit down with a friend or colleague and discuss the issue. You will probably be surprised to find that your work provides more pleasure than you initially thought.

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