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SALT LAKE CITY — if you're like 89 percent of Americans, you're at least somewhat satisfied with your job — but you may not always feel that way.
Even if you are a part of the 47 percent of Americans who are completely satisfied with their jobs, it may be difficult sometimes to get yourself to stay at work until six or deal with a micromanaging boss.
You may be on the hunt for a new job, or you may recognize your dissatisfaction is likely temporary, but chances are there are actions you take every day that are impacting your workplace happiness. Here are five:
You spend too much time on Facebook
The more you use Facebook, the less likely you are to have strong relationships with co-workers and feel satisfied with your work, according to a recent study out of Utah Valley University.
Researchers found that those who spent more time updating Facebook or had more Facebook friends were not more likely to have better relationships at work. Those who had more Facebook friends were less likely to care about their job performance, and those who updated their Facebook profile more frequently liked their jobs less and were more likely to be thinking about changing jobs.
Those who spent more time with friends offline were more likely to like their jobs, but researchers could not establish causation.
"We were not able to discern ... if people with poor workplace skills and attitudes are more drawn to Facebook, or if they are more likely to be pushed to Facebook because of their dissatisfaction with work," said Ron Hammond, a professor in the Department of Behavioral Science at UVU.
You don't take time for yourself
Just as how on an airplane, you're instructed to put your own oxygen mask on before helping your children (or those acting like children, according to Southwest), you have to help yourself if you're going to be expected to help others on the work front.
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We often forget to take "me" time, but we're all entitled to breaks, according to Beth Evans, manager of Mental Health Promotion at Alberta Health Services.
"You are taking care of yourself by taking a break," she said. "It ensures you'll have the energy to return to whatever other roles you play, whether as a parent or a professional, or whatever your roles in life generally are."
You're disorganized
Being organized isn't always in itself a means unto happiness, but it makes it easier to accomplish those things that will make us happy, both at work and in other areas of life, according to Amy Beth Miller with the Organized Executive's Blog.
Miller looked at a study of 1,500 people that looked at reasons for longevity. The study found that longevity tended to come from three things:
- Leading active lives
- Being socially connected
- Working hard and feeling successful
The author pointed out that it is not difficult to see how being organized would help with success in other areas.
"It isn't about being able to find a file quickly, reaching the bottom of your e-mail inbox or arriving early for appointments," she said. "It's about what you can do when you aren't wasting time looking for things, when you don't forget important information, and when you schedule time for what is important to you."
You're not challenging yourselfIf you're stuck in a rut at work, it may be because you don't feel challenged anymore. You know how to perform the basic functions of your job, but you're bored out of your mind.
One Gallup study found that employees who aren't passionate about their jobs and don't feel connected to their companies are more likely to be bored, frustrated and have "checked out," essentially sleepwalking through their duties.
These not-engaged or disengaged employees were also less likely to feel irreplaceable: 54 percent felt that way, compared to 76 percent of engaged employees.
How do you become engaged, though? It may be as simple as asking, according to Nour Habib with the Tulsa World. Want to feel challenged? Ask your boss for an extra project, or better yet, come up with one yourself and pitch it to the company.
You consider yourself a prisoner of circumstance
The biggest obstacle to being happy at work is considering yourself a prisoner of circumstance, according to Srikumar Rao, author of Happiness at Work.
Rao told Forbes the "perfect job," the one about which you would have no complaints, does not exist. What does exist is our power to go into work every day with the intention of creating our own experiences. "The knowledge that we are responsible for living the life we have is the most powerful tool," he said.
Instead of making lemonade when life gives you lemons, ask yourself whether lemons are a bad thing to have in the first place. If you feel overwhelmed by obligations, focus on why you may have been given those responsibilities or what you can learn from them. Are you the person your boss can trust to do something right the first time? Can you learn anything from new projects that may at first seem like just another item on your to-do list? And are you more focused on personal ambition or "greater vision" ambition?
"Personal ambition is, 'I want to be CEO,'" Rao said. "Greater vision ambition is, 'I want to lead this company so people want to work here."
