What is your attitude toward your job?

Your attitude is up to you.  You control it.  You can decide to have a negative attitude or a positive attitude .  It is up to you to experience joy and fulfillment in your work.

Most people spend more waking hours with the people they work with than their own family at home. Are you unhappy?  Do you complain about your work and the people with whom you work?  There are many who would love to change places with you.  Many of them are people who are without a job because of layoffs and are longing for meaningful work.

There are people who are happy and unhappy in all types of positions, often working side by side doing the same job.  Regardless of how menial you may think the work is the job would not exist if it weren’t important.  Showing appreciation to others and the contributions they make is important.  Everyone desires to be appreciated for the job they perform.  Provide support and encouragement to others even if you don’t receive it from your manager in your job.

Lack of being appreciated is one of the main reasons people leave their jobs – not inadequate pay, not poor environment, not lack of advancement opportunities, but the absence of support and encouragement. Providing appreciation and encouragement go far and is not an out of pocket direct expense.  However  the lack of support and encouragement can be costly for a business because of the resulting risk in losing top performers.  If an employee is discouraged they may find another job or they may not leave their job but stay and cause discord among the staff and become  a “slacker”.  All businesses have them – “slugs and slackers”.  If you are in a position of authority as a manager you can make a difference by ensuring people’s basic needs are satisfied.  All basically want to feel important, appreciated.  People want to contribute something worthwhile and to feel unique in the eyes of those important to us, both personally and professionally.   No one likes:
Unwarranted criticism
Being taken for granted
Being treated unfairly

We can rarely change another person unless they want to change, however we have opportunities to influence others in a positive manner.  Treating others like you would like to be treated is a basic human relations tool sometimes neglected in the workplace.

Showing genuine interest, understanding and respect of others establishes a pattern of helpfulness toward others ands will often be returned.  Albert Schweitzer said, ” Man must cease attributing his problems to his environment, and learn again to exercise his will, his personal responsibility….”  Whether you enjoy your work and the people with whom you work is ultimately left up to you.  Are you only working for payday? Are you working only  because you feel you have to?  Examine your attitude by doing a self assessment and determine to make any needed changes so that the many years of your working life can be fruitful and fulfilling. It is acceptable to tell others that you enjoy your work. A positive attitude is contagious.

“One of the chief reasons for success in life is the ability to maintain a daily interest in one’s work, to have a chronic enthusiasm, to regard each day as important.”  — William Lyon Phelps

Becky Vaughn-Furlow retired from Trustmark Bank as executive vice president and human resources director. She can be contacted by emailing bvaughnfurlow@gmail.com