Are you frustrated at work? Read how you can be happier at work by having 3 basic needs met…..
If you’re like me, you’ve likely had a job (or two!) that you didn’t enjoy. Maybe you knew why you didn’t like it (you had a terrible boss!), or maybe you just couldn’t quite place your finger on it.
What did you do about it? I regret to say, at the time I didn’t really know how to handle it. So I took the brave decision, and I left. With a bit more experience, and a lot more research under my belt, I have come to realise that leaving is not always the answer.
I’m here to share with you three simple ways to feel Happier at Work today.
Unmet Needs
Most people would say money is what they want more of in work. But when you dig a little deeper, you’ll find that people are normally driven by unmet needs. As humans, we all have three basic needs. When those needs are satisfied, we feel motivated and happy. If they are thwarted in any way, we feel frustrated.
Those three needs are: Autonomy, Relatedness and Competence. I’ll go into each of these in more detail below and share some tips on how to be happier at work by ensuring these needs are being met. This is a simple approach, but it’s far from easy; you may have to have some difficult conversations!
Autonomy
Autonomy means having a sense of control over what it is you do and how you do it. Too little autonomy can mean inflexible working hours, or a boss who likes to micromanage you. But you can also have too much autonomy, resulting in a lack of clear direction on what you should be doing. Both are frustrating, though it could be argued that too little autonomy is worse than too much.
The trick is finding the balance between the two. Only you will know what is working and what needs tweaking, and unfortunately it may involve a difficult conversation. Do you have the option to start work earlier or later? Does your boss welcome ideas about how to do things differently? Do you get to choose how to do your job, and when to take breaks? Can you work from home?
If, on the other hand, you feel like you have too much autonomy, and your boss is not providing clear direction, find out more about what you should be doing to contribute to the greater company good. These are just some ways you can feel a greater sense of control over what you do.
Relatedness
Relatedness is the second need. It means that sense of belonging we feel, how we connect with others in the workplace, feeling like you’re part of a group or community. It can also mean how the job you’re doing on a day-to-day basis is related to the bigger picture; the overall company goal.
Our need for relatedness can feel thwarted when there are ‘cliques’ in the workplace, when you feel excluded or you can’t bring your whole self to work. This is why Diversity & Inclusion programs are so important!
If you feel like you don’t belong somewhere, try to understand more about why that is. Do your values not align with the company’s values? Perhaps this isn’t the right company for you? It’s also important to understand the importance of the contribution you’re making to the company, so if you don’t know, ask.
Competence
Thirdly is our need for competence. Competence means feeling capable of doing our job. When we don’t feel capable or feel we need more training in order to do the job it can leave us feeling stuck.
If we feel we got the job based on luck, and not our achievements, we may feel like an ‘Imposter’. If you’re feeling like this, know that you are not alone. It is said that up to 70% of people experience imposter syndrome at some stage in their career.
In order to build up your self-belief, you can start by writing out a list of achievements in your career to date. You can also ask your manager or your clients for some positive and constructive feedback. Start to catalogue all of the positive feedback you’re getting. Don’t forget to ask for help when you need it, and learn from your mistakes when you do make them. There is no such thing as failure in my book, only learning!
On the other side of the coin, there can be a situation where your capabilities not being tapped into; you are more than capable of doing the job you’re doing and not feel challenged enough.
Perhaps you have the opportunity to get additional responsibility in the job you’re doing, or move roles internally without having to look for a job elsewheisfied and motivated at work. What will you do today to ensure you are Happier at Wore. But if this is not the case, sadly the only option here is to change jobs to a role that is more suited to your needs and skills.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of all of our needs, but they are the three deemed to be ‘universal’ meaning that everyone has these needs to some degree. It’s important for these three needs to be satisfied in order to feel satisfied and motivated at work. What will you do today to ensure you are Happier at Work?
Bio
Post by Aoife O’Brien, The Empowerment Coach.
Aoife is a performance coach specialising in Empowering Courageous Action.
