Appropriate work makes the difference between job satisfaction and stress

Almost every day when I, Labor and Health Advisor SME Michelle Peters, drive home from work, I buy my groceries at my supermarket around the corner. For a few months now, there has been a lady at the checkout who is there quite often. I find that I like to choose the checkout where this lady sits because she has a very friendly and positive appearance. Last week I said to her that I noticed that I saw her at work quite often. To this she said with a smiling face that she works 40 hours a week, so indeed she is often there. She doesn't mind that at all, because she has a great time! I confirmed that I could tell that from her, because she radiates the same. Her smile then became even bigger and I left the store after checkout with a nice feeling.

This stands in contrast to another experience I had last week. As a Labor & Health Advisor SME, I travel quite a bit in my leased car to visit companies. Last week, my car gave an error message for my tires. To get on the road safely, I spontaneously drove to the garage where the lease car comes from. Upon entering, I stood at the counter and saw a man sitting at a desk three feet away looking half at his computer screen and half at me and he asked what he can do for me. I explained what was going on and asked nicely if they had time to fix it. Because he stayed at his desk and did not get up for a moment to come to me, it gave me a feeling that he actually had no desire to help me. In addition, during our continued contact, he made a few comments with a judgmental undertone and I left with a safe car but without a nice feeling.

It's an interesting question what makes one person enjoy what kind of work he or she does and the other might actually have to do something else. Of course, you can have a bad day once in a while, but even then your work could also be a nice place to get just satisfaction. As an Advisor, I regularly encounter people who do not work in the workplace that is right for them (anymore) and I am surprised that people often do not actively look for a more suitable workplace. Personal leadership can make all the difference here. You are responsible for giving direction to your life and your work. Yet in many cases this turns out to be difficult.

What is an important factor during the search for a suitable workplace is that many people have a fear of the unknown. They now know where they stand, including financially. This gives peace of mind in the short term, but in the long term it can start to cause stress. If you spend a long time doing something that doesn't suit you (anymore) you start losing more and more energy and this causes more and more stress. Structural stress is not good for a person both physically and mentally and this can lead to absenteeism from work.

If you as a business owner or manager notice that your employee is no longer enthusiastic about work, you can help by starting the conversation and sincerely asking if you can help discover what might be a better fit. It is also possible to use a job coach from Puls to look at new job opportunities. Knowing what is possible gives an employee relief and reduces stress.

The Labor & Health Advisor supports employers and managers in starting the conversation with employees. As an impartial discussion partner, an employee will more quickly dare to open up to the Advisor and can be given sound advice on a solution. Want to know what a Labor & Health Advisor of De Arbodienst can do for you? Then contact us without obligation. Are you already talking to your employee and want to know what the possibilities are? Then get acquainted with sister label Puls, expert in the field of employment expert examinations, career coaching and reintegration. Puls will gladly support your employee during this process.