Don Roulo is the CEO (Chief Encouragement Officer) of Life Quest. He is a life, career and business coach as well as a Certified 48 Days Workshop Facilitator. He travels nationally and internationally to conduct business and career training as well as marriage and family workshops.

By DON ROULO

Recently, Salary.com shared some very interesting statistics. They said 83 percent of people will be looking for a new job over the next year. However, only 46 percent said they were unhappy with their job. Why are so many people going to look for a new job if they are happy with their current job? It has to be all about the money, right? Believe it, or not – no. Only 16 percent said they would be looking for job that pays more money.

I think we can find some answers for such a wide gap in last month’s New York Times article, Why You Hate Your Work. There are several things which stick out immediately. Here are the top four things employees don’t feel they have at work:

• Regular time to creatively or strategically think.
• Ability to focus on one thing at a time.
• Opportunity to do what is most enjoyed.
• Good level of meaning and significance.

As you can see with these top four responses, there is no mention of money or benefits. People are more concerned as to how their work environment makes them feel rather than direct benefits. It’s important to discuss each one of these top four individually. You may find yourself or someone you know in one or more of the following four issues.

Time to Strategize and Think Creatively

Many people I speak with, whether those seeking a career change, or business leaders, share similar thoughts. They want time to think about their work. They want to come up with better, more efficient and productive ways to do their job. They also want to feel like they are contributing in a greater way. They want freedom to be creative as opposed to ‘just following orders’.

Doing One Thing at a Time

The human brain technically cannot do more than one thing at a time. It cannot multi-task. Because the brain is so fast, it may seem we are multi-tasking, but it is not possible. It is also said that after an interruption it takes over 10 full minutes to get fully engaged in what we were doing before the interruption.

Technology has made this an ever increasing problem. People are inundated all day and all night with communication – computers, cell phones, TV, radio and just about any other electronic device. People want to focus on their work. They want to do quality work and do it in an efficient and timely manner. At the end of the day we all want to feel like we accomplished something and were productive. It makes us feel great about ourselves.

Doing What You Enjoy

Who doesn’t want to do what they enjoy or love? In any work setting there will always be things we don’t really enjoy, but at the core of the work we do it must be something we love to do.

Two weeks ago I went to Westville Prison and taught on Saturday and Sunday. It was hot and there was no air conditioning. Not a great recipe for a big guy who doesn’t enjoy heat. I also spent the night at a hotel and sleeping in a bed which was not mine. Not exactly something I love to do either. I could deal with the things which were not what I enjoy, because at the core of what I was doing was exactly what I love to do. The key is at your core job, you must be doing what you love.

Having a Feeling of Meaning and Significance

More and more people desperately want to know that what they do is making a difference. The happiest people are those who know what they do has meaning and significance no matter what their job duties entail. They need to feel this significance for themselves and it not be based on what others think. There are very happy people selling ice cream cones and making $40,000 a year – and very miserable people who surgeons are making $1,000,000 a year.

Are you looking for a new job? I cannot encourage you strongly enough to pursue work which at its core is meaningful, pleasurable and profitable to you personally – regardless of what others may think. Are you an employer not only looking to keep good employees, but keep them happy? Focus on these four things and see what you can do to meet these needs in their work environment. If you do, you will find not only a happier employee, but a more creative and productive one as well.