by Lucy Maguire

Created on: July 28, 2010   Last Updated: August 13, 2010

Do you remember as a doe-eyed school/ college leaver the feeling that you could take on the world? So huge was the realm of possibility that the prospect of finding that "dream job" was both a challenge and an intimidation. At an age of innocent idealism and ambition, we aren't really aware that however well we have done in our education, the prospective jobs in our field are limited. We take on Drama and New Media with reverent dreams that they will assist in getting our foot on the first rung of the acting or computer programming ladder, but sadly the need for money is greater, and we end up taking on anything offered to us.

If you work in a field or industry you love, then count yourself one of the lucky few whose perseverance has opened those doors and got you where you are today. Job satisfaction is one of the biggest gripes of the working generation, many unhappy with the lack of challenge and work-life balance. Working to survive leads to us becoming seemingly insignificant cogs in corporate machines, some of us never seeing the real results of our efforts, or our significance within the grander workings of a company.

Job satisfaction is not just something the lucky few achieve through pursuing their dreams. You may not have ended up where you wanted to be, however learning your value and effort within a role, as well as how you contribute to the success of an employer can deliver a greater sense of worth and satisfaction than you ever imagined.

1. Talk to people outside of your usual department, whether it's the delivery courier or the woman two floors up in accounts. Varying the people we communicate with will make our days seem less mundane, and even lead to the development of new friendships.

2. Know your place: Liaise with people you usually speak to once or twice a week. They may be from other departments or companies but talking to people will educate you in how your efforts contribute to the workings of other departments and lead to a greater sense of self-worth.

3. Boost morale: It's not easy in some working environments to have fun, especially if you work on a shop floor or within a call-centre, however even the smallest efforts can make the biggest differences to the working day of yourself and others.

A great idea is to establish competitions with colleagues based upon their working performance, i.e the number of calls they deal with in a day, or the number of telephone problems they successfully resolve with customers. Have a silly prize

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>