Help! I am really thankful for this job but I don’t like it...

A depressed employee stares at her laptop.  PHOTO | FOTOSEARCH

What you need to know:

  • Take a piece of paper and list the things you like and don’t like about your job.
  • If you find your job simple and unchallenging, you can speak to your boss and asking for bigger tasks.

Q  I need help. I am grateful to have a job, but I hate it. I have been at it for three years now, pushing hard and putting a brave face at the office. I can’t do this anymore. I am considering quitting. Every day I wake up and literally drag myself to work. This is affecting my health. I have bills to pay and I am under so much stress. What is wrong with me?

Many people have one or two things they dislike about their jobs. It could be a rude boss, a mean colleague or even the location of their desk, but they still enjoy going to work and completing their tasks. Your job makes you hateful and stressed, yet you have been at it for three years.

Perhaps there are triggers that have piled up over time and are now taking a toll on your health, yet that should always be your first priority. You can’t do much if you are incapacitated.

I would encourage you to explore a few options before you give up. Take a piece of paper and list the things you like and don’t like about your job.

Even if your list of dislikes is longer - which is often the case for many – take note of the things that have kept you there all this time. Like a salary with which you pay your bills, or the impact of your organisation’s work to communities around you.

Let’s focus on your longer list. Out of each item you have listed, find out what you can change. If you find your job simple and unchallenging, you can speak to your boss and asking for bigger tasks.

 You could be part of the solution by initiating solutions to the things that make you uncomfortable.

Certainly, you will have to decide if there are any deal breakers in your list. Perhaps if the issues you are concerned about are addressed, you will be less stressed and more motivated to go to work.

The opposite is also true. You now know the source of your discomfort and whether it can be sorted. You are a step ahead because you know what environment to avoid as you look for your next job. You deserve happiness at work, and liking what you do is definitely a key contributor to that happiness.

Mwikali Muthiani - Managing Partner, MillennialHR, @MwikaliN