New Year, New Career?

The majority of Aussies have time off over the Christmas/New Year break. And with time off, many people start thinking 'what would it be like to have a new job or career?' This is a good time to look at what you really like, and what you maybe don't like in relation to your job. We spend more time working than any other activity, so it makes sense to be engaged at work (or at least be engaged a large proportion of the time).

If you have been thinking it’s time to start a new job, let’s first decipher between the back-to-work blues, and when you should legitimately search for a new role.

Post-Holiday Blues

If the thought of going back to work makes you feel blue after an enjoyable and relaxing holiday break, take solace in the fact that you are definitely not alone.

A recent survey in the UK suggests only 1 in 4 employees returns to work after a holiday feeling refreshed with 80% of workers suffering varying signs and symptoms of what psychologists have coined PHT – Post Holiday Tension, or what I call the Post-Holiday Blues (PHB’s).

Signs and Symptoms of Post-Holiday Blues

While the causes vary, the signs and symptoms are usually the same.

Headaches, agitation, lack of interest, bad moods and inability to concentrate are all common signals. In recent years, the increased pace of modern living and greater expectations have also emerged a triggers for PHB.

Dr David Holmes, the director of the Forensic Research Group at Manchester Metropolitan University, says workaholics often fail to relax on the rare holidays they take - and soon feel exhausted, irritable and depressed on their return.

“Employees in jobs with little or no mental stimulation view holidays as their major chance to have fun and be stimulated. They can return to their jobs with apathy after having time out to reflect on how much they dislike the job”

Holiday stress can be another factor. Tight schedules, airport transfers, jam-packed itineraries and constant nagging with family members can leave workers often feeling more exhausted and flat on their return to the office.

Do you really want to be a Dolphin Trainer at Sea World?

A few weeks ago I took my children, Mikaela 9 years old, and Archie 6 years old, to Sea World for the day.

As we were driving back home to my parent’s house on the Gold Coast Mikaela piped up “dad, when I grow up I still want to be a teacher or a hairdresser, but I also want to be a dolphin trainer at Sea World”. Archie, not wanting to miss out on the conversation (or the career alterations), said “dad, I still want to be a farmer with lots of greyhounds, but I also want to be a jet ski stunt man at Sea World”.

As I was driving along the Gold Coast Highway, smiling at our conversation, I wondered how many teachers, hairdressers, farmers, and Partners at KPMG, also left Sea World that day wanting to be a dolphin trainer, or a jet ski stunt person?

Before making any rash career decisions like this, work out whether or not you have the PHB’s. It’s a good idea to also do some homework and ask questions like:

• How much would I get paid?
• Can I survive on this income?
• Is this a realistic option, or just the PHB’s?
• Do I need to ‘spice up’ my life and add colour to my career/life in other ways?
• What else can I do to improve my lot at work?

Genuine Career Disengagement (or a need to change perspective?)

Over the years I've met some high profile newsreaders, international sports stars and million dollar bankers with rotten attitudes who constantly complain about the pitfalls of their 'glamorous' jobs.

I've also met taxi drivers, car parking attendants and sewerage workers who tackled their occupations with passion and vigour. Maybe this latter group simply adopted a different attitude? Could it be that simple?

Can you learn to love your job?

Many years ago I was consulting to Ingham's Chickens processing plant in Sorell, near Hobart. My job was to work with Human Resources to help reduce the amount of soft tissue injuries on the production line. Over time I came to know the staff well, and there was one woman, a beautiful Italian lady in her late 50's named Rosa, who to this day still inspires me. Rosa worked on the end of the production line and her technical role was to exonerate the internal chicken carcass, or in everyday terms, she stuck a pipe inside a chicken’s backside and flushed it out. One day over morning tea I said to her “Rosa, you are always so happy and positive, have you always been like this?” She looked at me like I had just asked a really stupid question. "Of course I am always like this. I have a job and I work with great people".

Rosa had moved to Hobart when she was in her early 30's and didn't speak a word of English. I said to her "A lot of people doing your job would probably not have the same attitude as you". With her beautiful Italian accent, she replied "Andrew, I don't have glamorous job. I stick a hose in chicken's arse. But my job gives me money so I can buy food and prepare a tasty meal for my husband at night, I can buy presents for my darling grandchildren, and we have the opportunity to travel back to Italy every few years".

Any time I'm having a bad day at work I gain perspective by thinking about Rosa and her disposition. Leading psychologist and happiness expert, Professor Timothy Sharp, gave me his theory on attitudes towards work.

You really love what you do – this applies to a small amount of the population

Learn to love what you do – focus on the positives and accept that there will be some aspects of the job you either can’t change or won’t like

Make a change – we spend more time working than any other factor in our lives so try and do something that you like or can learn to like

I really like this approach. A small percentage of the population absolutely love their job and feel like it is a calling or a chosen vocation. If you fall into this category you are a member of a very select and highly engaged group. Be grateful.

The majority of people need to focus on the positives and learn to love their job by reframing their attitude and consider the additional benefits of their job. Is it money? Is it social interaction? Is it intellectual stimulation? If your job involve manual labour, does that help you stay fit and healthy? Is it actually a positive having employment in a tight labour market?

And if you have exhausted all of these avenues and still can't see any positives, the final group are the people who should get out.

If you despise turning up to work each day, if you have a toxic boss who is impacting on your mental health, or if your work is negatively impacting your health, relationships or other important parts of your life - you're only doing yourself, the organisation employing you, and potentially the customers you come into contact with a disservice.

The best solution is to go out and find a job you can learn to love.

Ask questions like:

• What type of job am I suited to?
• How do I learn from my previous role and not make the same employment mistakes?
• How much money do I need to earn?
• Do I need to learn new skills?

And if you are reading this and still thinking that there really are no other options for a career change right now – book a trip to Hobart and track down Rosa in Sorell, shout her a cuppa and lamington for morning tea and sit down to listen, learn and be inspired.

Article Summary Points

# Explore the reasons why you want a new job – is it your boss, money, feeling bored or something else?

# Can you cultivate an alternate career - a second job on the side? I know many people who have done this and over a few years found a 'new job' for themselves. The notion of a portfolio career (and not having just one full time job these days) is becoming more and more popular

# Do a ‘strengths inventory’ - look at what type of job best suits your strengths/abilities/experience (Are you fulfilling these and your potential at work, a good idea to do activities in your personal life that do and compare)

# Do your research – the grass isn’t always greener so don't throw everything in to become a dolphin trainer at Sea World (reality may provide a rude awakening - how much will you get paid, what are the conditions, etc)

# Whatever you do remember it is called work so you have a job to do – and you're not always going to like it. But the reality is this is why you are paid

# If work is negatively impacting your physical or psychological health, look at getting a new role or transferring to a different division/department

# Try and start the year mentally with a fresh approach and go back to the office like it is a 'new career'