Labor of Love
One of the interesting side-notes to come out of the tragic incident at the Sago Mine in West Virginia last week: Many miners interviewed by the news media told reporters, “I love my job.”
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Lousy job. Happy worker. |
Now, just how can that be? How can anyone love a job that takes them into the dark, dank, cold bowels of the earth beyond the reach of even one ray of sunshine, for many long hours at a time?
How can anyone love a job that leaves them covered in soot from head to toe; that can pollute their lungs with deadly coal dust; that is hard, back-breaking, and fraught with danger?
How could anyone love a job like that?!
As an AP story put it:
Many people wonder why anyone would want to do such work; miners say they can’t imagine doing anything else.
Despite near-constant peril and ever-present grime, many miners do their job for the same few reasons: good pay, family tradition, the military-like brotherhood and the thrill of making it out alive at the end of the day.
In my experience, people can find themselves in love with most any kind of work. Once as a consultant I was called on to analyze an employee morale problem at a municipal sewerage operation. (This is not a joke.)
I set up a series of private one-on-one interviews with folks who, literally, have a shitty job. I expected to hear rant after rant about what a lousy stinkin’ job they had. And, believe me, it was stinky.When you are unhappy with your job, it’s tempting to just blame the work.
To my total, utter surprise every one of those men told me how they really enjoyed their relatively low-paying public sector job. Some even exuded infectious, ebullient enthusiasm for their work. I was knocked over. And it was not the smell of methane in the little lunch room where we met.
And, at the same time, all complained bitterly about their boss. By all accounts, he was a tyrant.
The point here is: If you aren’t happy in your job, it may not be the work. Perhaps you aren’t well suited to doing the duties. Or they don’t provide you with what you need or want to take from the job.
When you are unhappy with your job, it’s tempting to just blame the work. But it’s also helpful to bear in mind that someone out there loves every kind of job. Even the hardest and dirty, stinking kind.
So when you feel yourself dreading the prospect of another day on the job, step back and work to discover the true source of your angst. Then make a plan and take some action to address what’s not right.
No job will fit you perfectly, but the more you can find to like in what you do all day, the happier you will be. If you can’t find much to like, get about the business of either fixing what’s wrong, adjusting your perspective on the situation, or finding new work.
Explore posts in the same categories: Mindset, Motivation, Career
January 10th, 2006 at 2:33 pm
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