How are you feeling these days when your alarm goes off Monday through Friday?  Do you hit the snooze button five times or more?  Do you ask yourself why your parents weren’t so kind to be super rich so that you don’t have to work?  Do you have a grand vision of hitting it big time in the lottery?  Well, you’re not alone.  According to a Kelly Services survey:

• Only 44% of the global workforce feels valued by their employer
• 66% intend to look for a new job with another organization in the next year
• 74% of the respondents, while content with their current position, are seeking greater engagement and meaning from their positions, which they require to excel in their work

Essentially, 66% of the workforce hates their job.  People are quitting their jobs voluntarily because they are seeking more personal fulfillment in their workplace lives.  However, jobs are still scarce, but the trend continues that employees jump ship since they believe this to be the only alternative to feeling burnt out, disillusioned and disengaged.  The job change might not necessarily result into what the employee wanted though, i.e. the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.  Then there are those for whom jumping ship actually isn’t an option.  It could be that they’re financially or geographically confined.  There are also those employees who actually like the company they’re working for.  They just want to derive more meaning from their job.  The standard options provided to employees are job training, promotions or job transfer opportunities. 

While these are wonderful ways to enrich an employee’s career – there’s another option.  Most people are looking for a purpose or deeper meaning in life.  When we start off on our career path, we believe that our job is our life’s purpose.  Then further down that career path, we realize that we need more. That’s where social activism can become the quick fix to get employees to love their job instead of hating it.  More and more companies offer corporate social responsibility programs that allow for their employees to take part in community outreach efforts or fundraising for causes.   The company wants to foster a culture of volunteerism.  Within this environment, the employee can then become a philanthropist in her own right.

Employers that offer corporate citizenship programs, on company time, find that their employees become more committed, productive and engaged within the company and are more willing to espouse the company’s values to external stakeholders.  Here are some simple steps that you as an employee can take to add the oomph back into your job by becoming a philanthropist within your organization:

1. Research what type of civic engagement programs your company is involved in and decide which cause you’d like to be part of.
2. Look for charities or causes that your company could align itself with if your company doesn’t currently have a corporate social responsibility program.
3. Speak to your boss about your wanting to get involved in these activities and get her buy in to ensure that your time commitment won’t be jeopardized.
4. Get involved as a social activist and promote your involvement internally so you may engage your peers as well.
5. Evaluate continually whether you’re still committed to the cause or are starting to encounter burn out or frustration.  Move on to something new if that becomes the case.

I’d love to hear from you how you are looking to add meaning to your work and get out of the “I hate my job.” mode.  Also, if you like what you read, please share it with friends by clicking one of the cute buttons above!