Does your current job leave you feeling unfulfilled or miserable? With these five strategies, you'll learn to love your job, workplace, and career outlook.

Intro:

Workplaces are some of the most miserable places in the world. And no, we’re not making baseless claims. According to Gallup World Poll, only about 15% of the world's working population feel engaged in the workplace.

So, why is it that most people feel disconnected from their careers or jobs?

The short answer would be: they aren't happy, they're not satisfied, and they certainly don't find their jobs fulfilling.

If you feel like you lack enthusiasm for your career, even when it's the job of your dreams, don't worry. What you're experiencing is pretty standard, and there are steps you can take to make things better.

Below we've shared with you some of the things that can make you a happier employee.

Whether you're the boss or the employee, these five tips can help you understand what goes into creating a happier work environment.

Minimum Supervision

One of the main reasons employees feel unsatisfied in the workplace is constant monitoring by their superiors.

As an employee, your boss hovering over you at every turn in the name of supervision can start to feel depressing.

Some people will be hesitant to reveal their true potential because they don’t feel in charge of the job they were hired to do. As a manager, this is a dangerous place to be in, as it negatively affects productivity.

But the reality is that a happy employee is a productive employee.

It’s a fact that employees working under minimum supervision feel more motivated, self-driven, and valuable to the business.

These employees feel personally responsible for getting things done. They’re free to draw from their experience and creativity to fulfill their roles.

An excellent example of independent working is remote work. The work-from-home scene continues to grow and has seen success even though these home-based workers self-supervise.

It’s essential for employees to feel trusted enough to do their job with a degree of independence. This makes them comfortable in their roles, engaged, and happy.

A Note to Managers About Supervision

Allowing your employees to work independently doesn't mean your oversight duties disappear. You can still keep an eye on progress while allowing your employees to work on their own.

Here are some of the ways you can create a less supervised workplace:

● Come up with a milestone system as a way of overseeing progress

● Encourage employees to seek you out themselves

● Categorize your employees according to their strengths and assign roles based on that

● Create a points system with an employee of the month perks up for grabs

Appreciation

Employees are the engine that power business. Sure, they get paid for what they do, but they deserve more than that.

We're not talking about financial benefits. Sometimes a simple 'thank you' or 'good job' can go a long way to making someone feel appreciated.

As an employee, it can be disappointing when your work goes unnoticed, no matter how hard you try. These little rejections can make you lose interest in going the extra mile to create value.

When your team feels appreciated in the workplace and their contributions recognized, it boosts their morale and productivity. They’re even more willing to remain with the company longer than they'd planned.

Here are some of the things companies can do to appreciate their workers:

● Recognize their contribution

● Create a system of accolades

● Organize retreats

● Offer free dinners for winning teams

● Offer career growth opportunities

● Provide random time offs

A Sense of Purpose

Does your job feel more like something you have to do to survive rather than a meaningful occupation?

You see, if you don’t feel a sense of purpose from what you’re doing, you’ll most likely be less enthusiastic about it. People thrive when they work towards an objective and when they make impactful contributions.

Ask yourself if there’s a bigger picture in what you’re doing. The answer will tell you whether you’re wasting away your life or you’re genuinely working towards something.

If you're an employer, you can give your employees a sense of purpose by promoting:

● Self-improvement

● Positive values

● Involvement in charities

● Social connections

Being In the Loop

One of the worst things that can happen is feeling out of the loop at work. These can be critical decisions or just everyday objectives that you end up missing.

You may find yourself going through half the day completely unaware of new developments, only to find out that somebody forgot to loop you in.

Things like that can make you feel excluded and undervalued, especially if your position in the company isn't the factor.

It's easier to find satisfaction and happiness in the workplace if there's a proper flow of information and everyone feels included in discussions that affect their roles.

Positive Work Environment

Does your workplace have people who can't sit still and always hop from desk to desk delivering gossip?

Or maybe you have that weird coworker who complains about anything and everything. Perhaps someone can't stop messing with the microwave and seems to get his kicks from ruffling a few feathers.

The list of terrible characters in the office environment is long, and being around a few of these individuals can be overwhelming. It won't matter how collected you are personally. If you're not at peace at work, you'll gradually descend into unhappiness.

But you can find happiness in a positive environment where employees respect each other's boundaries and work towards coexistence.

Conclusion

Do you struggle to find happiness and satisfaction at work?

Have you tried figuring out what could be dampening your moods?

Asking yourself these questions will make it easier to pinpoint where the negative emotion is coming from. And this is the first step towards finding a lasting solution.

In this post, we've shown you some scenarios that can make you unhappy at work and what can ultimately change that.

Adam Marshall is a freelance writer who specializes in all things apartment organization, real estate, and college advice. He currently works with Grove at Huntsville to help them with their online marketing.