Someone who Actually likes his Job (Most Days)

I like my job. There I've said it. I not only like my job, but I also like my bosses, my co-workers (for the most part) and the company I work for. Of course in this day and age, where companies consider their employees as disposable as paperclips and water cups, and where employees have little or no loyalty to their employers, I'm probably the gross exception. (I'd like to think that I'm more "exception" than "gross," but that's a topic for another day.)

As I say this, I realize that I'm in the same boat as all of you. I understand that my employment with my company is not set in stone. I'm not quite a commodity, but I'm not irreplaceable either. So it's not that I have an unrealiztic love for, or loyalty to my employer; it's more accurate to say that we're a good fit for the time being. Oh sure, the company and I don't see eye-to-eye on everything... they want too much of my time, I want too much of their money... I don't like the bureaucracy, they don't like my lack of tact... but in any relationship, there's give and take. And I think that treating your job like a relationship is one of the keys to being a successful, happy employee.

In interpersonal relationships, there are bad things and good things about the person with whom you're having the relationship. In a healthy association, you acknowledge both the good and the bad. As long as the positives outweigh the negatives, it's a good fit. But when the bad overrides the good, things get ugly. For example, when your employer starts requiring you to work overtime and doesn't compensate you accordingly; when your benefits get whittled away; when you report to an abusive or incompetent boss, the bad overrides the good. When this happens, it's time to consider leaving the unhealthy relationship.

And yes, this works both ways. Employees can develop bad habits and make the employer think the relationship isn't a good fit. Employees can badmouth the company, steal, carry a poor work ethic, etc. and make the employer rethink the association too. The big difference is that an employer is less likely to tolerate a substandard employee than a worker is likely to tolerate a poor company. I'm mentioning this because in today's society, it seems that people seem to have an entitlement mentality. They want great pay, great benefits, no overtime, more vacation... but they're not willing to give anything in return. I may be starting to sound "pro-business" or "anti-worker," but that's not the case. If there's any point to this post (and I'm not saying that there is a point), it's that a job is like any other relationship. There's good and there's bad to any relationship. In any relationship, you've got to work (no pun intended) to make it grow and thrive. If the negative aspects of the relationship outweigh the positives, then it's no longer a healthy relationship and it's time to look elsewhere. Fortunately, I happen to have a relatively healthy association with my company.