What makes a bad job?

What makes a job good and what makes a job bad can often be subjective. However, there are some key themes that arise in both, and stamping out the negatives is crucial to upholding culture and efficiency.

A LinkedIn post outlined the five key themes that make a job “bad”:

1. Unfair treatment at work.
2. An unmanageable workload.
3. Unclear communication from managers.
4. Lack of manager support.
5. Unreasonable time pressure.

Each of these causes boils down to one important consideration: effective leadership.

Leaders have the ability to influence a workplace from the top down. While there are certainly cases to be made that some jobs aren’t right for certain people, overarching issues that reflect negatively on everyone should be addressed; otherwise, happiness crumbles and productivity is stifled.

Identifying whether a job really is bad or just not right for you is an important first step to make before making any judgement calls. Forbes listed some warning signs that employees can use to identify a job that doesn’t suit them:

• It doesn’t let you use your strengths.
• You feel overly negative about work.
• You’re constantly overwhelmed.
• You’ve lost passion.
• You aren’t included.
• The bad outweighs the good.
• You can’t be yourself.
• You aren’t sure how your position impacts the company.
• You’re uncomfortable speaking up.

While these themes could certainly indicate poor workplace conditions, it may also be a sign that it’s time to look elsewhere for employment.

Finding fulfilment in the work you do should always be a goal. Similar to most things in life, it’s also a balancing act. While you shouldn’t be constantly bombarded with work, you can’t expect to sit around and do nothing. While you should have room to grow, you can’t expect to be made chief executive within a year.

Finding the happy medium between aspirations and reality is important, and making sure you leave work feeling content, not miserable, is key.

To assist, Indeed listed 10 characteristics of a good job that all employees should consider:

1. Purpose
2. Growth
3. Connection
4. Recognition
5. Salary
6. Benefits
7. Schedule
8. Advancement
9. Security
10. Balance

For employers, building upon the culture within an organisation can be a great way to foster a healthy and thriving workplace.

To read more about how to effectively build upon company culture, read this previous HR Leader article.