No matter how oblivious you may be or how positive your outlook on life, you can probably pinpoint some areas at your work that are frustrating. There is a difference, however, between minor frustrations and major, job-switching issues. To err is human, so you’ll never find a workplace free of issues. Instead, you need to be able to see things really aren’t that big of a deal.
Conflicting Methods
When you come into a business, your boss has been doing things there for probably a good deal of time. Because of this, he or she will more than likely have a certain way of doing things. As a new employee, you bring valuable ideas and insight. When beginning your job, you may notice that there are more efficient ways of doing things. By all means, bring this up to your boss in a respectful way. But if they choose not to take your advice, don’t stew over it. Continue doing your best in an efficient, effective way, but remember: you’re not the boss.
Also, a little tip. If your boss has been in the business for years, they may have even tried out your idea before and it didn’t work. Experience is a great teacher.
Conflicting Work Ethics
You may have been raised with a different work ethic than the person at the next desk next. Some, yes, are just plain lazy. If this becomes a problem for you doing your job to the best of your ability, there is a way to bring this to the attention of your supervisor in a considerate way or by talking to that individual directly. However, if that doesn’t fix the issue, don’t let it bring you down. You can’t change people. You can only do the best at your job, and hopefully, your example influences other people.
Conflicting Priorities
Your time can easily get sucked away by seemingly ‘urgent’ requests. These can come in the form of requests from coworkers. Everyone’s issue or request is urgent to them, but you need to be able to determine whether that’s something you should take on for them. Sure, helping a coworker out is nice, but if it makes your own work suffer, then there’s a problem.
Another ‘urgent’ can come in the form of emails. That *ding* from your phone has you trained to reach for your phone to pull up your email/Twitter/LinkedIn, etc. These can seem important and urgent, but they’re actually huge time wasters. Set aside a time to check your email and respond, and then it’s time to get work completed.
Whether it’s a problem with a set system in the company or with a person, some issues aren’t worth the your time and energy. Go ahead and address issues when they come about, but if not resolved, don’t worry about it. Some issues just come with the territory and need to be recognized as such.