WHY WORK?

When I asked six youngsters around the age of 17 what they would do if they had a £1,000 cheque given to them every week for doing absolutely nothing, they all said they would go and find something to do — otherwise they would be bored. I asked the same question of six adults between 25 and 45 and most of them said they would do nothing. The difference in attitude was revealing — and a little sad.

We need to have some motivation to achieve anything in life. We need to have a reason, a payoff, otherwise we see no reason for making an effort. For example, our motivations to get up and make a cup of tea could be thirst, boredom, hunger, anxiety or the need to take a pill.

In order to enjoy our work, what are our motivations? The three main motivations are status, money and power. Status, in order to have a personal sense of identity or to be recognised by others. Money, for a roof over our heads and food in our mouths. We may have a dependent family. We like money for luxuries. Then comes power — money brings power and status brings power. We may feel power over work colleagues or subordinates, we may feel power over fate, God, the government or the system.

Work can be a drudgery if you have been doing something that does not represent the real you. It can build resentment and frustration. During times of recession, employers hold the winning hand and may deliberately create an environment of fear to keep at bay the pay claims. If you don’t feel valued or appreciated, this can wear away at the human spirit, leaving morale and motivation low.

To be realistic, we are not going to be happy in our work all of the time, nor are we going to like everyone we work with, nor is everyone going to like us. But we do have the right to enjoy our work and to use and develop our skills as much as possible.

Work purpose self assessment

• How can I begin taking steps toward discovering and doing work that would be personally meaningful?
• Would I like to return to study or training to improve my career path?
• What are my most important values with regard to career achievement?
• Is material success my main motivation for why I work?

Mark the following out of five for how true you think it is. Work:

— is something I do for money	— provides me with a sense of purpose
— helps me get up in the morning	— provides me with interesting challenges
— takes me away from the family	— makes me feel needed
— gives my life structure	— gives me status
— gives me an identity	— is unenjoyable
— gives me a social life	— is boring.

What do you miss by not working?

The bridge of life

Each of us goes through cycles in life. Broadly speaking, the cycles correspond to ages and to a greater or lesser extent, we all share the cycles.

Pulling up roots	—	leaving the nest, flexing the wings to express individuality, realising that there are different ways of being
Early adulthood	—	first commitments to adult responsibilities, trying out parental rules in the world, early mistakes
Transition	—	re-examination of parental rules, reassessment of current relationships and career, challenges to our old ways of thinking, more long-term planning beginning to occur
Consolidation	—	seeking to become established, the beginning of feeling pressurised by time, making long-term goals based on our true individuality and not on family expectations
Metamorphosis	—	facing the chasm between ideals and reality, new career, new relationships, breaking down, breaking away
Stabilisation	—	increased stability following changes
Mellowing	—	achievement losing potency in the face of increased self satisfaction and inner peace with self.

My work values and motivations

Your value system gives shape to your life experiences. Your values are mostly in your subconscious and are formed by society and early family conditioning. You may share them or you may be carrying them around with you, believing they are your own. This exercise represents your personal needs behind your job choice. Go through the list, noting those values that are important to you.

accomplishment	being appreciated	developing new skills
activity	being efficient	gaining knowledge
a sense of community	being expert	having authority
being a success	being of service	having responsibility
being a team member	creativity	helping society
independence	respect from others	taking risks
influence	self development	to be proactive
making decisions	self respect	to motivate others
meeting deadlines	sense of purpose	usefulness
overcoming	social interaction	using my intellect
challenges	status
public contact	supporting others

Self assessment

Who are you? Who or what we believe ourselves to be is relevant to how we perceive ourselves out in the world. Write down without thinking, who or what you believe yourself to be at this point in time.

Project: Where am I at?

Reflect upon this period in your life and ask yourself ‘Where am I at in my life right now?’ Think about what kind of time this is for you. Consider the event or events which have marked the beginning of this period and think about the chief characteristics of this period. Is it a hectic time? A time of crisis? A period of transition? A stagnant period? Draw any images, colours, forms or write any words or statements that reflect where you are in your life at this particular time.

My career needs and wants

What we need and want in our work may be one and the same. What we want is desirable but not essential to our well-being. What we need is vital to our sense of self. Complete the following and find out what the difference is for you.

• 1.I want
  e.g. stimulation, stable income for emotional security, to create something of substance and for a reason, to be challenged, a higher income, a sense of belonging.
• 2.I need
  e.g. to contribute to household expenses, to be doing something useful, to be more independent, to be needed, to develop new skills.
• 3.What will happen if I don’t have it?
  e.g. I will feel trapped, useless, bored and frustrated.
• 4.What could I begin to do to remedy the situation?
  e.g. re-train, consider more permanent positions offering autonomy.

ASSESSING YOUR SKILLS AND STRENGTHS

Skills can be broadly divided into four groups:

Basic skills

These are needed for daily life and include communication skills, numeracy, literacy, communication skills, self-motivation, organisational skills and self-management.

Job specific skills (vocational)

These relate to specific types of work e.g. accounting.

Personal (or soft) skills

These encompass a range of skills related to attitude and behaviour such as time management, teamwork, negotiation skills, and the ability to explore and create opportunities, decision-making skills, diversification and flexibility.

Transferable skills

These are portable skills, which can be taken from one job to another and might include IT skills, supervisory/management skills, customer care or linguistic and cultural skills.

Evaluating your skills

IT skills

What software packages can you use?
Are you experienced in network systems?
Have you programming experience?
Can you use the internet?
Have you knowledge of teleworking?

Leadership skills

Which of the following skills

listening	focus
accessibility	decisiveness
motivating others	solving problems
developing vision	being pro-active
setting long-term goals	delegating tasks
acknowledging mistakes	marketing
giving feedback	sharing power
promoting team effort	looking for challenges
strategic planning	setting objectives
planning work	financial management
managing resources	quality management
report writing	coaching
skills training	performance appraisal
project management	staff development
team building	managing change

Customer care skills

Do you have the following skills?
finding information
working as part of the team
dealing with complaints
keeping records
finding solutions
tact

Job specific skills

Which of the following have you been trained in or had extensive experience of (through paid or unpaid work)?

• Communications e.g. journalism, publishing
• Construction e.g. building, electrical, heating and ventilation
• Developing skill and knowledge e.g. teaching, training
• Engineering e.g. aeronautical, electric power, telecommunications, vehicle maintenance
• Natural resources e.g. gas, petroleum, oil and gas technology, water treatment and supply
• Manufacturing
• Providing business services e.g. banking, computer services, insurance, administration
• Providing services and goods e.g. beauty, food and drink, tourism, sport and recreation
• Providing health and social care e.g. child care, housing, probation work
• Providing protective services e.g. armed forces, security
• Tending land, animals and plants e.g. agriculture, animal care, landscape design
• Transport e.g. distribution

Linguistic and cultural skills

Which languages can you speak with confidence?
Which cultures do you feel comfortable working within?

Personal skills

How good are you at selling your skills to potential
employers?
Do you bounce back quickly after a disappointment?
Can you do several tasks at once?
Do you enjoy working in teams?
Are you a self-starter?
Can you set realistic goals?
Are you reliable?
How good are you at developing opportunities into practical
outcomes?
Are you efficient?
Can you adapt?

Evaluating your achievements

An additional bonus to your toolbox is your achievements. Potential employers like to know what you have done in the past as it indicates what you could do for them in the future. Do you have a track record of:

cutting costs	improving team work
improving the appearance	developing staff performance
of something	turning round a negative
increasing sales	situation
cutting staff costs	avoiding potential problems
meeting deadlines easily	opening up more potential
providing more information	making the boss look good

Using your strengths

Your strengths describe your personal qualities. As well as what you can do, part of your sales pitch is what you are like as a person. Underline the strengths you identify with:

adaptable	aggressive	ambitious	assertive
calm	caring	cautious	competitive
confident	conscientious	creative	decisive
dedicated	dependable	determined	diplomatic
dynamic	easy going	efficient	encouraging
energetic	enterprising	extrovert	fair
firm	flexible	friendly	hardworking
helpful	initiator	innovative	intuitive
lateral thinker	leader	logical	methodical
meticulous	objective	ordered	organised
outgoing	patient	perceptive	persuasive
practical	precise	pro-active	resourceful

YOUR IDEAL CAREER

You are to imagine that there are no constraints of money, age, or health. Identify your ideal career with details such as job specification, with whom would you work, in what kind of surroundings, with what kind of authority and responsibilities, with what kind of working day. Detail career progression and income sought, opportunities for using your present skills and developing others.

Now think through the following:

• What does the fantasy indicate about what I would value and aspire to?
• What are the differences between fantasy and my reality?
• How much of my fantasy is achievable at the present or might be in the future?
• What are the barriers to my achieving some of my fantasy and how might these be overcome?
• What would be the consequences of my working to achieve some of the features of my fantasy, for myself and for other people?
• What objectives would I like to set myself on the basis of this exercise?

Who we are produces what we do — in love, social activities, family relationships, hobbies and work. As we build a solid foundation of self discovery, we can erect a building that truly represents our inner self.

The face of work is changing. One piece of technology can do the work of several people. Certain industries have fallen, not to rise again. However, new industries have arisen and they need to be serviced — but not everyone is suited to everything.

Re-defining value systems helps to restructure the beliefs which fuel our motivation for work. As we evolve in our own life, so society evolves through its life. As we discover why we want to work and what we want to do, we can then start networking out into the community. We can begin the exciting journey of discovering how we can help each other achieve our goals.