Dealing with Problems in the Workplace

I recently was in a job interview and one of the interviewers brought up an interesting scenario.  The scenario was: I had completed a particular project and a few days later it was determined that policies had changed and I must re-do the project completely.   Upon finding out the news, I had three options and he wanted me to rank them in the order in which I would accomplish them. The three options he listed were: just do the work, complain, and laugh.  This caught me off guard because I knew what I thought he wanted to hear, but I wanted to answer the question in my honest opinion. So after a couple minutes of contemplation, I told him I would first laugh, then just do the work, and lastly I would complain.  To my surprise, he told me that is the exact answer he was looking for.  He said out of all the job interviews he has done, I was the first person to answer in that order.  This scenario he gave left quite an impression on me.  After all of this time, I have been dealing with problems, not only professionally but also personally, completely wrong.

Laughter

For the longest time, I never saw laughter and business as two congenial things, but quickly learned it is a necessity in the workplace.  If we are not able to laugh at the absurdity of office politics or the ignorance of the guy that works at the desk beside us, no wonder we become discontent and aggravated with our jobs.  I am not saying to treat your job like a joke, but to not let problems affect you so easily.  Letting the problems take control of your life can lead to resentment and hatred towards your job and co-workers.  We have all worked with a co-worker that is impervious to any type of humor, and most of us do not want to become sullen and morose like them.  It is always best to keep a sense of humor, and on our worst day it can at least help us make it to the end of the day. Robert Frost was quoted as saying, “If we couldn’t laugh we would all go insane.”

Just Do the Work

Problems happen.  Projects must be redone.  It happens.  This is part of the territory.  Sometimes it can become monotonous and almost drive us mad, but the best ways to alleviate the problem is to just do it.  I have spent hours and even days on projects that past employers never even put their eyes on.  When this happens, it can become discouraging, but everything I do teaches me new concepts or increases my knowledge in some way.  I am a firm believer that hard work pays off, even if you are not in your “dream job”, hard work will pay off eventually. Remember the words of William James, “Action may not always bring happiness, but there is no happiness without action.”

Complain

If my friends and family charged me for the amount of hours I have spent complaining about my job, they would be millionaires.   I am a firm believer in venting to someone about problems that occur at work, preferably someone you do not work with.  In the scenario I was given, one of my choices was to “complain”.  I prefer using the word vent.  Complaining implies you are in a situation you do not like and you are doing nothing to change your situation.  No matter how much you love your job, problems will arise at some point and discussing it with others does not hurt anyone.  Similar to laughter, if you don’t ever let out your frustration you will form resentment and hatred.  Like I mentioned before, problems will arise and how you respond to these problems show your true character.  It is never a good idea to complain to your boss or even a co-worker that can use it against you at a later date.  Finding a person that will let you vent, is very important.

There are many ways to deal with problems in the workplace, but the three mentioned above can be a start.  Letting laughter be a part of your work day, can ultimately lead to a happier life.  Sometimes you just need to do the work, even if at times you feel under-appreciated.  I don’t recommend complaining, but venting about issues at work to a friend or family member can help relieve built up frustration.