Put the ‘#fun’ back in #work

Employees need to reinvent themselves to keep their interest up,when monotony surrounds them at work.

When one starts working in a new organisation, the excitement quotient is at an all-time high. The enthusiasm is like never-before, to learn the tricks of the new trade, make friends with the colleagues and settle down in the workplace that has just come to be associated with you. Nonetheless, often it is seen that after a while, the same office with its routine work patterns, starts looking mundane and less exciting as compared to the earlier days. The work starts looking monotonous, the excitement of being with new colleagues fizzles out. When such a situation starts building up, is that a signal that it is time to move on? Not necessarily! Lakshmi Murthy , director HR, ITM Group of Institution, throws light on how a situation like this can be dealt with, without one having to take the decision of shifting the job. “A monotonous work life is definitely a signal that you should change, but not the job. It should rather be about changing what you do at work. Most of the times, it is we who build the constraints and boundaries around us and do not want to step out of the same. This also creates a perception amongst our seniors that we are not open to take any risk or try out new things. Unless an organisation is going through a downturn, there is always opportunity for the employees to try new things. So, one should look for new areas of responsibility in the same workplace,” says Murthy.

If the job gets mundane, a focus on how you can contribute towards a bigger objective can be explored. Ways might be sought through discussions with your supervisors and also taking inputs from your colleagues. A third person’s (not necessarily from your organisation) review, might also be helpful as he might help you with ways that are prevalent in his organisation. Zubin Zack, director and chief recognition strategist, OC Tanner India, suggests ways through which one can look towards developing new prospects. He says, “If there are methods and means to improve thereby expanding your role and responsibilities, including training and development tools, you must make good use of them as these keep the employees excited and interested in developing themselves further and learning new skills and gaining functional knowledge.” A more structured career progression often helps in arresting the fatigue. Shinu Javed, franchisee training director, Antal International, shares her own experience while providing a solution to this problem. “I did experience the fatigue that sets in with working in the same role for a period of time. To counter this, both, my boss and I agreed on more people-centric roles like inducting new recruits and mentoring them. This opportunity helped me immensely as what I do, helps the other person perform effectively , making them more successful. This is something that brought in the kicks during my long-term desk assignment with the organisation.” The role of the supervisor is crucial in bringing about this change, but ultimately it has to be you who has to drive the change.”

Keeping track of what’s business and staying updated can help one innovate and think of new ideas to accomplish routine tasks. Abhijit Nimgaonkar, office managing principal and India CEC’s head, ZS, stresses on the importance of being innovative and challenging oneself to become a better version of themselves at work. “We need to ask ourselves as to how we could work better with an innovative approach. A way to keep the interest levels high is engaging the entire team to create contests and activities with the aim of enhancing productivity and completion of tasks,” he avers.

In a bid to make the existing workplace a better one, you should look for recognition, growth and try something not tried before. Sharing your learning with others and helping them improve simultaneously is another way to try out.

There are many ways through which you can keep yourself motivated, and by helping others, you can also improve your productivity graph, helping you scale the corporate ladder faster.