Ever since I started working at the age of 16, it was clear to me the importance of a healthy, positive work environment and how the boss is in control of that environment. Having a good work culture and being at a place of employment you feel valued, heard, cared for and feel like you belong has more value than the wage you are making. Between all the jobs I have had that has to be the most important lesson I have learned thus far in my working career.
I have been employed at places where I was scared to ask for a day off, whether it was a day I was going to spend with my family, go on a vacation or just needed a break. I learned this lesson within the first year of working. I remember how afraid I was to ask for one lousy day off. I think days off are important whether it is a mental day off or a day you have planned to spend with your family or friends. You are going to work your entire life for the most part, you can always put in extra hours, but you cannot always get the time back with your loved ones. Family and the people I care about are very important to me and honestly, this is a lesson I learned later than I should’ve, but I think it all traces back to the job I had where my boss made me feel guilty and in borderline tears in front of her for simply asking for a day off. Thus, I am very, very grateful for jobs where I have the most understanding bosses and I really feel lucky.
Another lesson I have learned is having your voice heard in the workplace is vital. Everyone has good ideas to help bring business in or enhance the work culture. I have had jobs with corporations or big businesses where I thought I had no voice or everything I had to say didn’t matter. I felt like I was at the bottom of a huge totem pole. Fast forward to my current jobs, I feel like what I have to say matters. I feel like my voice is heard and that I’m not at the bottom of the company. This is something I had been searching for in a job and after five years in the workforce, I feel like I matter at both places of employment.
Overall, finding a job you love and feeling like you have a voice is huge. It overcomes the wage or pay you get. Feeling like you belong and are a part of something greater is important in the workforce. It took me nearly six years and many, many jobs later to find two jobs and people I work for and alongside that I truly love. I believe if it wasn’t for those couple bosses that did not always treat me fairly or those jobs where I felt like I was not being heard or my ideas were not being considered, I would not have known exactly what I had wanted in a future job. Don’t stop looking until you find exactly what you want in a job, even if it is just as simple as having your voice heard and feeling like you matter there. It is one of the best feelings to be excited to go to work rather than to dread or even fear it.