Ah, work. It’s something that very few of us actually want to do. (I mean, who dreams of labor?) And unless you manage to land your “dream job,” you probably don’t feel like heading to the office or clocking in each morning. Yet the experience of working unites us all. Because for the most part, between the ages of 18 to 65, our daily routine requires hours and hours of labor!
That’s why the Work Memes Facebook page is so relatable. This account has amassed an impressive 179k followers since its creation in 2012, and it has a very simple goal: sharing “some humor for the working chum.” From memes about the exhaustion that hits after a day of work to posts about the pain of receiving a measly paycheck, Work Memes hits the nail on the head detailing experiences most of us know all too well, especially on Fridays when Friday memes capture that end-of-the-week feeling perfectly.
According to Gallup’s 2023 State of the Global Workplace Report, employee stress is at an all-time high, and over half of the world’s workers are actively or passively looking for other job opportunities. 6 in 10 employees are quiet quitting due to feeling disengaged at work, and the top three things quiet quitters would like to see improved are engagement or culture, pay and benefits and wellbeing.
Managers also play a critical role in determining how satisfied employees are in the workplace. “The things that tend to drive employee engagement and wellbeing tend to be a bit situational, and managers are in the best position to understand each person’s situation and to coach them in the right kind of way,” Jim Harter, chief scientist of workplace management and wellbeing at Gallup, told CNBC.
While many of us have been conditioned to believe that working is a painful experience that we all have to bite the bullet and accept, it really doesn’t have to be that way. Companies can provide decent salaries, flexible working conditions, pet-friendly offices, ample vacation time, great benefits and comfortable working spaces. Many of them just don’t care to.
One of the biggest motivators that I have found in my job is having colleagues that I love. Being friends with others in the office can make the commute absolutely worth it, and I feel more connected to the company when I know there are people there that I care about. We laugh and exchange stories with one another, take mental health walks during the lunch break and bond over our shared experiences. And without having colleagues that are friends, I wouldn’t smile nearly as much during the workday.
There are a few things companies can do to make work a bit less painful as well. According to CBS News, some key factors that make employees dread going into work are exhausting commutes through rush hour traffic, inflexible hours and toxic coworkers. Not every company is going to be willing to make changes like allowing working from home and more flexible hours, but many of them definitely can. And if these changes increase employee satisfaction, they’re definitely worth it!
One of the top ways companies can make their employees happier is to listen to their opinions, Workleap notes. This may sound incredibly obvious, but you would be surprised how little changes after employees fill out surveys (or how many employees are never given surveys at all!). So it’s important to not only hear employee feedback but to also make changes that they want to see. If workers feel valued and listened to, they’ll be more likely to stick around.
