Great news! The recession, according to the lastest economic data, is officially over.

Recruiters and job search firms are confirming this too. Several of my contacts have told me of increased demand from employers looking for talented, passionate employees. Some employers are desperate -reaping a slim harvest post their ruthless pruning of staff. As we head into a new year, a time when many employees re-evaluate their jobs, it’s a great time to rethink work.

Are you working to work or working to live?

As one of my clients recently told me lack of work-life balance is really taking a toll. “Work has its ups and downs so feel that puts stress on me and therefore affects my husband. ”

What’s really important? Your marriage? Your relationships? Your health? Or your job? What if you could have it all!

Unhappy@work? Get the cure here!

Do what you love and you’ll never work again!

Here’s what one of my favorite recruiters, Tony Walsh from Momentum agrees – to get the edge you need to be happy at work!

“Good on you. Will recommend (Happy@work: job hunting for mid-lifers +) to whoever I come across as there is a lot of discussion around this at the moment. Things being difficult has people recognise the need to be doing something they enjoy and/or are passionate about, otherwise it becomes a chore.”

Action Question

Why do you need a job that makes you happy? What benefits will flow when you are living your passion? What happens when you ignore your passion?

Liking what you do is not only a vital ingredient of career success but also health and mental well-being. When you don’t do the things you love your health can suffer. Common signs of neglecting your happiness and staying trapped in a job that you don’t enjoy can include:
•   Headaches
•   Insomnia
•   Tiredness
•   Depression
•   Low self-esteem
•   Lack of confidence
•   Irritability.
The body never lies; however, many people soldier on ignoring the obvious warning signs their body is giving them. It’s easy to rationalise these feelings away, but the reality is your body is screaming out for something different. Having the courage to say “Enough” and to pursue a more satisfying alternative can seem daunting but the rewards and benefits that flow make the effort so worthwhile.

Some Alarming Facts:

•   Lack of passion and career dissatisfaction are common causes of stress, low productivity, poor performance and plummeting levels of confidence and self-esteem.
•   Less than 10% of the population are visibly living their passion. Surveys completed by TMP/ Hudson and Worklife Solutions consistently report that over 43% of the working population are dissatisfied in their work.
•   Lack of feedback, autocratic bosses, poor work-life balance, lack of control, values conflicts, lack of challenge, boredom, high workloads and interpersonal conflicts push happiness levels down on a daily basis for a large number of employees.
•   We all know that smoking kills but few people know that job strain is as bad as smoking according to researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. They concluded that too often people rely on medication to tackle the job blues but one of the most effective cures would be to tackle the job environment.
•   Unhappiness at work is a major drain on individuals, organisations and the economy – one Canadian study argued that a 1% improvement through helping people become fully engaged in programmes that lead them to find work they would love would release an additional $600 million each year into the economy.
•   Many people have been conditioned to expect less from the world of work, and may have narrow expectations about the wealth of opportunity that now exists.
•   Unhappy people complain more, produce less, get sick more often, worry more, have fewer creative ideas, have lower energy levels, are more pessimistic, less motivated, learn slower, make poorer decisions, have lower confidence and self-esteem, are more prone to mental illnesses, including depression, and are slower to bounce back from setbacks – and these are only some of the symptoms of unhappiness!