Are Your Workplace Expectations Too High?

The problem with a prolonged struggling economy is that it gets old. People grow weary of listening to others bemoan the unemployment situation, gripe about their long hours and anemic pay and lament their dwindling professional opportunities. Though these sentiments may indeed be true and warranted, they just become tiresome after you’ve heard them for the 100^th time.

This article elaborates, “Consultant and former tech executive Steve Tobak is sick of all your belly-aching. He writes in a new piece for CBS MoneyWatch that a big reason we’re miserable at work is not that office conditions are worse than ever, it’s that social media creates an echo chamber of complaints. So maybe we’re underpaid, we’re unenthusiastic, and we hate our jobs. It’s not that these complaints aren’t legit, Tobak writes. ‘So what’s my beef? Just this: It’s been that way forever.’”

Office professionals should take time on a regular basis to count their blessings. They should—even if they hate their job—be grateful for the fact that they are employed and have health insurance. They should be thankful they’re not off fighting a war on a frigid mountain in a distant country. They should remember that hard work is part of life and, with the right attitude it can be a very rewarding part of life.

So hang in there. Don’t become a habitual complainer. Nobody likes those people. Things will get better, and when they do, many office professionals entrenched in their negative and cynical personalities may not be able to even recognize when good times return. In fact, they may already be here.

Photo courtesy of GaryPaulson.