I Hate My Job! What Should I Do?

Work can sometimes be such a drag. When you’re working with a toxic boss, have tight deadlines, or constantly live in fear of yet another layoff, it can be hard to feel a sense of appreciation. If your mind has been cycling the thought, “I hate my job” over and over again, it might be time to think through an alternate way of living. No one deserves to feel the dread of work or Sunday scaries on a weekly basis. So, let’s think through some of the possible solutions for you.

I hate my job! What should I do?

1. Determine what you really hate about your job

Maybe why you hate your job is obvious to you. But maybe it isn’t. It’s possible there’s something else lurking within the depths of your mind that’s making your job more stressful or unpleasant. Your boss might remind you of someone who gave you a hard time growing up. Or you might find the work isn’t suited to your skillset, which leads you towards more tense feelings when you get frustrated. Trying to get to the root of the problem that makes you repeat “I hate my job” in your head all day will allow you to come up with a solution that actually removes the problem for good. Otherwise, the band aid solution you put on the problem will crop up again in a new job at a new company. If the problem stems from a deep-rooted trauma, solving it before diving into the next thing will be necessary so that you don’t keep going through the same problems again.

2. Ask yourself if this is a learning opportunity

When you truly believe the sentiment behind I hate my job, it’s important to ask yourself if what you’re going through is a learning opportunity. Before you shout no at the screen, ask yourself, “Can I improve my skill set, communication skills, or coping strategies in this situation?” Sometimes, setbacks at work will propel us to greater heights. A difficult coworker might make us want to unleash 10 years worth of rage upon them. But maybe it’s how you approach them that causes them to act awkward or unpleasant around you. Sometimes, taking a step back to realize the only person you can change is yourself is the answer you’ve been looking for. If you focus on self-improvement to better yourself, you can improve work relationships, performance, and how you manage with adversity in the workplace. The moment you realize that the only thing you can control is yourself, you become unstoppable. So, what can you learn from hating your job?

3. Decide if it’s time to change jobs

If you feel a burning desire to escape your job, it might be time to change jobs. Being in a negative work environment will break your spirit into bits. You might be questioning whether or not to pursue another opportunity for financial reasons, job security, or even a fear of the unknown. But when interviewing at other companies, if the vibe feels similar to your current workplace it’s probably a good company to avoid. You can tell when a recruiter isn’t being honest in an interview or when someone makes you feel uncomfortable. Interviews are good tests in intuition to see if something feels right to you. You should interview while staying in your role (recruiters typically prefer hiring people who are employed than those who aren’t). Without making it obvious, take some time to ask for LinkedIn recommendations from coworkers you get along with, without saying why. Update your resume and cover letter using a resume builder like Huntr and use that same tool to track your job applications and interviews. The more interviews you do, the better you’ll become at knowing which workplaces are a good match for you.

4. Stop caring what others think

When you're constantly thinking "I hate my job" it's usually because people are getting on your nerves. Whether it's the opinion of your boss or your coworkers, you should let their opinions roll off the shoulder. Unless they're giving you constructive feedback on your work (and that's not always the case). Workplaces are often filled with people who will gossip and mistreat people just because. The opinions they share with you aren't always valid. If you think about it, and see the truth in it, feel free to make tweaks to improve it. But if it's just another work day at the rumor mill, don't obsess over it. It's not worth the trouble.

5. Gain some newer skills

When you hate your job, it might be a sign that it’s time to build some new skills. Maybe you’ve been working in nursing for years and you’re fed up with how hard you have to work, a lack of appreciation at work, and poor pay and want to move over into another industry altogether. Some jobs can be brutal. If you’re thinking of doing an entire career change, you might need to develop new skills to be qualified for another role entirely. You might sign up for a one-year college program that you can do online on your own time to help you gain the knowledge you need. Then, once you’ve got some education under your belt. A volunteer opportunity, internship, or even some freelance work to practice your skills can be done to help you transition into your first role in that new field. Doing a drastic change can seem a bit scary. But is it really worth hating your job every day when you can change jobs with a bit of effort? Short term pain for long term gain. It could be the greatest decision you ever make.

6. Appreciate the financial stability

When hating your job, taking the time to appreciate the financial stability can be helpful. Every day, people are losing their jobs from layoffs. Having a steady and reliable pay check coming in every couple of weeks can be a huge relief that doesn't weigh down the financial burden on you. It might not be a glamorous job or even a half-decent job (don't worry you can find something better still), but in the meantime, feel gratitude that you have some money coming in so you can pay your bills with ease.

7. Take a break from work

When you find work is unbearable, it might be time for a bit of a break. You could book a two week vacation to a Caribbean beach resort to soak up the sun and experience pure relaxation. Or you could take a leave of absence to just avoid going to work and take care of yourself. Decide if your break is more of a vacation break or an escape from a bad situation. Work can enrich our lives with meaning, giving us a reason to get out of bed and do things every day. It can also keep our brains sharp. But work without play can create an imbalance in our lives. Having work-life balance is necessary for enjoying our jobs more. Not having enough downtime to relax or working difficult work schedules like night shifts or rotations can make it easier to hate our jobs. So, if you hate your job, try to determine if it’s time for a short break or if a long break is in order to help you find balance again.

8. Start a side hustle

While this doesn’t work for everyone, some people like to create their own financial opportunities when work sucks. Maybe you’d like more financial freedom or to have a career where you’re your own boss, if that’s you, maybe you should consider starting a side hustle. It could be as a freelancer in your craft and eventually scale into an agency. Or you could build a website with digital or physical products or that you monetize with ads. If you’re obsessed with social media, you could start a side hustle as an influencer building your own audience that you can sell things to. There are endless opportunities and ideas of businesses you can start on your own. When choosing something, remember that most things can succeed with time invested into promoting it. If you dedicate as much time promoting your products as you do building them, then you’ll see sales soar. The self-promotion is a necessary hurdle to be able to jump over to succeed when it comes to building a side hustle. So, it’s time to put those sales skills into practice if you want a side hustle to replace your current job.

9. Focus on the work, instead of the people

When you really hate your job, it's time to focus your energy on the work instead of the people. Most people who dislike their jobs have problems with coworkers instead of their workload. For most people, the work is either easy or fun. But when it comes to people, there may be a difficult coworker in the mix which can make work feel nightmarish. If you spend most of your time working head down, leaving as little time for socializing as possible, you can create a positive work environment for yourself. Or as positive as possible. You can try your best to limit interactions with coworkers or even your boss by doing a great job on the work you're doing so they don't need to micromanage you.

10. Work remotely instead

When you work in an office with other people, there are times you’ll be thinking, “I hate my job!” The chaos of coworkers interrupting you when you’ve got tons of stuff to do, dealing with “unique” personality types, or a micromanaging boss can be stressful. If you work an office job, transitioning into a role where you can work remotely is possible. You can apply to remote jobs or ask to move to a remote model. Often, when you work remotely, it’s easier to manage work anxiety. You won’t have to sit in the same office as difficult people, you’ll be interrupted less frequently, and you can work in peace and quiet. If your job function can’t be done remotely, you might look for a career change that allows for it or find a job where working remotely in your field is possible.

11. Ask to change teams

Most people don’t hate their jobs because of the work they do. On average, people choose to work in fields they genuinely enjoy. So, what’s causing people to hate their jobs? It’s usually people. If certain personalities at work rub you the wrong way, it might be time to ask human resources for a change in teams, so you can move to a better environment within your company. There may be other roles you’re qualified to do on another team with better leadership and team members. If you take the initiative to get to know and help people on another team, it’s easier to make the transition. Often, when people switch teams, they do it by helping another team and the move happens organically. If another team requires your support to thrive, making a switch will be an easy case. Of course, when doing this strategy, don’t drop the ball in your own role as that can negatively impact your ability to change teams.

12. Maintain more work-life balance

Going above and beyond at your job, working weekends, and trying to be the powerhouse team member can be exhausting. It can leave you feeling burnt out. You also won't get the recognition from your hard work because people won't always see the amount of effort you're putting in. Starting at 9 and ending at 5 is fine. Having relaxing hobbies on evenings and weekends should help you enjoy life more. Spend your spare time with friends or family. And do the things you actually like to do to relax. With more work-life balance, you can begin to hate your job a little less.

13. Invest in your mental health

If you’ve been raging mad about work lately and it’s turned you from a happy person to one filled with job hatred, it might be time to invest in your mental health. You can chat with a therapist to discuss strategies to help you better cope at work. Talking to a therapist and venting about your problems doesn’t solve anything. It’s the implementation of their advice that makes the difference. So, taking what you learn in therapy and applying it to your work situation is what’ll help you manage your emotions and hopefully enjoy work again. Sometimes, we go through ruts where things aren’t working out for us. But bad times can become good times through the right strategies and coping mechanisms.

14. Talk it out with your boss or a friend

Never vent to a coworker or a boss about your problems as that gossip will get around to other people. When talking things out with coworkers or bosses, focus on coming up with solutions to your problems. If you need to vent, do it with a friend or family member outside of work. The occasional venting can feel therapeutic, even if no resolution is made. But if you’re venting about the same stuff every day, it’s a sign that you’re not in problem solving mode. And that’s why the problems at work never end. Chat through ideas for solutions from people whose opinions you respect, so you can get out of this mess. Not everyone hates their job. And you don’t have to either.

15. Treat your work problems like a science experiment

Most people solve problems through trial and error. If you find your problems at work are causing you to hate your job, maybe taking a scientific approach can help you resolve issues. When dealing with coworkers, you might experiment with different methods of communicating to see what they respond best with. If dealing with a problem with a task at work, you might experiment with different methods to see what results you get from playing around. Approaching challenges with a sense of curiosity and by trying to figure out which method would work best by trying different things will enable you to problem solve your way into a better work experience.

16. Focus on your growth

Taking a look at what you can accomplish at work can fill you with a sense of enjoyment and pride. If you're able to achieve professional goals or reach unique milestones from your efforts, you'll feel an overpowering sense of accomplishment. You'll think to yourself, "Wow, I'm so good at this." And it'll allow you to enjoy the work at least. Plus, you can add those accomplishments to your resume.

17. Delegate more tasks

When the work starts piling up and we don’t have enough hours in the day to complete everything we’ve set out to, work can get kind of stressful. We might forget something our boss told us to do, we might drop the ball on something because we got too busy with other tasks, and our mood might worsen. Knowing when and to whom you should delegate tasks to can allow you to become more productive at work. You’ll be able to focus on high impact tasks, improve your performance, and complete more work if you just get some support from other team members.

18. Set the work tone with positivity

A toxic culture can be a great reason to leave your job. But sometimes, a simple change in how you approach people or the energy you bring into a work environment can have a positive effect. Smiling at coworkers, not indulging in office gossip, being extra kind to difficult people, celebrating the birthdays and promotions of other colleagues can all help transform your experience. Negative people have more negative experiences than positive people. The lens in which you view the world will shape your experiences.  When you approach work with optimism and positivity, you’ll find more positive energy circles back towards you.

19. Focus on providing solutions instead of problems at work

Most people will present problems to their boss. But their boss often has too much work on their plate and is overwhelmed. It's best to focus on solutions. Solve the problems your boss doesn't have time to solve. Take stuff off of your boss' plate. If all you do is present problems, you're going to stress your boss out and it's going to affect the whole culture. It's best to focus on presenting solutions and work to solve those on your own without needing your boss to look into it.

20. Determine your boss' and coworkers pet peeves

When you're constantly thinking, "I hate my job" you can solve some of the stress by determining what your boss' and coworkers' biggest pet peeves are. If you know what gets on their nerves, you can ensure you don't do those things to help keep them at ease. There's no need to provoke the people around you. You have pet peeves too. And if someone was actively trying to reduce doing those pet peeves to you, you would likely appreciate the effort. They would too.

Should you leave a job you hate?

Some work environments just aren’t worth the stress. If you’ve tried everything in your power to improve your situation and were still met with resistance, maybe a change in employer is the best solution. If you’re looking to change jobs, you can use Huntr to build a new resume and cover letter, auto fill your job applications, and keep track of all your interviews. Stop hating your job and sign-up for Huntr today!