Are You Satisfied with Your Job?

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Recently a friend said to me that she finds herself just restless with what she is doing. She said it was just an uneasiness in her spirit, wondering if she’s where she supposed to be. I imagine there are others in that same place, so I thought it would be helpful to talk about that. I’ll give you ten very practical common sense questions you can use to see if you’re really satisfied with your job. I think it will be a good exercise for all of us to evaluate our own job satisfaction.

Question 1: Are you sticking with your job simply because you’re afraid you can’t find another one?

Whenever fear is part of your motivation, you have to think twice because fear is never of God. Fear is an absence of faith, and it can cause you to make very poor choices. Obviously, you should not hastily decide to leave a job just because everything’s not going your way. But if fear of not finding another job is the only reason you’re hanging onto the job you have, it is likely that you’re simply not trusting God in this matter like you should.

We are told that it is much easier to find another job while you’re still employed, so if you think you’re staying in a job for the wrong reasons, it might be a wise move to quietly begin a job search and see what possibilities are out there.

Question 2: Did you start your career because you were genuinely interested in it, or only because you needed the money or someone coerced you into it?

Have you ever looked back at a career or job decision you made and wonder whatever caused you to go in that direction? It has happened to me. You know, that can simply be a function of lack of maturity or lack of good counsel or just moving too quickly. But if you’re in a job or career for which you have no real interest, no passion, or no particular giftedness, it’s going to be difficult to be satisfied with that job. In fact, you will become more dissatisfied as the weeks and months roll along.

It is not unusual to recognize a wrong job decision at some point in your career. But that doesn’t mean you’re stuck there forever. If you know the job is not right for you, then it’s time to start planning your next move. Plan carefully so as not to make another mistake but move ahead. Don’t let that rut keep you from reaching out to something new that God may have for you.

Question 3: Do you feel healthy at work or do you regularly worry or feel sick about going in the next day?

If going in to work “turns your stomach,” creating physical problems, then it’s pretty certain that something is wrong. Maybe it’s not the job itself which is the problem, but a particular person that you work with or for. It’s helpful to separate the actual job from other things about the job that may be difficult for you. Then you would want to ask yourself if you want to give up a job that suits you, one where you truly enjoy the work, just because of a personality clash or heavy workload or some other circumstance.

Or it could be that you simply allow yourself to worry way too much about little things, and that is creating the health issues for you. Jesus told us not to worry, because our heavenly Father is watching over us. If you carry around a load of worry all the time, as though by worrying you can solve the problem, remember that has never worked! God may have you in your job to teach you to trust him and to let go of the little stuff—to cast all your care on him because he cares for you.

Question 4: Do you feel as though your rate of pay is fair?

Who of us would ever say we couldn’t use a little more money? But the question is: Do you feel you are being paid fairly, competitively, according to the work you do? Now, you may find it difficult to be objective about this question, so a good suggestion is to do some research and find out what the rate of pay is for your type of job in your geographical area. You might find that you are doing quite well, or maybe not, but it’s best to have some facts and not just “feel like” you aren’t paid enough.

Money is always important to us, no doubt about that. As the saying goes: “Follow the money.” But quite honestly, there are some jobs you wouldn’t want no matter how much money they paid. Please keep in mind that money does not solve all your problems and you should not make job decisions based solely on money.

Jesus warned us about the power of money. He said it’s possible to be a slave to money (Luke 16:13), and Paul says that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil (1 Timothy 6:10). So, you need to tread very carefully when money raises its head in your considerations. Any of us can easily be led astray by the love of money.

Question 5: Is your supervisor supportive, offering you good advice and opportunities for furthering your education in your field?

In other words, is there room to grow where you are? It really is important to know that you can add to your knowledge and skills and move ahead in your career pursuits. Standing still is not a lot of fun. Whether it is formal education or just the opportunity to learn new things, a job that offers growth potential typically is a satisfying job for most of us.

Sometimes you have to ask for those growth opportunities. Have you ever thought about asking your manager for more responsibility, or requesting an opportunity to learn a new skill? As James puts it: “ You desire but do not have. . . You do not have, because you do not ask God” (James 4:2).

Question 6: Do people look to you for advice at work?

This may seem like a strange question but think about it. If your knowledge and advice are respected and appreciated where you work, that really adds a lot of job satisfaction. And moving to a new job may not give you that same level of value to your employer—at least, it may take a lot of time to build that kind of respect and value. So, don’t underestimate the importance of those little things that you have where you work now—little things that have taken time to build and are not easily replaced. Knowing that you have something valuable to contribute and being asked for help and advice is very satisfying and should not be overlooked in determining whether you’re in the right job or not.

Question 7: Have you managed to find a good balance between work and personal life?

If you feel you are in a good balanced situation between the demands of your job and those of your personal life, that may be a huge determining factor in evaluating your job satisfaction. That means a lot, and even if you’re not totally thrilled with your job, to give up that good balance even for a job you might like more, could lead you into a lot of stress and tension, at home and at work. You know, the grass does tend to look greener on the other side quite often, but when you get there, you may discover that the green grass over there is all wet! And while green is nice, wet isn’t, if you get what I mean. Sometimes we simply make tradeoffs, because nothing is perfect in this world, including our jobs!

Question 8: Have you developed a positive relationship with your coworkers, or at least learned how to deal with each other’s different personalities?

In all the years of this ministry, the one issue that always comes up as more problematic than any other is getting along with the people you work with or for. You’re with those co-workers for eight or more hours each day, and if there is a good work relationship, a respect you have for each other, and you’re able to deal with whatever little idiosyncrasies might exist, you’re in a good place and you don’t want to give that up hastily.

Question 9: Do you feel totally exhausted at the end of a typical day, or just reasonably tired?

Feeling tired from a good day’s work is not a bad thing; we were created by God to work and the feelings of accomplishment that come from putting in a full hard workday are often very satisfying. I know on days when I have that feeling of accomplishing a lot, even though my mind and body may feel a bit weary, I feel lots of satisfaction in what I did.

However, if total exhaustion is typical for you most every workday, you need to do some reassessment. There could be other explanations for it, like health problems, but if the work is too much and too tiring, and there seems to be no respite, it’s difficult to keep liking a job that saps all your strength and energy.

Question 10: Even though there may be some repetitive or boring parts about your job, for the most part are you are stimulated and challenged by the work that you do?

You’ll never find a job that doesn’t have some boring aspects to it. As my friend reminds me, they call it work because it’s work! You’re paid to do some things that you really wish you didn’t have to do! It goes with all our territories. So, don’t let those things blind you to the things about the job that you really do like.

Finding a job that interests you, work that you feel makes a positive contribution, work that is valued—those are all key aspects in job satisfaction. Some people expect too much of a job, and then when some one thing is missing, they fail to appreciate the good things that they have. So, you might want to do an analysis and list all the things you like about your job versus the things you see as negatives. Put it in writing, and if the pluses outnumber the minuses, it could give you a very different perspective on your job and a greater appreciation for what you have. Or it could motivate you to find a better place to work.

Well, there you have it: Ten check points to determine your level of job satisfaction. After you’ve considered these, the most important check point is to pray about your job. Seek God’s guidance as to his plan for you. Is God using you there as a light in a dark world? That could be all the job satisfaction you need to determine that you’re in the right place. On the other hand, it could be a well-paying job that looks good on paper, but one that is bringing much grief and trouble into your life, and God may be leading you out of that kind of situation.

The good news is, God cares about your job and your job satisfaction, but he wants you to look at it through “forever eyes”—from an eternal perspective—and make choices based on what is important not just for now, but also for eternity.