Top 40 signs you're in an unrewarding job

What is a rewarding or unrewarding job? It means different things to different people, but most of us would like to be able to put a green tick in the job satisfaction box.
Our recent research via OnePoll has revealed that almost half of Brits are stuck in a 'boring or unrewarding job'.
We polled 2,000 employed adults to find out more about how they feel about their everyday roles, and the results were surprising.
35 per cent of those polled describe their work as 'soul destroying', yet nearly 6 in 10 said they had no plans for progression in their current role.

Why do people stagnate but do nothing about it?

Our research showed that a third of those who describe their current job as a 'dead end' confess that they actually like it that way because it's steady and they never get in trouble. A quarter think they're unqualified for a more rewarding job, while 1 in 5 confess to being too lazy to change career. The knock on effect of this is that a significant proportion of those polled think that having a dull job has also made them less interesting outside of work.
While these are disappointing statistics and attitudes, all is not lost. Through distance learning, even disillusioned employees can boost their skills, qualifications and confidence at their own pace - either by studying a work related course for career progression or a career change, or choosing a subject purely for enjoyment, like our Animal Care student Susan.
Our CEO, Samantha Rutter, says:
“We spend a huge amount of time at work so it’s important to be doing something you enjoy and get some satisfaction from. For some, picking up a steady paycheque is enough to keep them coming back year after year. But after a while, even a regular income seems to struggle to keep people engaged and excited about work.
“Sometimes simply learning a new part of the role or doing some extra training can really help boost what you get back from your job, making it feel like less of a chore.”

The top 40 signs you're in an unrewarding job

How many of these can you tick? As few as possible, hopefully!

1. You're bored
2. You start clockwatching by noon
3. It's hard to get out of bed in the mornings
4. You've lost the passion
5. You are just in the job for the money
6. You call in sick... when you're not sick
7. You're out the door the minute your workday ends
8. You're annoyed before you even get to work
9. You don't care if you're late
10. When people ask how your day at work was, you never have anything to say
11. You become easily irritated
12. You fantasise about having another - stress-free - job
13. Your productivity levels are constantly decreasing
14. You haven't learnt any new skills at work in ages
15. You become stressed easily
16. You start to question your purpose within the business
17. You begin to question whether you are in the right field / look at jobs in different industries instead of finding a similar one to your current job
18. You're constantly procrastinating
19. You don't like the people you work with
20. You've signed up to job board alerts
21. Your ideas are not being heard/ valued
22. You have a bad work-life balance (finish work too late/often work overtime at home)
23. You haven't had a pay rise in ages/ ever
24. You struggle to sleep worrying about work the next day
25. The commute annoys you
26. You stay up late because you don't want it to be tomorrow
27. You do life admin during work time
28. You find yourself jealous of your friends' jobs
29. You moan about the boss
30. You take full advantage of your hour lunch break
31. Ungrateful clients/customers annoy you
32. Colleagues get credit for doing loads of work when they don't
33. You don't make effort with your appearance
34. You don't see your friends/family enough because you're constantly tired
35. You struggle to keep on top of work load
36. You go for early/long lunches
37. You do more work than your boss/bosses
38. You're constantly booking holidays
39. You don't feel comfortable asking for a payrise
40. You get calls from the boss out of hours/at the weekend

Are you in an unrewarding job?

Where are you in your career? Take our quiz and find out! Let us know how you get on through our social channels, and don't forget to share with your friends and colleagues!

Give our student advisers a call on 03300 563100 to find out more about boosting your career through a distance learning course, or browse all our subjects online.