Jobs

By Samuel Lutwama

Unhappiness and grumbling are increasingly becoming common at work, according to research.
“Sadness is in every worker’s face and voice. Be it managers or casual labourers, they are all affected because status does not matter when it comes to satisfaction at the workplace.”

However, when you find yourself ‘swimming’ through the waters of unhappiness from your once-dream job, it may be the right time to evaluate your personal character in relation with your co-workers’.  

Personal characters are behavioral presentation within us that manifest positively or negatively at the workplace.  

However, when the positive aspect is missing in someone’s character, work will ultimately turn into a nightmare.

Walter Anderson, the editor of Parade Magazine, says three factors determine our personalities. They are cultural values, the environment we live in and our response to both.

Anderson argues that one may not control whatever happens to them at your workplace. “You can only control how you react to them through building your mental strength to endure what you can’t change,” he explains.

Richard Kiyimba, the Flying For Life a Civil Aviation Company logistics manager, explains that character flaws are prevalent in every individual, but usually one becomes dominant and defines ones personality.

According to experts, people with good personality traits influence interpersonal relations at workplace positively and the reverse is true.

Similar beliefs and ways of working usually encourage communication and support the working relationship, hence increasing the productivity. In contrast, however, people with opposing character traits require a lot of energy and emotional strength to be as productive.

“People are usually attracted to people who praise their positive attributes,” Kiyimba adds.

Thinking creatively about your job can help one harmonise their character flaws at the workplace.

“The happiest people in the world are those who can control their bad traits to bring out all their potential,” business writer, Denis Waitley, explains.

One’s bad character traits can change through building relationship that enhances happiness at the workplace.

“Whatever is learnt can be unlearnt,” according to Henry Kaweesa, a sales representative at Cooper Uganda Limited.

He argues that one can improve their character through expressing appreciation to others.

“People with good character traits promote good feelings and strengthen relationships. After all, Buddhist believes that the light of good character outshines the light of the sun to an individual.”

Kaweesa adds that the increasing rate of unhappiness at workplaces stems from failure to face the new demands at work.

He says compatibility is essential as it blends personality traits together to work in harmoniously.   

Delegating and interchanging roles, especially by managers, can be an effective way of assessing workers personal traits, experts explain.

Whenever people are in a comfort zone, they always paint a deceptive picture, yet man is subject to change because character traits keeps on changing with prevailing situation, they add.

Kaweesa says a person, for example, a customer care employee, can be taught relationship skills to improve their behaviour.

“Because it is an acquired skill and an ongoing life experience that needs self-effort.”
Attaining job satisfaction is not about getting a perfect job, it comes after working and curbing  personal character to suit the working environment
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