The most depressing jobs

My thanks to @SimonHague for tweeting the top 10 most depressing jobs as listed in the New York Daily Times:

• nursing home & care workers
• social workers
• health care workers
• artists, entertainers, writers
• teachers
• administrative staff support
• maintenance & ground workers
• financial advisors & accountants
• salespeople

When I read this I reflected on a previous blog of mine on Patrick Lecioni and how 'people don't leave companies they leave bosses'.  A recent article in People Management looks at the growing threat of 'presenteeism' and how people are turning up for work despite illness, but are not operating at full capacity.  The Sainsbury Centre for Ill Health research states that 'presenteeism' accounts for 1.5 times as much work lost as 'absenteeism', but could cost more as it is more common amongst higher paid staff.  They estimated sickness absence was costing £8.4 billion a year, whilst 'presenteeism' cost £15.1 billion, and that was before the recession!

So, back to Lencioni's comment.  I wonder if there is a different kind of risk associated with 'presenteeism'.  How many staff keep coming to work but don't want to be there?  I wonder what are the costs to the business of these demotivated people and what impact are they having on others around them?  

So, my challenge is this, let's start looking at engaging people, having some challenging conversations about why they are not performing, and maybe we should start being a bit more 'adult' if people don't want to be there.

We might well start with scrutinising ourselves.  Are we providing staff with clarity about the jobs we want them to do, are we equipping them to do the best job possible with the right tools and training and is it interesting to them?  

If that's not the answer then maybe helping them to get out of a job they find miserable might be the best thing that you could do for them.  I am not talking about redundancy, but supporting them to make some choices and motivating them to find the job they really want.

If you need some help, I can offer a range of psychometric and coaching options that could enable you to have these conversations, raise awareness and understanding of what motivates different people at work, increase engagement and ultimately drive effectiveness and profitability.