I’ve written in my books, articles and blog posts several times before about the nursing profession and how a career in nursing can be difficult work. Well a nurse colleague of mine sent me an article with a subject line that read ‘I think you will enjoy this article‘.
I open the article and see the title ‘Why You Hate Work’. Immediately I was taken aback and I actually did not read the article right away. I thought to myself, ‘Hate work? How is this article going to lift me up? The title is just so negative.’
Yet I was curious.
The article ‘Why You Hate Work‘ was written by By Tony Schwartz and Christine Porath for the NY Times Sunday Review section this past weekend. And while, to me, the title is a bit harsh the article (once I finally broke down and read it) does serve a wonderful purpose.
My favorite line in the article is the first:
[Tweet “”The way we’re working isn’t working.””]
They go on to talk about their company, The Energy Project, which works with organizations to improve employee engagement. Now I remember Vicki Hess‘s webinar for the Art of Nursing program where she reviewed the terms we use when we refer to enjoyable employment.
In Vicki’s talk she offered that instead of using the word ‘engagement’ we speak to what this really looks, feels like and means to us as nurse professionals. Engagement, to us, really is getting up and going to work feeling excited about our jobs. Being at a nursing career where we feel valued and appreciated. Finding meaning and value in our roles as nurse professionals. Doing work that connects us to a greater purpose.
So back to the NY Times Sunday Review, ‘Why You Hate Work‘, the authors offer four core needs that, when met, employees are more productive and satisfied with their careers.
These were: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Well, as a holistic nurse, I was thrilled. The very things we have been talking about, reviewing and enjoying here on this blog!
- Physical: the ability to take a break and recharge while at work
- Emotional: feeling appreciated for their work and cared for by their supervisors
- Mental: being able to focus on the task at hand
- Spiritual: feeling connected to work and being able to shine by doing what they do best
I encourage you to take this information and article and reflect on your own nursing career. Are these four core needs being met? If not all four, how many are? Is there something that you can do to increase any one of these needs? Or is a change necessary to find a nursing career that meets these core values?
Most importantly, what do these core needs mean to you?
I would love to hear your take on this article and the core needs these authors offer. Do you agree? What would you add? How would you apply this to your own career as a nurse professional? Go ahead and leave a comment below. And as always, thank you for reading.
I love your article and the one you posted a link to. As a employee, I was never fortunate enough to work a job that fully fulfilled the four needs that you mentioned. Most businesses function on the premise that as a employee you are there to fulfill their needs and not vice versa.
The only way I have been able to meet the needs listed is to work for myself. Then it still can be a challenge. When I feel like I am lacking in one of the four areas, I work on meeting my own needs.
Your Art of Nursing online program was a great resource for teaching me how to leverage my skills to meet my own needs! There is nothing like self education to empower yourself. Thanks for all that you do!
Oh Erica, thank you so much. This is music to my ears. I am so appreciative of your kind feedback and what you got out of the Art of Nursing program. I am thrilled you were able to participate and enjoy the self-learning and empowerment in that way.
I agree with you about most employers. The interesting thing that the NY Times article did was to highlight the results that companies, like Costco, are seeing when they focus on employees first. In fact, in giving them higher pay and greater benefits, they have found that Costco employees have generated more sales, have had less turnover and has seen a 200% rise in stock.
Now those are some things other companies might be interested in for their own businesses, eh? Maybe other employers can learn from the article and example such as this.
Thank you for your comment! Enjoy the day,
Elizabeth
I THOUGHT I was connected and my needs were being met at work. I’ve taken several of your classes and used some of the techniques I learned. What I was doing was working for me. After reading this article, how wrong I was! The mental and spiritual seem to be covered. I was glad to see I at least was ok in two of the areas. The physical and emotional aren’t working. I am not able to recharge like I should and do not feel appreciateed for my work nor by my supervisors. Thanks for the wake-up call and now I have some work to do!
You are connected to your needs, Marti. You have had quite the journey of growth, development, change and healing. The article speaks to the fact that while we can be connected to our core needs, at times, our employers may not be. Keep on setting your boundaries, taking care of you and expecting that others value self-care like you do. You are doing great things and I see such a glow in you. Enjoy the day, Elizabeth