If you thought getting a job was the ultimate quick fix for all your worries, think again. Recent survey shows having a bad job may actually make you more miserable than when you were unemployed. Researchers at the Australian National University in Canberra collected data from over 7,000 respondents to find that a job with little security, low rewards and high demands made people unhappier than those with no job at all. In a gulfnews.com survey, more than 40 per cent of the newspaper’s readers felt that their bosses needed to be sacked. So is it simply better to be unemployed? Join the debate at readers@gulfnews.com
14:02 Gulf News: A badly paid job is worse for one’s mental health than having no job at all.
14:03 Eisha Gupta: Being unemployed is frustrating but if you land up in a bad job, you would wish to go back to being without it.
14:04 Mathew Litty: Being unemployed is usually not an option for most people these days. I have been stuck in a job that I hated but being an optimist there are always aspects of any job that can make it somewhat bearable.
14:05 Subhasis Mukherjee: Taking a break in search of recourse will devalue one’s career, as any break in service doesn’t go down well with prospective employers.
14:14 S. H. Kabeer: If there is no money, there is no life. Instead of focusing only on poor income, if the same person is confident of finding a better earning platform, why should they have to stick in a low-paying job?
14:19 Sherine Mounir: Well, you need to be a self-motivator. This is a fast-growing market and if you don’t learn how to achieve self-actualisation on your own, you will be stuck. I believe you need to make the best out of the job you have.
14:22 Gulf News: Managers who ‘run a tight ship’ are often seen as bullies.
14:24 Sherine Mounir: Not really. There are a lot of leaders who run a tight ship but always communicate their vision to everyone around them. This way they won’t seem like they are imposing their own ideas just because they are the boss.
14:25 Fatima Khan: Many a times, experienced managers are painted as bullies because they believe in getting the job done in the best way and before deadline. An earnest employee understands, others complain of bullying.
14:26 Mathew Litty: A boss has to be a leader but they should not bully their staff. Since I work for the service industry, my boss is very strict about each and every single thing happening in the department. But he never acts like a bully.
14:27 Touseef Asfhaq: Well, as designers our deadline is the biggest problem, which is not from the managers - it is from our clients. So, it is not true that managers are very strict.
14:28 Sudha Kathuria: I think it depends on the boss’s mindset: how capable they are of getting work done by their subordinates without adding any fuss.
14:28 S. H. Kabeer: Bullies are short-tempered and can often be seen in low-profile positions. Managers who “run a tight ship” are like pearls inside a hard shell. The outer appearance should be ignored as mostly they are leaders with excellent vision.
14:29 Gulf News: A friendly environment motivates employees more than a good salary.
14:32 Sherine Mounir: We need to change the way we view our jobs only for the pay or else we will be very miserable. This is because whenever you will get a job, you will find another with a higher pay and you will still be miserable! You need to evaluate the job based on what it adds to you on a financial level, a social level and a personal level.
14:34 Fatima Khan: Sometimes too friendly an environment makes the clients feel that work is not the priority for the company and the employees may also take advantage of the management.
14:35 Munawar Aziz: When we select a job we calculate everything. Obviously we will not select a job that is bad for a small compensation. But yes, if the compensation rate is high or double then we could consider and try to adjust.
14:39 Aisha Naseem: I would want a job that pays me for the qualification and work experience I have got. I’d go for a job with a little less money but a good atmosphere.
14:36 Gulf News: Politics instead of skills determines one’s success at work.
14:37 Sherine Mounir: I won’t call it politics but I would say that the emotional intelligence that some have would affect how successful they are in the job. Knowing the right way to make themselves stand out, approaching the right people to get a job done.
14:37 Eisha Gupta: If the environment you are working in has place for politics then obviously that will play a very important role. However, a professional environment should always go for skills.
14:38 Subhasis Mukherjee: Not always, but yes in many cases. Performance appraisal has a human factor in it, which is driven by the appraiser’s perceptions, ego and mindset. Many managers try to suppress a competent subordinate if he thinks it will threaten his or her position.
14:38 Aisha Samrah: I don’t believe in politics. Sincerity determines success, though it does become harder to achieve.
14:39 Aisha Naseem: If you have the skills one would pay you for anyway, then skills matter. If you belong to the ‘in-between’ category, then politics plays a role.
14:39 Sherine Mounir: We need to differentiate between politics and emotional quotient! You can’t blame people who understand the way things work and try to strive on those points.
Areej Juma, Businesswoman
Universities are now so diverse that you get a lot of experience in different fields. So, sometimes you do end up in a field that is not related to your specialisation but you will have something to bring in. Try it, and if you are not good at it, then leave. But at least you would have tried.
Ann Al Sakar, Educator
It is all about happiness really. My husband works so I don’t have a problem, for me it is a choice, I can work and not work and that is the difference. For me not working and being happy is far more important. Because to have a bad job is just going to make my whole family miserable. Even if I am unemployed, I can look after my family a lot better.
Samer Shaher Ashour, Civil Enginner
I have been in a bad job and I have also spent time without a job, and was much happier in the latter situation. If you have a job, you often feel that you are putting all your efforts for nothing, which is really hard, especially if you are ambitious. If you are just sitting at home, anything that comes your way will cheer you up.
Saif Al Meskiri, Fire Engineer
Having a bad job may be bad for mental health but at the same time it depends on your needs. Not everyone is happy at work, but at the end of the day you earn something to fill your stomach. So, I would go for the bad job, at least I can feed my family.
