What professions/industries are more prone to enter the state of workplace haze?
Next question.
The salary of the job I’m engaged in is not high, and it is easy to fall into the gloom of the workplace.
Next question.
Three Common Workplace Mental Hazes: Leaders Who Are Difficult to Handle, Colleagues/Customers Who Scheme Against You, Being Overly Self-Critical.
People in all walks of life are susceptible to workplace frustrations. As long as you have to deal with people at work, desire a bigger slice of the cake, and aspire to promotion, you are prone to experiencing these frustrations.
Desire breeds expectations, which in turn lead to setting goals. When you have goals, you strive toward them. Along the way, there will always be people holding you back and obstacles blocking your path. In the end, you may not be able to achieve what you desire. Do you feel frustrated?
There are several types of workplace frustrations that can be quite disheartening:
- Difficulties and conflicts with superiors
I have had more than ten bosses in my career, and the vast majority of them were highly competent professionals who provided me with guidance and opportunities to grow. However, there were two among them who were difficult to get along with.
Although my interactions with these two bosses were relatively short (less than a year each), it was still very distressing. One had a bad temper and would unreasonably scold people every day. The other was insecure and constantly worried about me replacing him.
Both situations were difficult to bear. After trying my best to cooperate for half a year, I made up my mind to end the collaboration. I couldn’t change myself, nor could I tolerate or flatter them without limits. And I couldn’t change who they were.
Leaving was like setting myself free. The frustration instantly disappeared. Therefore, for this kind of workplace frustration, the only way to get rid of it is to change the environment and start fresh.
- Difficulties and hidden rivalry with colleagues/clients
I have also encountered this type of workplace frustration frequently. Colleagues who secretly obstruct you become more envious and eager to outperform you when you excel. In such cases, it is important to be professional and have solid grounds for your work.
In addition, it is essential to communicate with your superiors about any innovative or unconventional approaches before taking action. Otherwise, people may hide in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity to exploit your mistakes.
After going through several rounds, I realized that as long as I did things meticulously and kept my guard up, they couldn’t find any loopholes. Eventually, she restrained herself, and both the leaders and colleagues knew her true colors.
However, the company still prioritizes performance, and since her performance was not bad, nothing much happened to her. But she lost her reputation, and when her name is mentioned, everyone advises to keep their distance.
- Difficulties and self-doubt
I have a few colleagues who tend to constantly doubt themselves. One developed depression due to excessive self-doubt, and others needed frequent counseling; otherwise, they would become as deflated as a punctured balloon.
After talking to them, they would immediately become active again and full of enthusiasm. However, this motivation couldn’t last for more than two weeks because there are always challenges at work. Once they encountered a difficulty, they would slump again and need counseling.
This is a matter of lacking self-motivation and self-drive. In other words, they are not focused enough on their goals, not busy enough, and not determined enough. They always rely on external stimuli to motivate themselves, and their determination is relatively weak.
The more they rely on external stimuli, the easier it is for negative influences to seep in. After all, these external stimuli may not always be positive. If one is not strong enough, negative energy from the outside can easily have a negative impact.
In contrast, look at those colleagues who are always bustling with energy, even when faced with challenges. They don’t need any extra motivation because they are constantly busy and always positive.
In the workplace, it is important to maintain a positive mindset and cycle. Set clear goals, give it your all, correct yourself promptly, achieve your goals, receive feedback, and move on to the next goal. This way, it is less likely to get caught up in self-doubt.
See, most of these workplace frustrations come from people. That’s why it is crucial to handle relationships well in the workplace, whether it’s with leaders and superiors, colleagues and clients, or even our own mindset. Inner strength is essential.
When you have a broad mind, trivial matters become insignificant. Divide your heart into 100 rooms, and only a few of these rooms should be reserved for workplace issues. There are countless other beautiful things in life waiting to be experienced, so reserve the remaining rooms for them.
Difficulties Faced by Civil Servants
Civil servant.
This is not sarcasm, nor Versailles.
For most people, the purpose of taking the civil service exam is to find a job, to have a decent life, to support a family without worrying about unemployment, and so on.
In first-tier cities, newly appointed civil servants cannot possibly afford to buy a house by themselves. Those who can afford it are either supported by their parents or by a sugar daddy.
Some even empty out their savings to gather the down payment, and the monthly mortgage payments leave them struggling to breathe.
In non-first-tier cities, in places too poor, they may not even receive their salaries and bonuses on time, taking three to five months to do so. In wealthier places, the housing prices are also not low.
In short, with the income of a civil servant, living a stable life and supporting a family is a very difficult task. That’s one aspect of it.
…
Some people say, you civil servants cry poverty, how are other ordinary people supposed to live?
This statement reveals biases and misunderstandings about civil servants.
Firstly, the income of most civil servants is similar to the local average income.
Even in some affluent cities, such as Shenzhen and the Pearl River Delta, civil servants are not as well off as office workers.
Secondly, nowadays civil servants have heavy workloads and are under as much pressure as private enterprise employees. They truly burn the midnight oil.
Moreover, whatever work you do as a civil servant, it is regarded as “expected of you,” and there are no bonuses or anything like that.
If you work hard and do a good job in a private enterprise, you will be promoted faster and earn more than a civil servant.
Lastly, and most importantly, civil servants, and even all institutions within the system, are being swept up in an increasingly intense wave of “formalism” and “bureaucracy”.
Especially at the grassroots level.
Not only do they have to do their work, but they also have to document everything they do, so-called “work traces”. And there are even more records to be kept, “traces of the traces”…
For example, procurement.
At first, you could choose a supplier with a reasonable price and get the approval of your superiors.
Then, to prevent corruption, they started requesting three competitive bids.
Furthermore, three bids were not considered scientific enough, so they implemented tenders and bids.
After that, “single-source procurement” even became a thing…
For projects that cost a few tens of thousands of dollars, or even just a few thousand dollars, I need to prepare materials and get approvals from my superiors. From one piece of paper, two signatures, one stamp, to a stack of papers, dozens of signatures, and tens of stamps…
Why do civil servants work later and later?
Why are they more and more mentally exhausted?
Why are they tired to death even though they don’t do physical labor?
Why do more people need to be hired, but the workload keeps increasing?
Why are they doing more and more work, but earning less income?
And so on.
This is the current dilemma of civil servants.
Too much work and little pay… Every job and industry is plagued!
Money is scarce, and there are too many things to do and far from home…
No matter which profession or industry, they are all troubled!
Career Frustration Linked to Money, Mistreatment, and Dead-end Jobs.
In any industry, in any profession, workplace dissatisfaction can occur in the following three situations:
- Not being paid enough.
- Feeling unjustly treated.
- Doing menial tasks.
The first two points are quotes by Teacher Ma, and the third point is my addition.
In actual workplaces, it may be a combination of two out of the three situations, and some people may experience all three.
Not being paid enough, being subjected to various forms of manipulation by superiors, and still being stuck doing menial work without any personal growth or progress—how could one not feel dissatisfied with the workplace?
Especially for the first point, many people feel unhappy because they are not being paid enough. If the money is enough, many people would just grit their teeth and endure it, as after all, no one can complain about being paid well.
The purpose of employees is to earn money, to earn more money, and to earn a lot of money. It would be even better if they could earn money happily and quickly.
The reality is that it is becoming increasingly difficult to make money nowadays, and many people in the workplace are living in constant fear, fearing that they might be laid off at any moment.
Going to work every day with a sense of trepidation, can one not feel workplace dissatisfaction?
If not making money was the only issue, you would find that the less money you make, the more trivial matters your superiors would bother you with, and the more your colleagues would try to undermine and compete with each other.
Even a normal person will slowly develop issues when their emotions are inevitably affected.
Not making money and feeling unjustly treated might be tolerable, but at least one can learn something and improve oneself. That would still be acceptable.
However, when you realize that even this has become a luxury, you can’t help but want to quit immediately. But due to the overall environment or perhaps your own capabilities, it becomes easy to fall into workplace dissatisfaction.
In the end, workplace dissatisfaction is still related to money, emotions, and personal growth.
I am @爱笑的王阿哥, a seasoned professional with nine years of work experience, specializing in the workplace, programming, and autonomous driving.
Here’s a quote to uplift you: Empowering yourself is the key to solving all problems.
Working in Public Service and Healthcare
Must, must, must be a professional in the workplace who deals with people.
I. Workplace professionals in public utility window units
When I was working on a project, I was at the first floor of the office building of a local bus company as the project party A representative. It was the Bus Card Service Center responsible for handling tasks related to bus cards such as issuing, annual inspections, and recharging.
As soon as we saw it, we knew this Bus Card Service Center was a typical window unit. While working on the project, when we had nothing to do after lunch, we would sit in the lobby for a while, and the ladies behind the windows would come over to chat with us about the frustrating things they encountered that day. Either some elderly man would have a big argument with them over a 10 yuan annual inspection fee, or some middle-aged lady would curse at them for mistakenly deducting 1 yuan from their bus fare. These ladies behind the windows had good professional qualities and would usually choose to remain silent for a while until the person had vented enough, and then they would respond.
According to these ladies behind the windows, many people vent their dissatisfaction with society at their window units. They were also professionals at work, although they represented the image of the bus company and couldn’t conflict with customers. But privately, they could still curse and chat, otherwise the emotional pollution in the workplace would be too severe.
If some citizens had complaints about their window service and called the mayor’s hotline, with a reporter from the local TV station coming to interview, the ladies behind the windows wouldn’t need to do anything all day except sit there and write reports. They would have to explain to their superiors why they were being complained about, how they handled it, and how they would improve in the future. Many of these complaints were about trivial matters or even nitpicking.
II. Healthcare professionals like hospital nurses
Nurses in hospitals are easily summoned and criticized by patients or their family members who lack manners. Sometimes they may even face baseless accusations or complaints over minor issues. I remember a few years ago, when my elderly father was hospitalized, a rookie nurse came to give him moxibustion treatment. After messing up for a while and unable to get it right, the moxa stick didn’t burn properly, and I could clearly see sweat on the nurse’s forehead. Later, an older nurse came and showed her how to do it, and only then was it finally done correctly.
There was another time when I was receiving intravenous therapy and the nurse failed to insert the needle properly after three tries, which caused me a lot of pain. Seeing that she was at a loss, she called another nurse to take over, and the other nurse quickly inserted the needle perfectly.
If some patients or their family members encounter these situations without understanding or empathy, they may resort to cursing or lodging a complaint. That single day’s pay or several days of good records could be ruined. Who wouldn’t feel upset about that?
@Career Professionals on Zhihu
I am a professional in various industries, dedicated to the field of careers. I am willing to communicate and exchange ideas about workplace matters with friends from all walks of life.
The Essence of Work - Mindset, Passion, and Money
No matter what profession or industry, once the workload keeps increasing and the salary doesn’t increase, the mood at work becomes like going to a funeral.
At the beginning of entering the workplace, everyone is ambitious and wants to make a big difference. Working diligently is not only a basic requirement, but also a passion and enthusiasm of “laughing at the sky and going out, are we mere weeds”.
After working for a while, I always feel that I am not being recognized for my talent, my income is not increasing, and there are more and more things to do. The workplace is like a battlefield, and people’s hearts are unpredictable. I might as well restrain my abilities a little and just get by.
After working for a few years, I have also become the so-called “veteran” in others' eyes. It’s not that I don’t want to work, and it’s not that I don’t have the ability to work. It’s just the helplessness of “I would like to have my heart set on the bright moon, but how can the bright moon illuminate the ditch”.
The essence of going to work is actually to get paid for doing tasks. If you exert too much force and get too involved, you will hurt yourself. Naturally, emotional stress will accumulate. I often feel that my investment in work is not proportional to my income, gradually losing my passion for work.
Remember, going to work is to make money. It is inevitable to suffer some grievances, scolding, office politics, and complicated interpersonal relationships. These are not unique to any place. Which place can be without interpersonal relationships when you leave this company?
Where there are people, there is a community. Where there is a community, there are these troublesome matters.
Why do many people want to start a business after working for a few years?
Entrepreneurship is for oneself.
Working for others is for others.
When you do something for yourself, sometimes you can rest if you want to rest, but you have goals and a mission.
When you truly realize that you want to make money and achieve your own life value through entrepreneurship, you will not feel tired. Sometimes, you even feel that eating and sleeping are a luxury.
What is tiredness?
But since you just started working, you are naturally a young person.
I have always advocated earning more money when you are young and being more practical. Many people talk to me about career dreams, life values, and dedication. Now, when you talk about dreams, there is a promising world for young people. But when you reach your thirties, you will truly understand that material things, although it sounds vulgar, are really useful.
Dreams cannot be eaten, but young people, you have to think about one thing. Do you come to this world just for that monthly salary?
Do you know how to motivate yourself?
You need to be very clear that you want to live a good life, to be the kind of goddess in others' eyes who takes the initiative to ask if you are free tonight, and tells you not to wear something tonight.
I am not talking about something dirty, but about the decadence that a man should have. Young people, go and ask the vast earth, who is in charge of one’s own destiny?
I dare not say what kind of great achievements I can accomplish in my life. My personality determines the height I can reach in my life.
But, I want to live my life in the way I like.
Now I finally understand.
The so-called extraordinary people keep their success secrets to themselves.
The so-called extraordinary people use grand theories to deceive others.
The so-called extraordinary people control others based on morality.
The so-called extraordinary people fool others with little stories.
The so-called extraordinary people only read books but don’t believe in them.
Even history is a little girl who lets others dress her up, not to mention these nonsensical theories and lofty ideals of humanity?
Have you noticed a pattern?
Only two types of people talk about profound truths: extraordinary people and common people.
Extraordinary people tell stories to ordinary people, and themselves use theories to make money and achieve goals.
What about ordinary people? They talk about theories to themselves, to friends, to children, and everyone feels proud.
Hey. Others see through but won’t speak up, while I speak up but no one listens.
I don’t like writing about inspirational words, wisdom backpacks; I write about some simple experiences and brutal realities. Some of the words may be too straightforward and bloody, or too extreme and human nature, which may offend or hurt some people. I hope all barriers can be resolved as time goes by.
In the days to come, I will continue to write as before.
When we hesitate, the world seems vast;
When we bravely take the first step, the world seems small.
When we become the person we like one day, who dares to question our initial choices?
In the real world, most people are like domesticated animals, enclosed by the idea of “owning a house,” with the younger generation trapped inside.
They satisfy their appetites with junk food and pre-packaged meals.
They disrupt their minds with various entertainments and short videos, keeping them immersed in happiness.
Then they use a exploitative work system and so-called benefits to force them to work for this system.
The current situation is that the middle class in cities is busy every day, each doing their own thing. The so-called intellectuals in the real world are submissive and afraid of death. The lower-class people have to strive and work from early morning till late night to make a living.
Atomization and emptiness are their destiny.
Becoming one of them is the dream of those who are good at answering test questions in small tow
Effect of Negative Communication on Attitude and State
You may often encounter communication partners with negative energy, which makes it easier to enter this state.
The mindset and state of mind you have will attract similar energies. So, regardless of the profession/industry, it all depends on how you face the outside world from within, what kind of signal you emit to the outside world, and what signals from the outside world you receive, all of which will have different degrees of impact.
For example: when a customer buys a poor quality product and seeks assistance from the seller’s customer service for after-sales issues, the customer service follows a fixed script but fails to solve the customer’s problem. After several communications, the customer becomes frustrated. The customer service representative did their job according to the prescribed procedures, but the outcome is still unsatisfactory.
The starting point of whether it is a problem is often from your own perspective. If you can consider things from the other person’s perspective, you may be able to solve the problem happily and receive more positive feedback.
Therefore, if you can understand the origin of the matter and not easily let external factors affect your emotions, it may help and improve things.
Coping with Workplace Frustration
Some abilities, and people with very good work attitudes, serious and responsible, as well as those with career plans, are prone to encountering “workplace haze”.
For those who love to slack off, or those who don’t have much ability themselves, they are not likely to experience workplace haze, because they are generally satisfied with any job they come across. In addition, for those who have no career plans and go with the flow, it is also difficult for them to encounter this kind of haze. For them, wherever they go, they come and go freely, because they have no choice but to go with the flow. They don’t know what they really need, or even if they do, they don’t know how to actively pursue it. The majority of people in the workplace fall into this category.
When encountering workplace haze, don’t worry or think too much, as it will put too much pressure on yourself. Some people even think they are abnormal and end up truly becoming abnormal.
When faced with haze, don’t rush to analyze why. There are certainly many things that make you unhappy, and there can be various reasons, but it’s not necessary to understand the reason behind everything. The more haze there is, the more likely you are to get anxious and worried, and the more likely you are to get stuck in a rut. At this time, there’s no need to analyze anything, because it’s difficult for you to analyze correctly, and the more you analyze, the more wrong you may be.
Therefore, it is recommended to detach yourself at this time, do something else, take a break, indulge in a hobby, and give yourself some time to relax.
In addition, find time to exercise more. Exercise provides a lot of positive stimulation for yourself and helps maintain a positive mindset. This is very important.
Lastly, travel and read books. These are the treasures that strengthen your inner self. It’s crucial to have a strong inner self in order to better handle all sorts of things.
The Importance of a Healthy Mindset in the Workplace
I believe that everyone in every profession will experience moments of “workplace mental haze” from time to time. There is no specific profession that is more prone to it; rather, it depends on an individual’s personality and mindset.
Some people feel overwhelmed and lost when faced with even a small amount of work-related stress, entering a state of “workplace mental haze”. They feel confused and bothered by their work, wanting to escape from it. On the other hand, some people may initially struggle with stress at work, but after a brief adjustment, they are able to turn that pressure into motivation and work harder to overcome challenges.
In our daily work life, mindset is crucial. Maintaining a positive mindset helps us face various problems with ease and resolve them effortlessly. Even if we find ourselves in a state of “workplace mental haze”, a good mindset allows us to quickly break free from it. Conversely, a negative mindset can lead to extreme thoughts when faced with problems and easily push us into a state of “workplace mental haze”. This can cause anxiety, panic, and unease, greatly impacting both our personal lives and work.
Therefore, I believe that the profession or industry itself is not the main cause of individuals entering a state of “workplace mental haze” (although it cannot be denied that certain industries may present more challenges and difficulties). The main cause lies within the individual. If every professional genuinely loves their work and puts in effort, maintaining a positive and sunny mindset, calmly facing and handling difficulties without rushing, then why fear the “workplace mental haze”?
Therefore, it is essential to adjust ourselves and cultivate a healthy and positive mindset. This is the foundation for our success in the workplace.