Social Workers Know When it’s Time to Divorce Your Workplace

When did you last show love for your workplace? You may ask when your workplace last showed you love. If you are like many social workers, you fell out of love with your workplace a long time ago. Statements like “I love what I do!” “I love working with our clients!” “I love my colleagues and co-workers!” tell the tale. Loving clients, colleagues, or tasks is not the same as loving the workplace. We have emotional relationships with our workplaces. As such, we relate to them as we would individuals.

The workplace is the structure that forms organization. This includes the physical environment as well as the social environment. It also includes the bones around which the organization is built such as the mission, policies, and procedures. Processes that control the flow of work, decision making and service delivery add to the structure.

Actions demonstrate our love for the workplace. Feelings are shared by speaking kind words or words of affection regarding the workplace. Proactively taking actions to maintain an organization’s health is another way to demonstrate positive feelings. Social workers who love their workplace express enthusiasm when they think about their workplace. They look forward to spending time in the work environment.

Relationships are important to social workers and they naturally seek meaningful relationships with colleagues and clients. Work satisfaction relies on having a meaningful relationship with the organization. Assessing the reality of the relationship you have with your organization starts by asking yourself three smart and simple questions.

Use the following smart questions to get you started.

What is the mission of my organization?

Why is this question important? The mission of the organization is the roadmap used to describe the purpose of the organization. It describes the target the organization tries to reach. It communicates “who, what, when, where and how” the organization sets out to accomplish its purpose. It sets the tone for everything the organization does.

Does the mission permeate every aspect of my organization?

How does this question relate to how I feel about my workplace? Organizations that purposefully embrace their mission infuse the mission into every aspect of the organization. This means that the mission applies to every policy, procedure, or process. It also means that employees benefit from the mission within the workplace. For example, health organizations provide health and wellness benefits for their employees. How can an organization promote what it does not live?

Does my personal/professional mission align with the mission of my organization?

True love occurs when employee and organization missions align. There is a true partnership and connection. Employees are integral and vital to an organization’s ability to accomplish its mission. The connection allows employees to freely share their skills, abilities and interests. Organizations in turn reward employees by providing stability, professional growth opportunities and compensation that is commensurate with the actual work. Organizations value and encourage employee input.

Continue to ask the smart and simple questions that will transform your career.

We are launching a new web series entitled Smart and Simple Questions. We will share smart questions social workers should ask to boost their career opportunities or income. Connect with our sister site Happyhalfhour.club on Instagram @happyin30for relaxation tips and updates on the launch of the new series.

I work with social workers and hard working professionals who want to be happy. I would love to hear from you.  You may join the conversation by commenting on this post on our Facebook fan page REAL Social Workers Online Magazine, or connecting with me on LinkedIn.