Print In order to be happy at work, it is important that the working conditions and tasks match your motivations, preferences and skills. A good fit will result in more energy, pleasure and satisfaction. Therefore, it is useful to investigate to what extent your work energizes you. The following exercises can help you to do so.
Exercise 1: Energy balance
Create a table with two columns in which you rate each work task on how much energy it gives (energy gain) or costs (energy loss) you. You can do this on a scale from -10 to +10 and use ‘0’ to indicate a neutral effect. This will give you more insight into which tasks give you energy and which cost you energy. Below, you can find an example of such a table.
| Task | Energy loss or gain |
| Answering emails | -3 |
| Supervising interns | +6 |
| Making plans | 0 |
Exercise 2: Obstacles
There are many factors, other than work-related tasks, that can influence your energy, such as working conditions, personal characteristics or private circumstances. Make another table for these obstacles. You can find an example below.
| Obstacle | Energy loss |
| Annoying discussions with a colleague | -7 |
| Wanting to do everything perfectly | -3 |
| Combining work with raising children | -4 |
Exercise 3: Helpful resources
Opposite to obstacles are helpful resources. These have a positive effect on your energy. Make another table for helpful resources. You can find an example below.
| Helpful resources | Energy gain |
| Short commuting time | +3 |
| Friendly colleagues | +6 |
| Possibility to work from home | +4 |
Now, spread out all the tables next to each other. Is there anything that stands out or surprises you? What gives you the most energy? And what costs you the most energy? Is your energy balance in equilibrium? If not, what is causing the imbalance? Can you make a change? Below, you can find an explanation on how to tackle this.
Job crafting
Job crafting refers to making changes to align your work with your motivations, preferences and skills. There are a number of different strategies you can try. These are shown in the table below:
| Adjusting tasks | Adjusting relationships | Adjusting thoughts | Adjusting environment | |
| Add | Additional task: Adding a task that gives you energy. |
Working together: Collaborate on the task with others. |
Take a positive perspective:
Put more focus on the positive effects of the task for other people. |
Decorate:
Brighten up your work environment with decorations. |
|
Adjust |
Adjust the task:
Spend more time on (part of) a task that gives you energy. |
Different people:
Perform the same task with different people. |
Reinterpret:
Pay more attention to the positive aspects of the task. |
Re-locate:
Carry out your work in a different location or at a different time. |
|
Remove |
Remove the task: Spend less time on (part of) a task that costs you a lot of energy. |
Avoid: Avoid the people who cost you a lot of energy more often. |
Ignore Stop thinking about the unpleasant aspects of a task. |
Remodel:
Remove disturbing environmental factors. |
|
Solve |
Self-improvement Improve your skills through training and practice, making the task more enjoyable. |
Learning to cope with the situation: Learn to manage conflict. Improve social skills. |
Acceptance:
Accept that the task is part of the work and adjust your expectations. |
Alleviate:
Reduce discomfort in your workspace with the right equipment. |
Exercise 4: Adjustments at work
Pick a few of the energy-consuming tasks and difficult obstacles from the tables in exercise 1 and exercise 2. Write these down in the first column of a new table. In the second column, write down which job crafting strategy you want to apply. In the third column, specify how you are going to apply this strategy to the situation and write down the helpful resources you noted earlier in exercise 3 in the last column. An example of what this table might look like can be found below.
| Task/obstacle | Strategy | Plan | Helpful resource |
| Answering emails | Remove a task | Starting next week spend no longer than half an hour on emails in the morning | Come to an agreement with my supervisor on priorities |
| Meetings | Acceptance: Accept that meetings are part of the job |
No longer complain about the length of the meetings | |
| Annoying discussions with a colleague | Learn to cope or avoid | Improve social skills and engage in conversation with them. Or approach the colleague less often. | Talk to other colleagues about how they deal with this |
| Wanting to do everything perfectly | Remove | Lower expectations | Compare myself to colleagues who are less careful. |
Source:
Keijsers, G.P.J., Van Minnen, A., Verbraak, M., Hoogduin, C.A.L. & Emmelkamp, P. (2017). Protocollaire behandelingen voor volwassenen met psychische klachten.
