CNN Money ran an article this week, Less Pay. More hours. Unhappy workers saying that the majority of workers that are still employed are dealing with longer hours and less pay and this make for unhappy and unmotivated workers. Which means the unemployed aren’t the only group that is feeling the recessions. And what about those that were laid off, and have picked up a new position simply for the paycheck, and not becaue they love the job? This group seems to have felt the recession from both angels.

The article gives this quote by Domnick Eger, an information technology specialist in Phoenix, Ariz. “You can’t help but just do the bare essentials to keep you from being fired.” He goes on to talk about how he feels stretched to a breaking point in his current position, but is unable to find a new job.

Feeling unhappy at work should not be taken lightly. In a book by Chad Foster, it claims that the average person works 86,000 hours in their lifetime, and most of us eight-to-fivers work anywhere from 40-50 hours a week. This is the majority of your time (the majority of your week) spend at a place where you may not feel challenged, may not enjoy, and according to this CNN article, you might just be miserable.

According to a recent survey by the Workforce Institute at Kronos, 40% of employees at organizations affected by layoffs say productivity has been negatively impacted, and two-thirds of them say that morale is suffering and that employees are less motivated than before.

My question is. When will this change?? When can we expect this to turn around? When will people to start be happy and fulfilled in their jobs again?  When will the economy improve enough so that people feel secure enough to leave their jobs to find new ones that motivate and stimulate them again?

When are we going to get some good news? And once we do, how long will it take things to really turn around??

When you ask my dad how he’s doing, he will often respond, “never been better”. He recently let me in on a little secret… he often says this when it is not quite the case. The fact is, the more positive and upbeat you express you are, the more positive and upbeat you will feel.  Tell enough people your fabulous tomorrow… when they inquire, and hey… maybe you’ll feel fabulous by the end of the day.  Couldn’t hurt right? Now… go get happy.