My Perfect Job Doesn't Seem to Work for Me
by Barbara Reinhold

DEAR COACH: I don't know what's wrong with me, but the job I worked so hard to get seems to be making me sick. Or at least it feels that way, because I've had the flu twice this winter and now I have a nasty pain in my lower back that won't go away. I love the content of the job, heading up a knowledge management team, but the company is structured in such a way that I never have a minute to myself and no control over the flow of my day. I'm also commuting an hour each way, and I never expected that to be so hard for me. I've considered quitting, just because I can't stand being sick all the time, but I love this field and I'm not sure I'd get another chance like this. Help: What kind of a bind have I gotten myself into? How could I have been so wrong about what I was looking for?
CHARLENE

DEAR CHARLENE: You're not alone in wondering why the content of the job is not enough to make a good fit for you. What's more, you didn't choose the wrong kind of work, it seems to me. The rhythm of your job just doesn't suit your needs. But that's not necessarily the end of the world, particularly in a field that can be highly virtual, like knowledge management. Your immune system started off trying to give you the message that something was wrong via those flu symptoms and, when you didn't listen and make some changes, it got your musculoskeletal system to pitch in and help by making your lower back hurt. There's no way you can avoid both of them now. This rhythm thing is actually very important and maybe more complex than you think. Psychoneuroimmunologists (body/mind researchers) have concluded that feeling you have no control over the rhythm of your workday will make you sick fastest. Look at the list below, and check off anything that seems as if it might need some adjusting. And then, why not bite the bullet and have your whole team look at it, too? Every employee has preferred natural rhythms.
___ number of hours you work each week
___ the pace of your office team
___ time spent commuting
___ time freedom
___ starting and ending time each day
___ flexibility allowed
___ travel required
___ holidays and vacations
___ time alone vs. time with others
___ time spent working at home
___ speed required
___ attention to detail vs. big picture
___ variety and change of pace
___ amount of down time
___ autonomy

After you've checked off the problematic ones, go back over the list and try to rank the worst three. Then, get a little creative with some friends who can help you brainstorm some solutions. This is probably not an all-or-nothing situation. I'd bet that if you come up with some proactive
suggestions about how to make the rhythm of this job fit you better and then approach your boss with your ideas, you'd eventually be able to design it much more to your liking. As always, the key will be to show how the modifications you want most (maybe a blend of starting an hour later, working from home one day a week and scheduling open hours rather than having a constantly open door, for instance) might make all the difference for you. It has to fit or you'll keep on getting sick. You're a knowledge manager, so using data effectively is your forte. Here's an opportunity to show the folks in charge they'll get even more work from you and your unit if they can allow some flexibility for you and your team (who are probably having their own rhythm problems). Your boss is not going to rush out and buy you roses for having raised this issue, so don't be disappointed if you need to invest some political time into making this happen. But it definitely is possible, and it's one of the many things that retention-hungry organizations are increasingly willing to do to deal with the cost of losing good people. If you decide to leave because you can't stand being sick, it will cost your company 150 percent of your salary, at least, to replace you. So why not do both of you a favor and get this rhythm thing right? Good luck!
CAREER COACH

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