AIBU to enjoy going to work and everything it involves?

Possibly because there’s a rich seam of opinion on Mumsnet that enjoying your job is just for saddos.

It comes up time and time again on the WOHM/SAHM threads where someone will helpfully suggest that people who enjoy their work “can’t think of anything better to do”. Or my personal favourite cliché: “No one on their deathbed ever wished they had worked more.”

A certain sort of poster is suspicious of people who enjoy work.

I agree with part of your post - the bit about job satisfaction and professional identity. I'm not that bothered about choosing an outfit etc.

I enjoyed my career right up until getting booted out on a PIP.

Bored of working now after 30 years

I’ve been a SAHM and it really wasn’t for me. I was miserable and not very good at it.

But I know some women who love it and are good at it. I have total respect for anyone making choices that are good for them and their families.

Personally I absolutely love my job and would do it even if I had the money not to need to work. This isn’t my first career though and I’ve done the same role for multiple organisations and some are terrible and I quickly moved on!

I think being willing to leave is part of the secret to being genuinely happy at work because you don’t get stuck either in a career you are suited for or working with horrible people or in toxic organisations.

Completely agree. And for the record this wasn’t an attempt to throw shade at SAHMs.

I love my job too and it's so refreshing to have a positive thread.
However I do realise I am lucky to enjoy my work and to have great colleagues, and feel for those who don't.

Most people never appreciate the great things about everyday life until illness/age or something else stops them having it.
Good for you!

The times in my life when I've felt quite that positive about going to work have been when a) I've been a bit lonely and at a loss in my home life, and b) I worked in places where we were friends as well as colleagues and the social side was great. But I think definitely people get different things out of work.

I can't remember the last time I've felt genuinely excited for work on a Monday morning to be honest, even though I don't hate it either! But looking back over the decades, my feelings about work have really depended a lot on the people I've been surrounded with at work and the overall atmosphere/culture in the office.

Good for you that you enjoy it, we spend too much time at work for that to not be a good thing

I disagree. I have worked for decades to get to do what I do. I have worked really really hard, both in my job, and completing the vast amount of academic qualifications to doctoral level and beyond. I made choices and progressed my career carefully to get the right experience to get where I am. I planned this from being a teenager as well. Maybe not the specific job I do now, but the general area and career path that led me to where I am now. I had the end point in mind, knowing it would take decades, but made the right choices and enjoyed the journey along the way, because it's something I am passionate about and enjoy. But it was hard work and perseverance that got me here, not luck.

Why not? It's not going to be outing is it. I imagine you're paid well?

YES! And i've been in toxic horrible work situtions before, but love my job now. It is great. Nice people, hard working people, small office environment with a fair bit of flexibility. I also enjoy dropping my children at school, going in and getting some actual adult conversation. I'm a weirdo who enjoys Monday mornings.

Ooh me too. I like working. I quit a toxic job last year and told myself I'd give myself the summer off to recover, but I had another job by the time my garden leave finished. I've liked aspects of all my jobs but mostly enjoyed working with some really nice people. Except my last boss. We don't talk about him.

It is still luck though to a certain extent isn't it? We're you a young carer? Made to move out at a very young age? Experienced abuse?

Not a young carer but a teenaged mum and soon a single parent.

Not made to leave home, but chose to leave home while still at school due to abuse.

So that's a yes to the abuse then.

Also, experienced real financial hardship and poverty both as a young adult and during childhood.

Were you assuming I must be middle class and from a privileged background and had everything handed to me on a plate?

I meant it when I said I worked hard to get to the place I am now. I truly do love what I do though.

No I wasn't assuming hence why I asked the questions? And I don't want it to come across as you haven't worked hard. But many people work very hard for decades and are still low paid for example. But I work hard every single day. It's unfortunate that the one thing I am genuinely good at is extremely low paid.

FWIW I absolutely love my job. I feel called to do it. It is looked down on my the majority of people because it's very low paid. I work in care and it is a privilege imo to care for people.

This is so true and a particular job or organisation can change very quickly. I work in a primary school office and honestly, 6 years ago when i started I felt like I'd won the lottery. Despite it being hard work and often stressful for such a crap salary I felt I'd finally found my people and could happily stay there till retirement age. I could manage on the small salary so pay wasn't a factor, i just wanted a job I loved, in the same way others have described on this thread. All the teachers, TAs and other support staff were great, just one big family, SLT were great and we all had a very close, positive relationship with them, we knew our families really well and they seemed to really value us, the culture was just so good, the pupils thrived. I loved working in education anyway but joining that particular school really felt like more than just a job.

Then the head retired early unexpectedly, which brought 4 years of turmoil, ending in a merger between the infants and junior schools which were run separately before, and located on 2 physically separate sites.It was a done deal.

Things have just got worse from an employee point of view with each passing year, with so many changes often for no obvious logical reason - a few for the better but many that have decreased job satisfaction,,increased staff frustration and created more work.

Many long-term experienced teachers have left, the culture has completely changed, the close relationship with SLT has gone - there is a distance there, figuratively and literally and it's hard to even get access to SLT sometimes.

Newer younger colleagues who have started don't know any different, but a lot of the older staff have found it frustrating to witness the decline. Some have managed to stick it out till they can take their pension. I'm a few years off that age but a few things have happened in the last 18 months that I have not been able to tolerate despite giving it a good go and I've become very unhappy in the job, enough that this is going to be my last year.

All it takes is a major organisational structural change and any job can change quite quickly from being one you love to being one that makes you frustrated and unhappy.

Nope. Absolutely HATED the office and the whole daily routine.

Yep I love my job.

You are SO right !! And schools are all about the management . Our beautiful principal retired three years ago and we all cried ! Thought we could never be that lucky again . But we were and the new guy is fabulous too !!

I still maintain there is a lot of luck in loving your job . Yes I worked hard and I have 3 degrees . But I could just as easily be in a school that is not great , with a not so nice principal , I could have gotten ill, had to leave my job etc . So much luck as well as hard work .

Plenty of people work their asses off and still hate their work . And we are only lucky up to this moment. Anything could change tomorrow.

I’m the same OP.

I really love my job and my colleagues.

I work in a museum so I get to indulge my hobby every single day.

I used to like the sociability of the office, having a routine and got job satisfaction but never really ‘loved’ going to work.

I now wfh for my husband’s business and due to health issues - mine and my DS - it suits me to be very flexible at the moment. I do need to work though in some capacity so I get that and I do miss a ‘fun’ office (if lucky enough to get that vibe).

I love going to work. I'm a cook in a school. I love the children and cooking, the women I work with are great.

I hate waking up in the morning, and sometimes I wish I worked 4 days rather than 5. However I do enjoy the routine and the structure, and the buzz of being with my colleagues. It helps that my work is often very interesting too

Never enjoyed the whole process of getting to work and home again. Did have a massive commute though! Hated the queue to grab a filter coffee while everyone asked for complicated/large orders. Think there should be a separate queue for filter coffee only! Detested small chat in the mornings and avoided the chatter boxes while I set up the office for the day. Now I work from home and love it! Still have to dress well as I’m always visible in face to face meetings, via camera with clients all day. Love my job and do not get the Sunday feeling of doom either! The last time I experienced that was when I had a horrible job with horrible bosses!