With the economy the way that it is and many of us graduating this May and hopefully finding jobs, it may be tought to get the job you want.  I found an article that talks about keeping your chin up when the time of losing a job and needing to find another one turns into weeks and then into months.  I believe we can apply the same concepts when the struggles of finding a job can take a tole on us.  People who have lost a job or are just trying to find a job need to stay positive and not just dwell on "I cannot find a job"  There are many things you can do according to this article that I never thought of doing that would help with getting your mind out of the dumps and do something else in the off time of finding a job.  Going out with friends, taking some time for yourself, or even learn a new skill that could eventually help you with your job.  Maybe take up some extra college classes to amp up that resume.  Another thing that would be good and rewarding for someone would be to volunteer.  It not only looks good on a resume, but after having yet no luck in the job search, volunteering might be a good way to cope with things and make someone feel good about themselves.

It is very stressful to find a job after losing a job or just finding one out of college, especially in the economy that we are in now.  It is no wonder why an article like this could help someone out.  I wouldn't have thought of volunteering as a way to help with the stress of finding a job, but it could definitely be rewarding.

 

article: http://careerplanning.about.com/cs/jobloss/a/chin_up.htm

      In a study done on stress in the workplace and how it affect our productivity the outcomes was interesting. It seems to be that merely having the ability to control the source of ones stress is beneficial in coping with the situation. A study broke people up into two groups. Both groups had to write/journal about anything the desired. In the middle of the writing there would be a big annoying sound that started to interrupt their thought. One group was told that if the large noise came they could not make it stop. The other group was told that when the large noise happens they had a choice to stop the distraction. Interestingly enough, those individuals who were not able to control the situation showed a lack of emotion in their writing. They had not excitability, creativity or motive to write at all. Whereas the group which could stop the disruptive sound had an increased amount of emotion, creativity, and motive in their writing AND not one of the people in that group asked someone to stop the disruptive noise (Even though they had the CONTROL to do so). Therefore, it appears that its not the disruptive aspects of our lives that are stressing us out, it's the uncontrollable disruptive aspects of our life that produce the most stress to individuals.

 

http://www.humannatureatwork.com/Workplace-Stress-2.htm

In chapter 5 we have been talking about intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. This article shows the importance of these in the workplace. The article mentions that having employees who are intrinsically motivated will be better for the company in the long run because they will be more apt to work and find more joy in their work. This article does a good job of explaining what motivation is and why it is important to have in the workplace.

The article mentions three main ways to extrinsically motivate employees. The first way is with a promise of some sort of reward. I think this is definitely a motivation. In a past job I had, we were promised a "bonus" if we got so many products out by the end of the day and it motivated the team to work harder. The second way mentioned was by offering the opportunity for growth. For someone who is very ambitious and wants to move up in the company this is a great motivator. The third way that they mentioned was giving the employee recognition. I have always been motivated when given recognition for good work that I have done.

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/importance-of-extrinsic-motivation-at-the-work-place.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD72GzaxxuI
This is a short speech about the values of an organization and individuals.  The structure of a business and openness of it will attract individuals better qualified for the positions open.  This also allows individuals to get involved with the business, decreases turnover and sickness, and the more likely you are to connect and talk highly of the company.  When you are a good company that promotes individuality and diversity, others opinions, and take into account even your lowest worker people are more likely to be willing to work hard for you. 
What do you feel makes a business good?
If you work, do you feel that your opinion matters?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrkrvAUbU9Y

I found this youtub ckip about movtivators in business.  It discusses Extrinsic versus Intrinsic Motivators, and which one was best.  It also discusses a reward/punishment thoughts we have when working and if you reward people for their work, that they will work faster and better, when this isn't actually the truth.  It goes on discussing how only in situations does this work.

I found an article that discussed the first study to find that exercising during or before work hours not only has physical benefits but mental benefits as well. They found that people who worked out before work or during their lunch break were more productive, happier, and less stressed at work compared to those who opted not to exercise. The employees moods improved on the days they exercised and were less calm on days in which they did not exercise. Exercising employees also reported improvements in time management, mental and interpersonal performance, and work load management.

Link to article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1095783/People-exercise-work-days-happier-suffer-stress-productive.html

I was reading the post "Make Their Day! Employee Recognition That Works" I started to think about my current jobs that I have, and whether or not I feel I receive enough recognition from my employers. I came to the conclusion that I don't feel like I do. However, all of this tweaked my interested in how after a while goals seem to not motivate people, or employees.
While searching for information on this I came across this article from the Harvard Management Update called "Why Your Employees Are Losing Motivation." In this article, it states there are three main goals for employees, which include Achievement, Equity, and Camaraderie (Relationships within the workplace). This article also stated that if any of these three goals are not met then employees will be less motivated to do anything else. The main idea I received from this article is that Managers need to step it up and coach and work with employees to determine goals that will be satisfying, and continuing to do so when enthusiasm starts to lack. Also Managers need to communicate with their employees, and instill team building exercises in order to build relationships between employees. If all of these are met then employees will be more motivated to continue working to their full potential.
I feel as though my employers could benefit from taking into consideration these helpful hints.

Does anyone else feel less motivated at work, or feel as though their employer/manager could benefit from these tips?
Is there anything that you would disagree with?

For the full article visit this link:
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/5289.html

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0317/p15s01-wmwo.html

This is an article that discusses what to do and what to avoid in order to maintain and/or increase motivation in the workplace. Gregory M. Lamb writes about how many employees today feel "trapped" in the workplace because they are not motivated or challenged at work. Contrary to popular belief, employees have reported in a recent study that when it comes to how much they like their jobs salary is not the most important factor. Ranked number 1 on the list was "important work [that] gives a feeling of accomplishment." There is a list of things to do in order to help managers keep the morale of their workers high such as paying according to performance, networking, and praising those who are performing well.

Which of the tip(s) mentioned in the article do you think would be most effective in increasing employee motivation? Can you think of a time where you felt "stuck" in a job--What contributed to that feeling?

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=122221202

Managers have long assumed employees will work harder for fiscal rewards. In Drive, Daniel Pink argues that people will do more if they are given the opportunity to work on their own time, to be creative, and to do good.