Work...what can I say?

It's been a busy few days. In fact it's been a busy few weeks. And frankly I think I need a break - need to recharge. Haha...a two week break now would be like heaven sent.

Well, maybe work has been...dunno...less than motivating? I recall saying this to a colleague at work and he asked "what kind of motivation do you need?" - in a surprised and kind of disbelief manner.

For me, work should not be just work - unless the pay or benefit is extremely well. I know, most often we do not have much choice. But still, I would like to say that there are three things that matters when it comes to being motivated to go to or be at work.

1) Work environment
- Nice office or work place. Good facilities - perhaps a reading room, games room/area, etc. Anyone seen the clip about the working environment at Google? OK, maybe they can afford it. But the point is the idea of providing fantastic facilities and perks to keep your employees working hard and giving more than they are expected to. It's no surprise why they come out tops in the 100 Best Companies to work for.

2) Working relationship
- One of the top reasons often quoted when people leave a company is not because the pay is bad or the facilities are poor. But it's usually because they cannot get along with their immediate supervisor or manager. This is very true particularly if he/she is giving you a hard time - no visibility, no credits, and yet lots of work piled up for you to finish.
- The other is a good working relationship with team members of a project and other colleagues. If there are a lot of politicking and back stabbing, then there's really no point in staying - unless you are one of those types.

3) Pay
- Money is always a great motivator in today's world. Call me materialistic or whatever. Sometimes, the work environment may not be great - but you can still do your work at peace. And working relationship with your boss and colleagues are...well, just colleagues - you do your job and I'll do mine. At this point, there isn't much motivation really - like I said, work will be just that - work. A lot of managers will tell you that money is not everything and that getting the right job is key. Getting to do the things you want to do is important, they say. Unfortunately, things sometimes doesn't work that way. With the rising cost of living and not forgetting, rising inflation, how much you get paid is equally (if not more) important. If another company is paying more for doing the same amount of work you are currently doing, wouldn't you leave? The last questions is particularly true for those who has a family to support.

My theory is that when it reaches the point where two of the above ingredients are no longer available or satisfactory, it's time to start looking for better opportunities. But this of course, really depends on one's capability and confidence in securing another similarly paid job.

I seem to be rambling a lot about work, huh? Maybe it's stress. Maybe I need a new role at work. Maybe I need some motivation.