Boredom' burnout' or time to move on? Bryony Gibson' managing director of Bryony Gibson Consulting' offers some tips to help you decide what to do next.
Millions of people around the world are reevaluating their working lives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Commonly known as the ‘Great Resignation” this growing movement of reflection continues to drive record numbers of workers to voluntarily head for the door and join a job market brim-full of labour shortages and rising unemployment. Should I stay or go? Many different inspirations can trigger the search for a new job. When compiled by the pressures of a global epidemic’ permanent changes to working environments’ or even a new appreciation for the ephemeral nature of life’ it is no surprise to see so many people reassessing their situation. Like most things’ jobs have ups and downs and’ while it is easy to get swept along in a sea of change’ here are some thoughts to help you to decide whether it’s the right time to make a change’ or not.
1. Know your purpose.
Whatever the catalyst for change’ when working out the best way forward’ the most important thing to do is to make sure you understand what it is that truly motivates you. We spend more than half our waking life at work’ so getting satisfaction should be the priority. If you aren’t happy then maybe it is time to weigh up your options.
2. Be honest with yourself.
Start by asking yourself questions along the lines of: What are you good at? What are you passionate about? What do you like about your current job? What is important to you? You need to work out what matters most in the long-term and’ if you’re lucky enough to match this with your strengths’ it should become a lot easier to figure out the direction to your goals.
3. People grow out of even the best jobs.
Sometimes you need a change or a new challenge to reinvigorate yourself’ but before you begin to search’ make sure you take time to think about your current role’ your employer’ and your prospects. Does your company’s ambition match your own? Do you get on with your colleagues? What does your boss think of you? What do you think of your boss? There’s a lot to be said for being appreciated and trusted in the workplace. If you feel empowered and have autonomy’ you need to make sure that will remain if you decide to move on.
4. Work-life balance sometimes requires compromise.
Try to avoid making decisions based purely on money. While it always pays to be aware of your market value and the quality of your total package’ sometimes you may have to compromise a little on some of the wider benefits like holiday entitlement’ pension payments’ or bonuses’ if you want to positively affect your overall level of job satisfaction. That’s not always the case’ but key questions to consider should be whether you have flexibility at work? Are you supported when you need it? And what is your current work-life balance like?
5. Think long-term.
No job is completely perfect’ so it’s important to think about the bigger picture. Consider the experience you’re gaining’ the networks you’re exposed to’ and the kudos you get from working where you do. This should all help you understand what to do next. Is the grass always greener? The grass is not always greener but if you’re not happy’ you need to make a change of some kind rather than live with regret. The decision to move on comes down to knowing what you want and understanding what your employer can offer’ so’ don’t forget to speak to them and give them the chance to change things.
It could simply be that you’re stuck in a rut and it’s not as bad as it seems once you adopt a more positive approach but’ whatever you decide’ be confident and don’t be put off by the fear of change because the rewards from finding a job you love can be life-changing.
