Should I stay, or should I go?
Right, we’ve got January out of the way. Now the year has really started. Does anyone else think that? Is it just me?
I’ve definitely hit January hard – studying, creating workshops and progammes, ideas buzzing around my head. And, I’m totally aware that this is my cycle and I need to apply the brakes a bit as I know in my gut I’m over committing.
There are people like me and there is a whole raft of people where I think this January just felt like the 13th month of 2021. I’ve had more emergency calls than normal and can only sum it up as people are just done in. For various reasons. But what I can observe is that for many the answer may lie in getting a different job.
Let’s talk about the great resignation
I’m not a big fan of buzz shit but the stats do support that the pandemic has caused a significant shift in people leaving their jobs – particularly in mid-level employees (and certain sectors) – so the great resignation appears to be a thing.
But, if you’re not American, aged 30-45, working in the tech and health sectors, the great resignation may have passed you by. What I’m seeing (and let’s be clear here – this is anecdotal) is the impact of people working longer hours, taking less breaks, less casual connection and being there for colleagues.
Whilst companies may have started the pandemic with town halls, zoom quizzes, and well-being check ins – a lot of that has subsided. It’s now business as usual that you’ll work more hours than you did pre-pandemic and people are just getting on with it. Maybe that’s your strategy and it’s working for you. But maybe, it might be time for you to lift your head up and look out to see what else might be possible for you. February (according to Google) is the best time to look for a new role.
Should I stay or should I go?
There is a plethora of reasons that keep people where they are: lack of confidence, don’t know what else they can do, money (definitely kept me in a role for years – any article that says that it’s not a deciding factor has never had to worry about paying the bills on their own), haven’t got the energy to go through the process. All of these things can be resolved one way or another. I know this, because I’ve been through it.
Deciding whether to stay or go takes you committing to putting some time aside to do a bit of self-reflection. Here’s what’s really helped me.
Understand the current picture
Get clear on everything that’s going on for you with work now and how you feel about it:
What hours do you do (perhaps keep a log as we can be shit at estimating this), do you take breaks, how long on a computer, do you get outside, how long do you spend in meetings vs doing work? Do you feel you are fairly rewarded?
Do you enjoy what you do? What are your work relationships like (supportive, toxic etc)? What support do you get? Do you value your work? What degree of autonomy do you have over what you do and how you do it?
How well does work support the rest of your life (time to exercise, spend time with family, pay the bills?)
How do you feel about work at the moment? Most days?
How well does your role enable you to live your values at work?
If you could do anything?
Imagine your ideal working week:
What would you be doing?
Who would you be with?
How would it support the rest of your life?
How would you feel?
Where would you be?
What’s the gap?
Now look at current state and ideal working week:
What adjustments could you make to how you work in your current role to bring you closer to your ideal? Who would you need to talk to for support?
How well aligned are your values with your company values? Is there scope to reframe, take on a new project to better align?
If you’re thinking that you want to do something different but are not ready to leave what training could you do to support your ideal role? What experience could you get at your current company that would support that?
Is it time to look elsewhere? What’s the first thing you could do to put this into action?
Daniel Pink in his new book The Power of Regret, says that one of the biggest regrets people have is not taking the bold decisions. I look at this slightly differently. We tell ourselves that we haven’t got the energy to make changes and it might feel true but I think letting things drift when we’re feeling crap, are knackered, are in an environment that is sapping us – takes far more energy.