Feeling stuck where you are?
I don’t know if you should go or stay.
Well, you are not alone. According to a Society for Human Resources study, more than half of all employees surveyed are considering changing jobs. It’s part of a trend called “The Great Resignation.”
As a result of the lockdowns caused by the pandemic, the unsettling feeling people have about where they are now and where they might want to go, many employees are considering changing jobs. A key reason is burnout and the sense that they are stagnating in their current position.
Additionally, according to the 2021 Edelman Trust Survey, employees have “considerations such as the company’s stance on social issues, or its policies on employees’ ability to express their political beliefs.” Additionally, more than three-quarters of employees say they feel “more empowered, either by working within their organization or taking issues public.”
And employers know this. According to a report cited in Axios, “60% say their employees have more power and more leverage than they had before the pandemic.”
Making your choice
On the plus side, it’s an excellent opportunity to consider your options. There are many unfilled vacancies, and companies are engaged in a war for talent like never before. Bonuses are not uncommon.
Before you leap, however, consider where you are now. Making a move for money may be tempting. Still, if you are trading one position for another, you may soon be disappointed without an increase in responsibility or change of culture. You have three choices. The first two are obvious: leave or stay. The third requires some forethought: change.
Leave. Consider your next position. Ask yourself why you are leaving—more pay, bad boss, bad culture, change of scenery. All of these are valid reasons. What is not so obvious is what will be different. Yes, you make more money, which is a good thing, but if the only thing other is the scenery, you may become frustrated quickly. When leaving—assuming it is your choice—you want to make sure you will have the opportunity to pursue your skills and broaden them. You will want more responsibility as well as new challenges.
Stay. Remaining in place is what most people do. Saying you want a new job may be a matter of thinking out loud. It’s a response to a flavor of the month, a kind of restlessness. When you consider your options, you release that while the grass may appear greener on the other side of the proverbial fence, you have all the “green” (income, benefits, seniority) where you are now.
Change what you are doing. Rather than thinking about jumping ship, consider rocking the boat you are already in. Consider what you could do differently. You know the system, and as such, you may know ways to change things. You know the players, too. Whom can you enlist to help you make changes that would benefit the organization?
Leave, stay or change are three options. The answer to each may require deep thinking. And in itself that is a good thing because you know what you do will be better for you. You may not be participating in the Great Resignation. But better yet, you will not be resigned to your condition.
You will have made a decision, and that is a positive step. Your career depends on what you do, when you do it, and how you do it. You will have made the first in a series of changes that work best for you.