Lack of Flexibility

You have a busy life, balancing work and family, perhaps more than just the kids. We have older parents, grandkids for which we are counted on to cover after school, sometimes during the day for the younger ones. Balancing it all, having to go into the office some days, some nights, on weekends, it would be nice if you could have a clear mission of what you needed to complete each day or each week and create your own schedule that allowed you to better manage it all. Limited flexibility can put a strain on both our home and our work as we try to do it all and realize that over time we are not doing much of it particularly well. You like your work, and love your family, but know that it may become untenable if you are unable to strike that right balance that allows you to do the most important things more effectively.

 

Limited Opportunities

You have been at the role for a year, two years, perhaps several years. You have seen people come and go for various reasons, some by choice, and others not by their choosing. While others seem not to always take their work seriously, you do. That is reflected in consistent praise from superiors, compliments from co-workers on the quality of your work. Your professionalism has been lauded by those within and outside your organization any time you partner on a project or initiative with people. You came into the role and company with a plan, which was to learn the Job Search Platform, establish a work record, reputation, and level of quality of both your work and your brand, as the foundation you could stand on when the time and opportunity came for you to move ahead. You followed that plan to a tee, and only after setting that foundation did you loop in your boss as to your career plan, while submitting for a few open positions as they became available. While you were given some consideration, you saw multiple times that either an outside hire was chosen, or others that you knew whose top qualifications seemed to be their closeness with the right people than the potential for excellence in the new job. If qualifications, quality of work, presence, and professionalism are not what is valued, it may not be the long-term solution you first thought.

 

Too Many Cooks…

Whether we work in an organization smaller in size or on a larger scale, we expect to know the person to whom we report. Even the most independent worker who needs little to no direction at any point still has that person he or she goes to for issues, whether work-related or personal. We also come to learn the hierarchy of an organization and company which most know they need to follow, and one that provides a path for those looking to climb that corporate ladder. Some organizations make the mistake of either failing to identify clearly who is in charge, which always leads to chaos, as either multiple people step in to lead some things but not all, or non-leaders, simply those at our level start asserting themselves as the de-facto person in charge. This type of organization, or ‘dis-organization’ as it were, tends to confuse many, leads to conflict among people and teams, and can greatly impact productivity and morale.

It’s All About the Benjamins

Money Matters – simple as that. While we start where we start and begin working with whatever the beginning agreed upon wage may be, we are always keeping our eyes open for opportunity to make more money. It is seldom about greed, but about ensuring we are reciprocated for our output. Companies with greater transparency, which we love, can help most to understand that while not everyone makes the same amount, that for certain roles they are all within an established pay band which creates equity. When transparency and equity within a company or job family is not as strong as it could be based on the market, it can crush morale, and see employee attrition quickly rise. Making our voices known, and known loudly, is key to help a company understand what is at risk if they don’t step up and pay people a wage commensurate with their talent and value.

I’m Just Not Engaged

We took the job for one primary reason – we needed the job. With growing responsibilities year to year, there is never a good time to be out of work or having extended periods without steady income. The paychecks stop, but the bills never do. Having taken the job some time ago, we steadied our ship and are able to run our household in a secure, even comfortable manner. While that’s great of course, it then allows us to shift focus on other feelings and thoughts. “I’m grateful to have this job, but I am just going through the motions”. Sure, we have all had those moments, but when we find ourselves having them more and more, throughout most workdays, there is a problem. Allowing that problem to fester, or not address it with your leadership to help you do something more interesting and engaging, suddenly thoughts of an unemployment check while we pound the pavement again in search of something better, become quite enticing!