Think Twice Before You Leave That Job

Job dissatisfaction has reached an all time high for corporate employees. Most employees have felt the sting of downsizing, out-placement, and compensation cutbacks over the past two-to-five years. Employees that remained through all of this were given additional duties and responsibilities, (normally of those employees laid off by the company), without additional compensation. The prevailing corporate attitude was that employees should consider themselves lucky to have a paycheck. Corporate employee improvement services, like training, counseling, or coaching were greatly reduced or even eliminated. Corporations no longer had the money to invest in their employees, nor did they know which employees to invest in.

Employees were almost considered a necessary burden. Benefit packages have been reduced or dismantled. Many corporations have converted employees to independent contract labor to lower costs, commitments, and benefit obligations. There has also been a well-publicized movement towards outsourcing labor to countries like India with much lower labor costs as an attempt to shed or reduce this burden.

Being an employee under these circumstances has probably been less than enjoyable and has certainly not created any loyalty by employees to the corporations who have treated them in this manner.

But like most other economic trends the pendulum is now swinging the other way. Corporations are beginning to grow and prosper. Corporations are looking to hire more employees to accommodate this new demand. This demand for additional employees presents an opportunity for existing employees to escape the unfavorable conditions they had to endure during recent years. I predict that there will be a very large exodus of employees who will seek employment with other companies to take advantage of the apparent grass-is-greener scenario. It appears that the migration has already started. Newsweek reported in their article in the May 24, 2004 issue entitled "Quitting Time” that Monster.com reported a 44% increase from a year earlier in resume postings and an increase of 13% of confidential postings (usually made by people trying to hide job hunting from their bosses).

If you are considering joining the exodus, there are some things you might want to consider, before you make a hasty exit, just because you can.

1. Try to avoid the flight-to-escape mentality. Getting another job to escape the bad conditions and memories of your present job will not be positive for you. You can only escape the problems of your past employment by focusing on achieving a new positive career situation. When you focus on past negativity, it follows you, wherever you go. Sure, the conditions might appear to be unbearable, but leaving only because of the bad will make it more difficult to focus on the improvements you want and need.

2. Consider seeking another career because it is a positive move for you. You have the right and obligation to take advantage of the opportunity to improve your work status by seeking employment that will be a true improvement for you. You will want to concentrate on creating a new more positive career situation, rather than focusing on the bad things that happened to you. When you concentrate on the positive aspects of your new career that is what you will attain.

3. Take the time to discover what you really want to do. The next few years will offer you a host of opportunities to improve your work situation, and you will want to make the right career choices while the time is right. You will want to discover your priorities; passions, talents and self imposed obstacles. This way you can determine the right career situation that will fit you, as opposed to having to adjust to fit the work situation as you have in the past. Once you are clearly aware of what career best suits you, you will have a much easier chance of attaining it.

4. Use this opportunity to take care of yourself and your loved ones. You owe it to yourself and those who depend upon you to take the steps to improve your career whenever you can, especially when doing so allows you to improve your family and personal lives. Most likely the corporation you are working for only considered fulfilling their needs. Your loyalty to you and your family will undoubtedly outweigh any loyalty you might have to your company. Grant yourself permission to pursue your career improvements without guilt or hesitation.

5. Consider approaching your current employer to improve your conditions. Your current employer might be very receptive to you staying under the new terms and conditions you present. There is a real good chance that your current employer is also experiencing successful growth and prosperity. If so, you now have considerable leverage to ask for and attain the improvements you want. Why? First, you were part of the reason they became successful. Second, they will be counting on you to achieve even bigger future success. Third, your departure will have serious negative consequences. It has been reported that the cost to replace an employee ranges from $10,000 to over $75,000 per employee. You will create a significant void in knowledge and continuity. They will have to train your replacement, which will take time, effort, and money, not to mention the break in productivity your departure creates. Your departure will also make it somewhat more difficult to entice new employees. Smart employers will want to make adjustments to retain the employees that formed the core of the company during the bad times. Employers who continue to disregard your personal needs and priorities do not deserve you. By asking your present employers for the things you want, assuming they are capable of providing them to you, will present an excellent indicator of the intent of the company decision makers. Because you will most likely be afforded other opportunities outside your present employment, you will eventually have little to lose by asking.

6. Go after the career that fits you. If your present employer cannot, or will not meet your required conditions, then search for those employment or income producing careers that will meet your conditions. Be sure to communicate to other employers who might meet your requirements what you want and why. But do not forget that you have an obligation to produce the results in your new position that will generate more profits to the company than their cost to compensate you. By knowing the value and profits you will provide new employers, you will be able to show them how meeting your requirements will be a real good deal for them. In addition, since you have chosen the new position to meet your personal passions, priorities and desires, you will have a natural enthusiasm for the position that will be hard to turn down.

7. Ask for help from the right person to assist you in your journey. Your career choices will have an extremely powerful affect on your life, and you will want to make the next selections count the most for you. Getting help from someone you trust, who has your best interest at heart, who will be strong enough to tell you the truth and caring enough to not impose their agenda or opinions on you, is priceless. The two of you can objectively search for, investigate, and evaluate career options to meet your true priorities, passions and needs. You two can develop plans to actually pursue your career choices and work together to actually implement your plan to completion.

Employment times are improving, and you can maximize the short and long term value of changing your work situation to meet your requirements, if you do it right. It is a very important part of your life, and making the most of these career opportunities will certainly be worth doing right.