SHOULD YOU LOOK FOR
A NEWJOB IN 2015
WHAT IS THE INTENSITY OF THE BEHAVIORS?
A NEWJOB IN 2015
IT'S
TIME TO REFLECT HONESTLY ON WHAT'S KEEPING YOU COMING BACK TO WORK
EVERY DAY.
As
2014 came to a close, you may have reflected on the past year and
wondering if your current job is where you want to be. If you really
don’t like where you work, you are not alone. A Gallup poll found
that more than half of workers either are enduring their current job,
or actively hate it. In another poll, up to 82% of employees describe
their bosses as "jerks" (depending on the workplace).
But
quitting your job in today’s difficult economy is a scary decision
to make. Finding another job with the same or better pay is
challenging, to say the least. So, it is wise to stop and think about
the realities of life before you say, "take this job and shove
it" and walk out the door.
As
a psychologist, career coach, and business consultant, I’ve seen
the challenges of bad matches between employees, supervisors, and
employers from multiple perspectives. In our book, Rising
Above a Toxic Workplace,
my co-authors and I interviewed dozens of people who had worked or
were working in unhealthy work environments. Many who reported that
they had chosen to leave a toxic workplace stated that they didn’t
realize how bad their situation was—until after they left. As one
person reported, "I can’t believe I didn’t see how bad it
was sooner!"
HOW BAD IS YOUR JOB, REALLY?
One
helpful approach is to assess the problems you see by asking a series
of questions regarding the problem behaviors and negative
characteristics displayed in the organization.
HOW MANY PROBLEM BEHAVIORS ARE THERE?
Just
one or two? Or are there 10 or more? Or seemingly too many to count?
WHAT HAS BEEN THE DURATION OF THE PROBLEM BEHAVIORS?
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE DISPLAYING THE BEHAVIORS REGULARLY?
Is
it primarily your supervisor or one colleague, or are the behaviors
rampant across most of the organization at multiple levels?
-
That
is, how long have they existed? Are they relatively new, or have
they been there as long as you have worked there, or possibly
longer?
WHAT IS THE FREQUENCY OF THE NEGATIVE BEHAVIORS?
How
often do they occur? Daily? Weekly? Every three months?
WHAT IS THE INTENSITY OF THE BEHAVIORS?
-
For
example, there is a difference between your supervisor using an
angry tone with you in contrast to them swearing at you.
HOW MANY PEOPLE ARE DISPLAYING THE BEHAVIORS REGULARLY?
Is
it primarily your supervisor or one colleague, or are the behaviors
rampant across most of the organization at multiple levels?
WHAT SOLUTIONS HAVE BEEN TRIED, IF ANY, EITHER BY YOU OR OTHERS?
If
no interventions have been tried, why not? What results have
occurred in response to different actions taken?
WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON YOU THAT IS OCCURRING FROM THE UNHEALTHY BEHAVIORS AND CHARACTERISTICS?
Impact
can include physical and emotional health, relationships, and
negative coping behaviors just to name a few.
ARE YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR WORKPLACE DUE PRIMARILY TO A SERIES OF RECENT EVENTS OR ARE THEY MORE A RESULT OF A PATTERN OF LONG-TERM, CHRONIC POOR FUNCTIONING?
It
is important to take some time to think through and write down
answers to the previous questions. It is relatively easy to quickly
go through them in your mind, but if you take the time to reflect and
write down specifics, you will gain a far more accurate picture of
the seriousness (or not) of the issues concerning you.
YOU HAVE A DECISION TO MAKE
You have different options to choose from, but regardless of the choice you make, you must take some action on your own behalf. This is your life, and if you don’t take responsibility for it, no one will. Remember, choosing to do nothing is a choice—you are essentially saying, "I like my life at work now (in comparison to my options) and I want to continue there."
Generally
speaking, there are three alternatives to consider:
1.Continue
at your current workplace.
2.Decide
that it is in your best interest to leave your current job and
pursue working someplace else
3.
Decide that you do not want to continue to work at your current job,
but that you need to take a series of steps to be able to find an
acceptable job, and you are going to actively pursue those steps.
If
you decide to stay:
1.
Identify what you need to do for you. You need to take care of
yourself; if you don’t, no one else will.
2.
Determine what action steps you can take to help make the workplace
healthier.
3.
Set a time frame by which you will re-evaluate the situation (e.g.,
six months). See if you are managing the stress from work okay (and
ask those around you). Be honest with yourself—has the situation
gotten worse, or has it improved?
If
you believe you need to leave:
1.
Seek counsel to make sure you are thinking clearly and haven’t
overlooked something.
2.
Take steps to prepare: Get your resume in order, start looking for
job possibilities, discreetly put the word out, save money to help
you during the transition.
3.
Develop a plan for finding your next job and implement it.
4.
Continue to implement the plan over time.
5.
Determine when "enough is enough." Sometimes you just can’t
take any more—your health is deteriorating or your boss does or
says something that is totally unacceptable.
Finally,
if at all possible, avoid getting into a position of being desperate.
If possible, keep working while you look for another job. Keep your
expenses low. Consider taking a "fill in the gap" job just
for cash flow while you look for another job in your field of
expertise. Assume that finding a job will take at least two times
longer than you think it will (and often, far longer).
Remember,
your career is a pathway over time comprised of individual steps you
take. Continue to pursue your goals and dreams—keep going in the
right direction, making adjustments along the way, and you will
continue to get closer to your ultimate goal.
Adapted
from How
To Decide When to Leave Your Job by
Dr. Paul White.
BY PAUL
WHITE, PH.D.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3040290/how-to-decide-if-this-is-the-year-you-finally-get-a-new-job?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fast-company-daily-newsletter&position=featured&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=12292014
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