A friend of mine recently came into Atrium to meet with one of our staffing divisions. She was unhappy with the turnover in management and overall culture at her current company. After a 45-minute meeting with our Fashion Team Lead, she left the office with a brand-new appreciation for her current situation. When asked about her salary, it was realized that she was making roughly 20% more than the industry average for her position. When asked about her schedule, she revealed that she worked 9 or 9:30 to 5:30 and every other Friday from home. In summary, she has a pretty sweet deal.
It only took 45 minutes for my unhappy-in-her-job friend to do a complete 180 and begin to appreciate the perks of her position. Does this mean that something won’t happen next week that will send her on a quick cab ride down to negative town? Of course not. The daily juggle of deadlines, meetings, colleague interactions and projects can take people from feeling positive to pathetic in a matter of minutes. It’s all about how you put those obstacles and challenges into perspective in the overall career picture.
Answer these few questions to see if the grass really may be greener somewhere else.. or maybe you just need to water it!
1. How many nights per week do you have trouble falling asleep because you are stressed about something work-related:
5-7 (2 points)
3-4 (1 point)
0-2 (0 points)
2. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being 100% dedicated) how dedicated to you feel to your current company:
1-3 (2 points)
4-6 (1 point)
7-10 (0 points)
3. Does the sight of your boss provoke feelings of anger or anxiety?
Yes (1 point)
No (0 points)
4. How would you rate your current work/life balance? (10 would equal perfect harmony)
1-3 (2 points)
4-6 (1 point)
7-10 (0 points)
5. What was the outcome of your last performance review?
What review? (2 points)
If it was a report card, your GPA would be a 2.5 (1 point)
Majority of feedback was positive, with a sprinkle of constructive criticism (0 points)
Total Score of 0-3 Points:
Congratulations, you are one of the lucky ones! Although you may need to spend a little less time in the office or decompress a bit more before bed, it sounds like you are managing your responsibilities without losing track of your priorities. No one (or company) is perfect, but you should keep your feet planted firmly where they are.
Total Score of 4-6 Points:
If you are still committed to and excited by your current position, those feelings are hard to replicate elsewhere. Take the time to do some internal reflecting and figure out what truly has you on the fence. Schedule a meeting with your boss to discuss weekly goals that will help you stay on track. If the majority of your stress is stemming from that manager-employee relationship, speak to HR or someone that you trust about how to proceed.
Total Score of 7-10 Points:
You need a change of scenery. It sounds like there are multiple factors contributing to your unhappiness and that can be unhealthy for more than just your career. If you decide that there is no salvaging the role you are in, begin to build a list of priorities to help guide you as you make your next career move. Having an outline of what is most important will hopefully lead to a more balanced and rewarding position in the future!
