We are in the midst of the economy downturn and theoretically speaking, common sense tells us not to rock the boat and ride out the storm. That means to say ‘be glad that you still have a job and this is not the time to search for a new job.’ Both true and not true.
True that most people will not leave their job, not during these unstable times. There are way too many variables going against you and with the added poor economy, you are unlikely to get a good compensation anyway.
Untrue when things in the workplace gets too much and you hate your job so much that you rather be happy eating bread for all your meals than to see your boss’s face once more (that bad, huh?) If that is the case, there will never be a suitable time for you to leave the workplace.
But first, ask yourself these questions before you make the leap:
Is It Necessary?
As mentioned above, common sense tells us to remain as status quo when the times are tough. So balance your reasoning and keep emotions aside, ask yourself if you have reached the ending point of your patience in your job.
Is There Something Else You Could Have Done?
Maybe seek a transfer to another department, branch even location. Could you have talked to someone else senior in your company about your work problems? Perhaps you needed a boost or a challenge to motivate yourself, if that is so, further education or taking on a new project might be the answer.
Could You Command A Higher Pay?
The new position – could you be paid much better than you are now despite the economy loom? Especially if you suspect that your company have been shortchanging you all these years. Or perhaps you are moving to a lucrative industry that is untouched by the poor economy? Maybe you are moving to a higher role with more responsibilities? Whatever the case, this could be a swinging vote whether you should bear and stay or scoot off to unchartered waters.
Besides Pay, What Else is There?
What about the benefits? Additional three days annual leave will make a lot of difference to a new parent. Some companies offer comprehensive medical packages to yourself and your partner too, while others may have flexible working hours or allow you to work from home a day of a week. There are even attractive benefits like profit sharing and company stocks. It is not impossible, I’ve been offered in my pay package before.
Hurdles
Even at a new job, there are several factors that are enough to daunt a newbie. Whether it is passing the probation period, merging with the new culture or even a simple making new friends, can deter the most passionate hearts. However, the flip side of the coin is that it might just be the perfect work environment you have been searching for.
Ultimately, the decision is yours to make. Measure against your own financial situation and ask yourself if you can take the risk of leaping into something interesting, something you like during these downtimes. Or should you wait for an economic recovery before looking anywhere else? There is no right answer. Your choice to make.
Will you make the leap and change your job in these bad times? I’m dying to know what you think. Share with us in the comments below.
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Good list, though if hating your job so much is the real reason, I’d leave out higher pay issues, at least as an initial deciding factor
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I’ll change my job if I need to drag myself off the bed more than 3 times a week.
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I’m certain everyone on the job force-no matter in what field-faces these decisions at one time or another. One would imagine retaining a practical mindset regarding consideration of all the factors you articulate is paramount.
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Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us.
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Loved this post Kally. I’m currently searching for a new place of employment after 13 plus years at my current job. It’s gotten to a point where the unqualified are getting promoted because they’re the upper management’s pets while the qualified ones are passed over. I’ve tried airing my concerns but it gets dismissed. And the environment that was once great has now become toxic. The pay is great but I’ve come to realize that if you’re not happy with where you are, you need to make a change. Although I’ve gotten no bites yet, I am hopeful that something will happen. Had 13 interviews this year so far and one seems really promising…I’m one of the finalists. Thanks for posting this!
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First of all, best of luck! Let me know how your job search goes! 13+ years is a loooooong time to be in a job for. Time for you to challenge yourself and learn something new instead of being passed over for promotion time and time again. Kudos to your patience and huge loss to your ex-company.
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Thanks for following my blog😄 have a nice weekend
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Thank you and you have a great week!
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I especially love this part: “Maybe seek a transfer to another department, branch even location. Could you have talked to someone else senior in your company about your work problems? Perhaps you needed a boost or a challenge to motivate yourself, if that is so, further education or taking on a new project might be the answer.”
People should indeed also be reminded, that every job has it’s pro’s and cons. Even if you like your job a lot, there are always things who might not go easy, or you have to deal with not so fun people.
Great article again, Kally. Sending you a big hug and hope all is well with your family. XxX
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Thank you, Patty. It’s a fine line between whining about every job you do and undermining yourself with a hateful job, it’s about exploring all options before throwing the white towel.
All is well, the little one has begin to crawl so now I’m up and about all the time, chasing after her. Tired but good exercise though. Haha.
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Ah, that phase already! Indeed, that is fun and exhausting at the same time. That’s why I love dogs so much, the puppies you are allowed to have on a leash, hihi
Happy to here all is well. Big hug, XxX
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Hahahahahahaha!! Hubby just asked me the other day why rearing kittens is so much easier than bringing up a baby! Thank you and love you for making me laugh aloud today, Patty. You’re an angel. Big hugs. Hope all is well with your family too.
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Then we were both laughing 🙂 Our Summer recess of two weeks is over, but fortunately we have a holiday booked in Spain (October) to look forward too 🙂 So, all is well. Till soon again, dear Kally. XxX
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Oooo… I haven’t been to Spain yet. A colorful country with colorful culture! Lucky you! You must enjoy some quality time with your hubby.
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That’s the plan 🙂 Thanks Kally!
Oh, needed to ask you…I just was going through my list of subjects I still want to write about and noticed a little note: write an article for Kally about my experiences as an management-assistant.
We talked about that a while ago. Now I am thinking..what about an article about my career (instead) so far? I think it would fit better to your blog and to mine 😉
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Sure, I love that!! Take your time to write, no rush. I love to feature you anytime when you are ready.
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Okidoki!
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Interesting post on changing jobs and job loss. Sometimes there isn’t anything you can do.
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Thank you, Crystal for sharing your thoughts with us.
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Sad to say but I was on the unemployment line twice by no fault of my own but lost my job more than twice. Like I said, None of this was my fault. Good Luck,
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Big hugs. Poor you. I can imagine the anguish you had to go through.
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Actually, it wasn’t as bad as you think.
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