Should you leave your job?
Are you winning by staying or by quitting?
Do you feel like changing your hours, job, profession, or location? Maybe you're burnt out or bored? Many people have made changes in the last year and you may be thinking about this yourself.
We’ve sourced a variety of tips and stories about job changes from communications and HR professionals to help you reflect on your next move as we move into 2022.
Join our webinar with guest speaker Andy Macleod from Comma Partners on 24th February at 18:00 GMT for a job market update and opportunity to discuss your thoughts on next steps with peers.
In the meantime, Andy has kindly shared a few thoughts as we closed off 2021…
“The good news is it’s a candidates’ market out there so if you’re not happy with your current role, now’s the time to do something about it. We’ve not seen this degree of buoyancy in IC recruitment for many years, with huge demand for IC and change comms specialists during H2, 2021. What this means in a practical sense is that candidates can afford to be choosy about where they work and what they take on. Where candidates might have been prepared to put up with quite a lot pre-pandemic - long hours, long commutes, political wrangling, lack of leadership support - COVID has changed their tolerance levels and appetite to ‘stick it out’ come what may.
And two years into the pandemic, many IC pros are still feeling burnt out. It’s been full-on and candidates are no longer prepared to put up with things that make them feel unhappy, unfulfilled, frustrated or stressed. COVID has made them reconsider what they value in life and their boundaries are clearer.
Candidates can absolutely afford to take their time to look around and ask the questions of companies that are important to them. I remember a client turning down a very competent candidate because they felt that they were being interviewed by them and not vice versa. Companies need to get used to this – they are being called upon to sell their company, their brand, its values, its contribution to society, its leadership commitment – and that’s before they even get round to talking about the job itself and the degree of investment in IC. If companies don’t prove they are really committed, candidates will simply move on.”
Tips
Tap into your network: Meet other communicators at events and keep touch with those you know – not only when you’re job seeking. The IABC UK & Ireland chapter holds networking Zoom meetings on the last Thursday of each month (6pm GMT) – we hope to meet in person again soon. Stay up to date with our latest events and reach out to our community on social media (Twitter and LinkedIn).
Mentoring: The UK&I IABC chapter offers free mentoring to members. Become a member here, and contact us at iabcuk@gmail.com if you'd like to be a mentee or mentor.
Coaching: If you'd like something more directive, you may want to consider coaching. It can vary significantly in price, and you may find the cheaper option of group coaching works for you.
Find your position on the IABC Career Path: Use the IABC Career Path to gauge where you are in your career, what competencies you need to master at each of the career levels according to the Global Standard for the Communication Profession, and what steps to take to get to the next level.
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Stories
We've gathered seven stories from people who've made a big leap in the last few years - take a look at them below, and join us on 24th February at 18:00 GMT for a job market update and opportunity to discuss your thoughts on next steps with peers.
From frequent mover to self employed
“I have always been someone that changed jobs reasonably regularly. Around every 3 years I found myself craving a new challenge or adventure. This last move felt different though. This was the move driven by purpose. I saw clearly what I wanted to give back to the world, a topic that I could happily spend all my time in.
“The decision felt light. It felt natural. I have enjoyed the changes to my way of working, enjoying aspects that I hadn’t enjoyed before such working from home alone. Now, being alone gives me the time to study, to create. Starting my own business inspired me to be creative and find ways to share our approach with others. I knew I wanted to do it, but I didn’t realise how fulfilling I would find it.”
When it’s the only place you’ve worked
“Knowing when to leave a job or a company is never straight forward.
I’d been with the same company for my whole career, and I’d weathered the usual ups and downs and grown a lot on the way. However, I’d been ready to move on for a long time but there’s always a reason to stay and fear will get the best of us at times.
2021 felt different, even with the pandemic still a shadowy backdrop there was a sense of optimism in the air. For many reasons I’d finally had enough but I also had the confidence to make the leap.
I haven’t looked back. I’ve set up my own consultancy and feel I’ve learned more in the last 5 months than I did in the prior 5 years.”
Having an ‘eff off fund’
“A few years ago, I mentored a young woman who told me after a few sessions that she was resigning. Her mum was a proud Eastender who’d taught her daughters to always grow an FoF or “‘eff off Fund” in case a partner or job no longer gave them joy.
“When my dad passed away last summer, my tiny inheritance gave me an FoF. It’s allowing me to take a break and reset my career button. I am still scared of living without a salary and the prospect of having to busk under Blackfriars Bridge.”
Asking yourself hard questions
“Do you feel purposeful in your job? Do you feel valued in your job? Does your boss care about you and empower you to do your job? These are the fundamental questions that have always been at the heart of why people either stay or leave their jobs. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit us, fundamentally turning the world of work upside down. Now more than ever people are reflecting on what they truly want from their lives, both personal and at work.
That’s certainly what happened to me over the last 18 months. Having taken the decision to change jobs in 2020, it didn’t work out, so I moved on. One of my key learnings was that trying to get a feel for a company’s culture through a virtual recruitment process was much harder. Unable to meet people in person or go into the office where you sense the cultural atmosphere meant I ended up in an organisation that was far from a great fit. I was also sold a role that was never matched in reality. I tried to make things work but, in the end, I was so unhappy because the answers to the 3 questions above were all large ‘No’s’!
Now my experience may not be the norm, yet I think whatever your situation, if you can’t answer those questions positively, then it’s time to go and do something where you can achieve those crucial factors that make work meaningful and fulfilling. There has never been a better time to do so.”
Misalignment of values
“The reason at the heart of my decision to move on was a misalignment between personal and company values and behaviours. There were several other reasons including stresses triggered by the pandemic, such as increased workloads, and the fact I had been at the company for a long time.
I had saved money to enable me to take a break and when the jobs market picked up in 2021, I mustered the confidence to leave without a new job lined up. I have enjoyed the feeling of freedom I get from freelancing and fixed term positions. I feel optimistic about not knowing where I'll work next because it feels like I have more choice.”
Taking a risk
“Earlier this year, I took on a new role as an engagement lead for a mining company. It was a 6-month contract with the possibility for extension. It was also a change from being a permanent employee to being self-employed.
Making the switch was a bit of a risk because I value stability. But I wasn’t happy doing what I was doing and wanted more flexibility and independence. I also felt like I wasn’t challenged, and my work had become very routine.
I’m now part of a change and engagement team embedded in an IT project. I’m responsible for the strategic planning and delivery of communications and engagement activities to support a big technology rollout across the organisation. I’m learning a lot and get to work with some great leaders.
The new role has been challenging at times. I’m expected to account for my time and be able to demonstrate value far beyond what I’ve had to do in the past as an employee. But that’s pushed me to become more focused on delivery. It’s also helped me build up my confidence and develop new skills.
The win for me is how much money I’m now earning as a contractor vs. being an employee. Far more than I ever thought possible. The money is a big motivating factor for me. I now feel very fortunate that I’m in this position where I can take on more risk and adapt to a new level of uncertainty.”
When morale is affected by change
“They say change can be good but sometimes change is necessary, for both your mental and physical health and that of the loved ones around you.
After 6+ years in a truly amazing company, I transitioned to a new organization in January 2020 to take on a new challenge.
The opportunity and the team were great, or so it was for the first year, although we went through lay-offs, high turnover and major strategy changes, the morale amongst those of us who remained was high. Targets were being met and hope was in the air as a new Mar Comm leadership team was about to be put in place, in the absence of one for almost 6 months.
Unfortunately this is when things took a highly negative turn for almost everyone on our team, team morale hit an all-time low, almost every target was being missed by colleagues and bullying and the knowledge of intentional misinformation from the newly hired leadership team became rife within the business. Almost 8 months later, I realised the best thing for me to do to quell the constant frustration was to look elsewhere and less than 3 months ago I transitioned to what I can say is one of the best companies I have worked with in my career. Although I felt a sense of guilt leaving some colleagues behind, I keep in regular contact with many of them as they transition through their own changes.
My message to you is, we can all get stuck, we can all get frustrated and there are always periods of ups and downs with work. But if you are being bullied, justifiably no longer trust your managers, and step back and recognise what is being done around is no longer in the benefit of the business and is not true to that organisation’s values, then speak to someone internally, if you can just like I did, make them aware of the challenges the business is having and then look out for number one and find a new company that values you and is truly a better place for your mind and body and that of the loved ones who surround you. You work hard, you work a lot, so enjoy your workplace!”
