Finding Your Next: Make it Count
In July 2021, more than 4 million Americans resigned from their jobs with the highest rates of resignations in the tech and healthcare industries. While most positions turning over were at the mid-career levels, those workers ranging in age from 30-45+ saw the largest changes. Experts are mixed in regards to why workers are leaving their jobs and even more puzzled in what companies can do to retain their staff and attract talent.
My hypothesis is that workers, we, have changed and corporate American culture is in an identity crisis. After the challenges of the past 18 months people learned that they could work remotely, spend more time with their families, have hobbies and have the time to focus on physical and mental health. Childcare was (and still is) very hard to come by and many women were left responsible for rebalancing household and family dynamics. As a result, workers' priorities changed and rather than go back to the old way of adapting their lives to fit their jobs, it’s time our jobs started adapting to us.
If you’re like me, growing my career often meant pretending to be someone else. Whether that’s speaking differently, looking differently, or hiding those things that we’ve learned make others uncomfortable. Older generations have often characterized this as what we do to get a job. Others might call it selling out. Either way, it became very clear that I wasn’t showing up in my work authentically and it was impacting more than just my work.
Artie Wu characterizes this predicament like this:
“In a typical arc of life, we are trained to conform to the expectations of society, and ignore and suppress our own inner desires and highest life vision and purpose,
And this puts us on the wrong life path.
As a result, we feel profoundly stuck - we feel desperately unfulfilled, and yet are desperately fearful of "rocking the boat" and risking our secure, comfortable lives.
On top of all this, we have a looming feeling that the longer we continue to suppress our actual inner desires, the worse the tension will get until something inside of us "blows up anyway" - whether we are ready for it or not.”
I hope you never have to experience this moment, but the reality is you probably have or at least been in a situation where you knew you were walking in the wrong direction. Don’t get me wrong. Most of us need that paycheck and the folks on the other side of the table hold the power to keep that roof over your head so sometimes we just do what we have to do. That’s our reality. But this reality is shifting.
Despite the common flow of resources from company to worker bee, the trends are pointing to a transition, and now is the moment to be intentional about what you need to thrive. Just like having the power to vote with our dollars, we can also vote with where we choose to invest our time. This may mean becoming an entrepreneur which allows you to set your own goals and values (win!), or seeking out organizations that value who you are both professionally and personally.
So how do you find that role? And are you willing to walk away when you see red flags? I recently was laid off from a position I should have left much sooner. For me the red flags looked like a lack of follow-through from my manager, ignoring mine and my team's work success, and being excluded from meetings concerning my work. I believed that if I advocated for myself the situation would change. So I spoke up, respectfully and often. Unfortunately, it only got worse.
While I have some time to look for my next, I don't have unlimited resources to be too picky. But I do have some thoughts to share that over my years in marketing and start-ups are now my guiding principles:
Transparency: Transparency is also openness, communication, and accountability. When you’re looking from the outside in, this might look a little different. Look for a strong demonstration of proactive communication like Glassdoor review responses, a CEO who is active in their professional community, and clear responses to hard questions in your interview. Make sure you understand your manager’s leadership style and how disagreements and conflict are typically resolved on your team. If the response is that we rarely disagree then you may want to move on.
Conflict and disagreement are healthy and valued on high-performing teams. A better response from a potential employer might be: We value respect and safety and when disagreements happen we make space for hearing out different perspectives. Decisions are not always democratic but we lean on data and experience to arrive at our decisions.
2. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) is vital to creating a safe workplace where all people can thrive personally and professionally. We all know DEI can be performative so look for evidence of this in your company research. At a minimum, is there a policy? And no, having a DEI policy is not something just big companies have. Is the leadership team all white males? Can the recruiter point to examples of how bias might be addressed in performance reviews and the hiring process? Is training a requirement for all managers?
This one is probably harder to suss out. Depending on where you are and which industry, some companies may just look more like a 1960s sitcom. That’s Ok because inclusivity can still exist. Humans inherently just want to feel like they belong.
3. Work from home (WFH) or hybrid work policies: I live in Bend, Oregon and have worked remotely for the past 6 years. My home and family are built around a remote work style and I’m not willing to relocate or spend 40+ hours a week chained to a desk. So many of us recently reprioritized our families and self-care and rapidly realized all the things we were missing out on. We also learned that a lot of different kinds of jobs could be done from home. Unfortunately, there are many companies that still don’t trust their people to get the work done outside of their cubicle. Look for company policies that support your work-life balance and recognize that you and your families’ wellbeing always come first.
While they may allow remote work now, be sure to inquire about the expected policy when the pandemic is over. A work from home stipend is a plus and other great perks like fertility support and parental leave can make a difference in feeling supported as a human rather than just an employee.
A few other things to consider: Does the recruiter respect your time? Is there anyone on the hiring team that makes you uncomfortable? Is there a clear definition of the role and how to succeed? Will they pay you what you’re worth?
It can be scary to say no to a potential paycheck even when you know that company doesn’t have your best interests in mind. But taking the time to also make sure this company is right for you is important. We are at a turning point in the modern workforce. This is our moment to bring our whole selves to all we do. Being the most authentic you means you get to have a fulfilling career and a fulfilling life outside of work. With more job openings, and the great resignation, the choices you make in your next search can help nudge the shift toward more authenticity in society as a whole. Make it count.