Over the last year, millions of American workers have left their jobs. This phenomenon, widely know as the Great Resignation, has employers in a panic. With a definite worker shortage, many are scrambling to either hire new staff or retain the people they already have. To complicate matters, supply chain issues have been putting pressure on many companies and, in some cases, have made margins a lot thinner than usual. And when organizations are feeling pinched, that’s not necessarily great news for the rest of the economy.

There is, however, a silver lining to this situation: not all employees are leaving. Some are capitalizing on the moment to negotiate better pay, ask for more paid time off, or improve their benefits package. Some have decided to switch career paths so they can pursue something they enjoy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics recently reported that many people who left their jobs last year did not exit the workforce entirely. Instead, they swapped jobs. There is, in fact, almost a “one-to-one correlation between the rate of quitting and swapping.”

That’s great news. To me, this attitude of rethinking one’s career is much more productive than simply resigning. Throwing your hands up in the air and yelling, “I quit,” might feel good in the short term, but this impulsiveness will likely come with consequences. Besides, I firmly believe in the power of work. To be employed (in an area you enjoy) is to have purpose and direction. Work can be immensely rewarding and energizing, as long as you’re doing something you love.

Instead of giving up employment entirely, why not rethink your career situation? Try these three approaches:

  1. Reflect

For many, the long pandemic and increased isolation gave us more time than usual to sit down and reflect. Once business as usual was disrupted, people began to see how life could operate outside of their normal routine. It’s unfortunate that it took a global pandemic to force people to pause and reflect. Ideally, we’d all set aside time every now and then to think critically about our life situation, pinpoint the areas that are causing us stress/anxiety/frustration (and the areas that are bringing us joy), and come up with a strategy to change things. I urge you to engage in this kind of deep reflection from time to time, and then…

  1. Form a Plan

If things are less than ideal, begin making a plan to improve your current situation. Think of the different avenues you could take to improve your personal and professional life. Dare to dream! If you’ve always wanted to pursue a certain career path, what’s holding you back from doing it? What steps do you need to take to get you there?

When forming your plan, be sure to take your financial situation into consideration. If you could potentially be unemployed for a while, do you have an emergency savings account you can tap into? Will you need to tighten your monthly budget? Or do you need to build up your cash reserve a bit more before even considering a major career shift?

  1. Negotiate

Quitting your job may be a solution, but it doesn’t have to be! Are you unhappy with your salary or benefits? Do you enjoy what you do, but feel overloaded with work? Do you wish your work responsibilities would shift slightly? All those situations are solvable. Engage in an honest conversation with your superiors to see if some of your discontentment can be solved through negotiation. You never know what your current workplace can do for you until you ask.

 

We’re living in an era of opportunity for employees. Instead of resigning from a less-than-ideal job, what if you dared to dream bigger and either pursued your passions or recalibrated your current job to better fit your needs? This is not wishful thinking; the climate is right for making a meaningful change. Start thinking about the possibilities for improving your professional path today…

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