Is the Big Shift Coming?

Without doubt the last 15 months have been very hard for people and just when we think we are over the final hurdle, along comes the Delta variant and moves the finishing line annoyingly down the track.

However there is genuine room for optimism and after a long period of stagnation and an enforced focus on home and work life, it is no surprise at all that people are starting to look closely at the jobs they do and the organisations they work for. The days of one company people and final salary pensions were already a thing of the past and it’s now very common for people to change careers entirely as situations change.

I personally loved my job as a Commodity Trader and for 10 years was blissfully happy in the knowledge that I had the best job in the world (my opinion only!!!). As my own circumstances, wants, needs and beliefs changed, many of the things I used to think of positively actually became negative aspects and were some of the reasons for my own change of direction.

The pandemic has accelerated that shift and people no longer want to work with a product they don’t believe in, a company that doesn’t share their values or in a role that is boring and seems to stop time indefinitely.

One thing the job market does offer us is choice and if approached in the right way, choice can only be a positive thing. Those choices can be small like a sideways move for more potential in the future, through to “I’m quitting my Marketing Job to go be a yoga teacher in the Himalayan Mountains” (please check local entry requirements before setting off). There is no one size fits all or right or wrong answer, because we are all individual human beings with a unique set of requirements for what job satisfaction means to us.

Often the choice feels like a straight tug of war between the head and the heart, but this is rarely the reality and some detailed research and planning will most likely reveal the need for balance. The absconding yoga teacher as an extreme example would probably be fine if the person in question was single, with no financial or family commitments and was someone who loved other cultures and travelling. The outcome would most likely be less ‘Zen’ if the ‘downward dogging’ was at the direct expense of mortgage payments, school fees and the person had never left Surrey before.

So realism definitely plays a part in our choices, but we also need to hone in on the specifics of the job we really want. A job in the Music industry could range from promoting gigs on the frontline, producing music or being the lead singer of the band. All would be great jobs in their own right, but would require very different skill sets and personalities and would bring vastly different levels of satisfaction depending on who we are.

Timescales are also hugely important and it’s proven that as humans we overestimate our short term capability and underestimate what we can do longer term. This often leads to impatience, disappointment and in the worst cases, we give up on our career dreams. Change takes time and by breaking down our career goals into smaller, more achievable chunks, we avoid that disappointment. With detailed planning and a small bit of luck on our side, we will arrive at our original destination, in a great place, full of enthusiasm and motivation and ready to go smash it.

There are so many factors involved when we are considering our own job satisfaction and while a balance is key, there will obviously be some areas that are more important to us than others. The pandemic has shifted focus away from the more traditional values, with purpose, meaning and the environment becoming more prevalent in peoples thoughts. It is however your own personal job satisfaction and you shouldn’t be influenced by external forces such as your peers, social media or TV. If your primary career motivation is Ferrari’s, big houses and lavish holidays, you achieve it and are happy, then that is one less person for the rest of us to worry about.

Commonly used job satisfaction factors include, working environment, policies and procedure, appreciation, pay, company values and beliefs, promotion, age, quality of management, challenge, nature or work, responsibility, personal hobbies and interests, relationships with management and colleagues, safety and security and feeling wanted. Some will resonate more with you than others and some might not even register at all. Use the list to rank and rate your own requirements or work through them with a career coach like me and start planning for that dream job today!