Recently a manager came to me for career advice. He had worked at a well-respected company for more than a decade. While this company was not one of my clients, I knew he had enjoyed working there. But now he was deeply unhappy.
Over the last couple of years, the company kept increasing his workload. He was asked to manage more and more work but with no additional resources or compensation. He felt the company cared more about getting the work done than about him, and he had reached a breaking point.
He wanted advice on how to do a job search, since it had been so long since he had done one.
Before we talked about that, we spent time discussing his current situation. I’m a big believer in not running from problems. I challenge people who have worked in one place for a long time to really look at the situation from all angles. You owe it to yourself (and the company) to try to work things out before walking out the door—especially if you’ve spent a lot of time there. So, we talked about where he was now and how he might make things better.
Five weeks later, I read a post by him on social media announcing that he had accepted a new position with a different company. He gained a better workplace, while his old company lost a valuable employee.
As we all know, the last two years have been extremely unique and incredibly difficult. Never mind the changing rules and new norms of living through a pandemic! Today, businesses are dealing with supply chain issues; unrealistic deadlines; employees demanding a flexible work environment; and perhaps most troublesome, significant labor shortages. There are simply fewer people to get the work done.
One of the biggest challenges in any workplace today is finding—and retaining—talent. Employees are in the driver’s seat now, and business owners and managers are not in a position to ask more for less.
It’s just a fact. The unhappy guy in my office is not unique. As business begins coming back, I’m seeing more and more work placed on fewer employees. This can—and ultimately will—cause valued employees to look for a way to relieve that workload pressure. For many, that means making a move.
I recently heard Chris Czarnik, a Vistage speaker and author of Winning the War for Talent, say: “Every job search starts with someone being unhappy with their current position for some reason.” He went on to say people do not leave for money. They leave first because they are unhappy—then they leave for money. If money were the issue, he says everyone would leave. Because in today’s economy, you can always find someone who will pay you more money. I totally agree. People become unhappy, and then they begin a job search.
Leadership must be sensitive to placing too many demands on people. Managers need to manage workflows and proactively assess when they are asking employees to do too much. In some cases, that might mean turning down business if it places too much stress on your workforce.
Sometimes too much of a good thing just isn’t good.
It’s important to remember that, right now, there are simply more jobs than there are people available to do those jobs. But that doesn’t mean you can just go about business as usual with the staff you have. Your employees are more important now than ever. Work on keeping them happy and less stressed, and you’ll do what you do better. You’ll also retain valuable talent.
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