The meeting was canceled again. The boss hasn't been in the office in a month. They are forcing everyone to go back to work in person, but no one on your team is there when you are. Half of your team was laid off, and you are doing double the work as before.
Every worker, every organization goes through tough times. How do you know if you're going through a slump... or if this is a permanent state? And maybe you should be thinking of moving on?
Before we get to the answer, know you're not alone. The Great Resignation, that mass exodus of employees that began in 2021, showed that 3.8 million people quit their jobs that summer, and today, with employee engagement continuing at low rates, the trend continues.
How do you know this is just a bad day or something more serious? If, psychologically and practically, you are experiencing one or more of the following . . .
•Not valued, heard
•Contributions don’t count
•Unhealthy culture or leadership
•Gossip, cliques, lack of diversity or transparency
•Personal and organization values misaligned
•Ethics compromised
•Burnout, dread, no passion
•Underusing your skills
•Not being paid as much as others in your organization or your field (industry or profession)
•Unrealistic expectations (too much work, the wrong kind of work)
•Accountability without authority
•Limited growth (structure, culture)
•Organization weak or failing
AND these are patterns (not occasional occurrences), it's been consistently like this for more than a year, you cannot influence or control the situations, and you can't see it changing soon enough for your satisfaction. Then, it might be time to look forward and make a change.
