The Great Commitment

Over the past two years we’ve been hearing a lot about The Great Resignation, or as some would call it, The Great Reassessment. This is a trend that reflects the record number of people who are switching jobs, revaluating their work roles, and reprioritizing their lives. A recent Harris Poll in partnership with USA Today found that:

  • 1 in 5 employees who quit their jobs during the last two years regret it, and a like number are remorseful about starting their new job.
  • Only 1 in 4 new employees say they like their new role enough to stay.
  • And 1 in 3 recently hired employees are already looking for a new job.
  • About 1 in 3 miss their work life balance or say the new position is different than they expected.
  • About 1 in 4 realize they didn’t fully evaluate the new role before accepting it or miss their prior employer’s workplace culture.
  • From another perspective, about 39% of employerssay the person they hired didn’t meet their usual qualifications.
  • And according to LinkedIn’s Economic Graph Team, an increasing number, 4.3% of new hires are boomerang employees, returning to their former employers, on average 17 months later. Several workers are even offering tips on social media on how to ask for your old job back.

While this trend isn’t new, the frequency with which it is occurring has greatly increased.

The obvious challenge to those contemplating switching jobs is to clearly evaluate why they’re leaving their current employer. Are they moving away from a bad situation or being attracted to a great opportunity? Are they fully interviewing their prospective employer so that they can understand what it’s really like to work there? And do they know the most important aspects of the culture that must be in place for them to perform well and to love their job? Because the grass isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence; sometimes it’s just different grass (and it might be spray-painted!).

The Great Commitment
Once employees answer these questions, and decide to accept a position at another company, it’s time to make The Great Commitment. This is important for new hires who find themselves “on the fence” emotionally in their new role because of concerns about relationships with their colleagues, organizational politics, or alignment of responsibilities. To perform well, they must decide to stay at their selected employer for sufficient period and make a genuine effort. This means embracing the assignments, engaging with colleagues, developing strategies and goals, guiding the team, taking responsibility for outcomes, and working toward a common purpose.

What Can You Learn?
Whether you stay for 3 months or 3 years, think about what you can learn from the experience. I recall the job I hated most in my career as also being the one I learned the most from. The culture was 180 degrees from my norm, but I knew that going in. And while there were many challenging days, I learned how to lead in difficult circumstances, how to navigate extreme conflict and how to behave in a manner that would make them respect me. And my next job was a well-deserved promotion. Even if you don’t excel in the role, you may gain valuable insights and knowledge that position you for a better role in the near future.

Examine Your Bias
We all have unconscious beliefs about certain social or identity groups and environments. New co-workers may exhibit behaviors that trigger past negative experiences. Our attitudes or stereotypes may cause us to assume things that aren’t true. Our personality style may differ from most styles in our new work group, making it difficult to get to know others. They may not seem as welcoming as we expected. Rather than blaming it all on them, reflect on how the way you show up contributes to the situation. Try making small adjustments to your behaviors, reexamining underlying assumptions and approaching situations differently.

Bring Your Best Self
After the unending stress of the pandemic and working remotely for two years, some employees are focused on bringing their true authentic selves to work. That may show up in their appearance, communication style, how they manage conflict and collaborate with others. The key is to bring your best self; the one that you would want to interact with if you were a co-worker. That best self should be emotionally intelligent, allow your passion and interests to shine through, and be a positive influence in the environment.

Build Inclusion
Leaders have a major role to play in modeling behavior that leads the rest of the team in welcoming and integrating a new member. They should express value for the skill sets each person brings, bridge cultural differences, and help them operate as a cohesive group. This is about recognizing and welcoming a variety of perspectives and leveraging the values of differences.

So, make a commitment. There is no perfect workplace. There’s only a place where you can optimally contribute and improve. And working in a challenging environment isn’t necessarily bad. It’s a learning opportunity. I had a conversation with a Gen Z recently who framed it appropriately: “Hard places are where you have to grow.”

Copyright 2022 Priscilla Archangel
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