Tired of Your Job?

From Day 1, Jill knew she had made a mistake. Newly relocated to Atlanta and anxious to get back to work, she jumped at the first opportunity of employment. Two months later, she regretted her hasty decision. She knew it was a dead was position. The commute was nerve-wracking and the pay mediocre. Jill wanted out, the sooner the better.

In his mid 40’s. Matt finally faces the fact that he had reached his promotional limit. After 12 years with his company he’d risen to accounting manager but that was as far as he could expect to go. A combination of chronological factors, plus a slimming of the management ranks blocked any chances of advancement. The prospect of another 20 years of being pigeonholed was a depressing thought. It was definitely time to explore option elsewhere.

Maria had always loved working in research and development for her software company. The freewheeling, innovative atmosphere of the start-up years was a stimulus to her creative mind. But, conditions began to change rapidly. A large conglomerate with a totally different corporate structure purchased her company. The new owners had a bureaucratic management style where innovation was stifled and status quo rewarded. Maria became restless, resentful and unproductive. She knew she had to move on to get the excitement back into her working life.

DECIDING TO RESIGN
Some surprising statistics have been gathered on the reasons workers leave their jobs. Dan Parker, vice President of A.T. Kearney, a leading national executive search firm, share these results of his firms survey on resignations:

Limited opportunity-47 percent
Lack of recognition-26 percent
Bad management-15 percent
Bored-6 percent
Poor Salary-6 percent

(More than three fourths of all resignations are based on an employee’s human needs for growth and recognition in the workplace. Monetary concerns trail the list.)

Quitting a job is always a major decision, frequently arrived at through painful soul searching. But, once the decision is made, you should be prepared to find other employment and then gracefully resign your present position.

Carefully think through your reasons for leaving. It’s important that you don’t allow temporary emotions to cloud your judgment. It helps to list in writing the positives and the negatives of your present situation. You should also have a clear idea of what you want in your new employment. You certainly want to avoid the same situations that led your present discontent.

Finding Your New Job-
Explore the water before you announce you’re leaving. Depending on your personal situation you may want to discuss your decision with your immediate manager. Some will be sympathetic and offer help. Others will feel angry and betrayed by your actions. You have to decide if you want to share your plans and take a possible risk.

If confidentially is necessary, network carefully. Some industries are very closely knit and you wouldn’t want your boss to get the word through the grapevine. That’s definitely not the way to resign a position. It’s usually a good way to get fired. So let people know that this search is being done in a confidential fashion. Interviews should not be done on your present company’s time clock. That’s not playing fairly. A prospective employer can certainly arrange their interviews around your present working schedule. If necessary use vacation days to schedule your appointments.

If you are offered another position, get the offer in writing before you announce your resignation. This is an important safeguard. Have a clear understanding with your new employer about a start date.

Resigning-
As always, good manners are your best guide. The proper protocol is for you personally, to inform your manager about your decision to leave. This might not be the most pleasant conversation, but it is a necessary one.

During your conversation, be careful not to burn any bridges, insult or down grade your former employer. Nothing will be gained by such graceless behavior. Offer to give a two-week notice, but don’t be shocked if you’re asked to leave immediately. If your resignation comes as a complete surprise your manager might react emotionally. But you should at least offer to assist in a smooth transitional period.

Counteroffers-
A tricky part of resigning is having your employer come back with a counter offer to induce you to stay. While this is certainly flattering it can also be a potential bombshell.

As an executive search consultant with years of expertise, Mr. Parker has some sage words when considering a counteroffer. “Your employer comes back with an offer of more money to have you stay on. Logically, why are you worth more money to have you stay on? Logically, why are you worth more money today than you were yesterday?” Is it simply because someone else values your talents?”

Mr. Parker backs up his warning on counteroffers with the results of a study done by A.T. Kearny. The report tracked 400 managers who resigned from their positions during a three-year period. FIFTY INE percent were given counteroffers by the employers and 27 accepted them. After an 18-month period fully 25 of those rehired were either terminated or left the company on their own. Only two managers still held their job. RATHER POOR ODDS!!
The message seems to be, if you’ve carefully weighed all factors and decided to quit, stick to your guns and go. Ending a relationship with a company is a difficult multi-layered decision. But for many of us, it’s best career move we can make.