Should you go or stay?
By Carolyn Cohen
If you’re not satisfied in your current job, your first step should be to
closely examine what’s making you unhappy
Stephane remembers sitting at the head of the table in a pub with 15 of his coworkers at his going away
party. Just a week after completing the requisite number of hours to obtain his CA designation he was leaving
public accounting. The young accountant had dreamt of this moment for at least a year prior to making the
move. He would be earning $20,000 more in the new job for fewer hours (when he was at the organization’s
premises for the interviews, it seemed awfully quiet at 5:30 p.m.). Best of all, the work would be really
interesting, for him meaning that anything is OK if it doesn’t include auditing.
Now 14 months into the new job, Stephane worries that he took the leap rather impulsively. Yes, his
compensation package is attractive but now that he’s had a chance, as part of his responsibilities, to view
the compensation of colleagues and senior management, he can see that the gap between him and his public
accounting buddies will narrow before long. The work itself was really interesting for the first six months
but is now becoming repetitive. The possibility of moving up to the controller position is questionable
because it doesn’t appear as if there is a place for the current controller to go. Stephane is not miserable.
He is still hopeful that he made the right move, but he advises his old friends to do their homework before
jumping ship.
His scenario is not about the perils of leaving public accounting for industry or an attempt to recommend
one career direction over another. It is about knowing if and when you should consider leaving your present
employer and regardless of what you decide, some of the important steps you can take to improve your current
situation. But there is some action you can take to improve your situation while remaining where you are.
Everyone knows someone who has stayed in a job or with an organization longer than he or she should have.
Maybe the person didn’t like change; maybe he or she didn’t know what opportunities were available; maybe he
or she thought other positions with other companies wouldn’t be much better. Just as likely, you know someone
who gave up on what he or she had a little too quickly. You know the type; someone who has convinced him or
herself that another job would be perfect. The person wondered why it took so long to realize that. Moving on
may be the best way to solve this individual’s problems. Are you someone who has moved on too quickly or who
hasn’t moved on quickly enough?
People change jobs or careers for one or more reasons including:
- their interests have changed (e.g., recent exposure to new ideas, industries, hobbies, etc.);
- their priorities have changed (e.g., they now have interests outside of the workplace which limits the
amount of time they are willing to spend on their career);
- their opportunities for advancement are limited or uncertain (e.g., higher-level positions are few and
recent performance evaluations have not been outstanding);
- the work they would be doing if promoted does not appeal to them (e.g., business development is a large
part of the responsibilities of the next level and what they really like is the technical work);
- they are bored (e.g., getting up and going to work each day is a struggle);
- they are overly stressed (e.g., physical ailments are becoming more frequent and it’s been suggested that
stress is playing a big part in this);
- they desire greater compensation (e.g., the compensation of the senior people in the organization or
profession is lower than what they hoped for).
Leaving your current position prematurely may be as bad as remaining in a job past its expiration date.
For the impulsive people out there or those who think that what they don’t have is better than what they do
have, take a few things into consideration before rushing into anything.
If your reason for wanting to change your job is:
Compensation: consider that in the long run, the amount of salary increases may decrease,
resulting in less compensation over time. You cannot compare two job opportunities solely on the cash
compensation offered. Benefits and incentive payments have become increasingly valuable and may tip the scale
in favour of the lower-paying job. The initial package may be higher but promotions may be slow in coming,
thereby reducing or slowing income potential.
Stress: consider that it often seems as if everyone else’s job is less stressful than yours.
While it is true that some jobs are inherently more stressful and some work environments thrive on the high
stress level amongst employees, most stress has to do with our emotional makeup. If someone has perfectionist
tendencies or believes that his or her world will fall apart if things are not done well before a deadline,
it is likely that person will experience stress wherever he or she goes.
The work elsewhere seems more interesting: consider that it might be more interesting but it
might also seem that way just because it’s new. Perhaps a more relevant question is, does the work constantly
(or almost constantly) teach you something? After a while, will it be possible to introduce new methods or
processes to make things more efficient or timelier? If I’m ambitious, does it appear that eventually I will
be able to delegate my responsibilities and take on new ones?
Work hours: Consider that sometimes the hours worked is like stress, attached to the individual,
not the job. If you are a perfectionist or are attempting to escape from an unpleasant home situation, you
will likely work many hours regardless of your responsibilities. In other cases, work hours may be directly
correlated with the level of responsibility and exposure to new and complex tasks. It is not common to work
as a professional at a continuously stimulating job without putting in lots of hours. The answer is to know
what you want and what you’re willing to sacrifice.
Generally speaking, it is prudent to make the most of a situation before abandoning it for something else.
If you are having second (or third and fourth) thoughts about your current employment situation but believe
that you should try fixing it before seeking alternatives elsewhere, have a look at the suggestions in the
diagram on page 43.
So if you are not happy in your current employment, first determine whether it is a passing thing or
something more substantial requiring action. Try to identify exactly what it is that contributes to your
dissatisfaction. Make a solid attempt to correct or at least modify that particular thing and see if it makes
a difference. Be realistic about the positive aspects of your situation and whether those things are
sufficient to keep you where you are. If your final conclusion is that you need to move on, stay tuned.
Carolyn Cohen, CA,
MSW, runs a training and human resources consulting practice in Toronto and is CAmagazine’s Technical editor
for People management. She can be reached at c.cohen@sympatico.ca
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