Career coach and LinkedIn expert (Linked Into Jobs); author and founder of The Job Search School. Learn how to find your dream job.
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There are numerous reasons why an individual begins to search for a new job—a layoff, a move, a promotion or a change in lifestyle being the most common. However, over the past several years, I have noticed an increased number of employees seeking a new role because their current employer is more concerned with meeting their bottom line than they are with the well-being of their employees.
Contrary to popular belief, this is not just an excuse poor-performing, disgruntled employees use to justify a change in jobs. These are hard-working and dedicated employees that give the daily grind their all as they optimize processes, inspire teams and achieve objectives, all with the long-term success of the company in mind.
If you are feeling as if it is time to search for a new opportunity, you may be on the fence—with several months or years of uncertainty behind you—and I can understand why. Your time at your current employer hasn’t been all bad. If it was, you would have left without hesitation! With good and bad days behind all of us, feeling “valued” isn’t always as tangible as egregious wrongdoing.
In order to help you move forward with confidence, here are five ways to tell if your employer truly values you, or if it’s all just a numbers game:
1. The company is seeking short-term solutions to long-term problems.
If you see your company trying to patch up something that needs some serious fixing (a.k.a. a hemorrhage being treated with a unicorn Band-Aid), it’s safe to say business is not going well. When a company feels that their growth is stable, sustainable and strong, they create vision plans and road maps into the future, setting schedules and milestones that achieve long-term goals. A downward spiral is usually the result of poor leadership, misaligned directives and an inability to focus on the larger picture.
With things heading downhill, you may find yourself out of a job whether you choose to leave or not. So, get ahead of the inevitable and begin searching for a new opportunity. Remember, it is always better to be searching for a new job from a position of strength (employed) rather than a position of weakness (unemployed).
2. Company expectations are unrealistic and resources are scarce.
When profits are more important than the quality of work accomplished, companies can assign ridiculous tasks to employees without any regard for their daily responsibilities, resources or support. If you have expressed to upper management that the goal you have been given is simply not possible (and clearly stated what it is you need to help make it happen and why), and nothing has been done, the company is likely only concerned with your output.
Improved processes are an important part of generating revenue since they help keep operations efficient and reduce costs; however, when processes are streamlined to the extreme, they don’t necessarily optimize teams, they hinder them. The goals will never be fair, and the processes will only become more radical, as they obsess over pennies rather than performance.
3. There is no opportunity for growth or development.
People automatically assume that growth and development are directly related to being promoted, but that is not always the case. Sometimes, people are happy within their current roles, and if a company is small, there may not be room to climb the corporate ladder. So, while the opportunity to be promoted is one way to gauge whether or not you should stay at your current company, it is not the only factor to determine growth.
When a company is invested in you, they demonstrate a genuine interest in seeing you further enhance your skills and abilities. They challenge you with various (realistic) assignments and provide programs to help you continue to develop (such as attending conferences or training courses). If your company has stopped taking an interest in your growth or hasn’t taken an interest altogether, it may be time to look for one that will.
4. You aren’t recognized for the work that you do.
We all work hard and want to be recognized for doing a job well done. That can be through words of affirmation, complimentary luncheons, small gifts (flowers), big gifts (bonuses) or various outings and events. If your company fails to do any of these things, leadership may not truly care about the individuals who work for them—only what it is that they provide.
5. Last, but certainly not least, your salary isn’t up to par with the competition.
Money isn’t everything. Corporate culture, flexibility, location and simply doing what you love are all important aspects of a job to consider, but the salary you receive is still important, too. There are various ways to check your salary by utilizing tools online. Pay Scale, Glassdoor, Indeed and LinkedIn all offer salary calculators where you can type in your title and location and see what other people—with similar roles and backgrounds—are making.
In addition to your salary, it is important to also consider the benefits you receive. Your salary may be slightly lower, but does your company provide additional time off, a health savings account with employer contribution, generous medical benefits and a 401k match? These items should all be included with your search so that you can determine if the compensation you receive as a whole is on par with what others are making.
Feeling valued at work is vital to performing well. I applaud my clients who have decided they deserve something more and give credit to companies who recognize that they are only as valuable as the people who work for them.
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