Should you stay or should you go?
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Should you look for a new job or keep the one you have?
Since the new CEO took over a year and a half ago, Sara’s boss and his boss both left for “other opportunities”. They have been replaced by people from the CEO’s previous company. Now Sara’s new boss just told her that there will be an additional reporting layer between him and her. “Corporate decision” she was told; it had nothing to do with her performance. Two of her subordinates left in the last couple of months. She came to me for advice on what she should do.
Sara is a director in a large, well-known, and prestigious company, the leader in its industry. She just received her performance review with an excellent rating but was told that her salary review will come in another month. And now this. A new layer. Does that mean I’m being demoted, she asked.
When is it time to look for a new job? How do you start the process? What can you do if you want to stay but are dealing with management challenges and lack of clarity?
Millions of employees are asking similar questions, am I appreciated at work or should I look for other employment? Microsoft’s Work Trend Index in a global survey of over 30,000 people in 31 countries shows that over 40% of workers are considering leaving their employer this year.
Sara thinks she sees the writing on the wall, but she and her family like living in their town, and they have good friends close by. She has 17 years of experience in her field and the last six is in her current company with increasing responsibility and positive reviews. She is torn between taking the leap into the unknown or staying to hopefully ride out the changes in upper management. She likes her work and team, but is unsure of what changes are coming, restructuring is afoot, but the exact form is uncertain.
We discussed several points to help her sort out what would be best for her and her family:
