Workplace doldrums: should I stay or should I go?

You’ve hit the midyear blues and you’re wondering whether you can do another year of the same thing.

Career Consultancy's Catherine Cunningham.

You’ve hit the mid-year blues and you’re wondering whether you can do another year of the same thing. Your thoughts may turn to throwing it all in and starting somewhere else. Surely, you think, a new employer will solve all your problems.

In fact, leaving your employer and starting elsewhere is just one of seven valid career options to choose from. At any one time in our career, you can:

Look for an internal promotion.

Move down to a more junior role in your organisation.

Transfer sideways to a different department at the same level of seniority.

Stay in your job exactly as it is.

Stay in your job and re-engineer it slightly.

Explore possibilities inside and outside your organisation.

Leave your organisation and try somewhere else.

Before deciding to move on, it’s important to examine your key motivators and drivers.

If you find the source of your dissatisfaction is with your actual work tasks rather than a disconnect between your career values and the workplace culture, it is worth exploring your in-house options. A starting point is to imagine you have just won your present job and take a new broom to it. What changes would you make in the way the job is being done?

For changes that need the cooperation of your manager, it is important to present a compelling business case.

For example, if you want to learn a new skill you are likelier to win approval if you can identify a strategic linkage between the new skill and your present job responsibilities.

What if you aren’t sure of what changes to make to the job? Tap into the knowledge and advice of fellow workers and expand your network of contacts to explore possibilities.

Once you have clarified your thoughts, you can go to your manager with clear ideas and a pathway. You are presenting solutions, not problems.

If you wish to reduce your working hours, a key to success can be to see the world from your manager’s perspective. What do they need to feel comfortable about in giving the go-ahead for the change?

For example, the manager may need to know the area of work you are giving up can be seamlessly taken up by someone else. Your request is likelier to win over your manager if it is accompanied by a well-thought-out transition plan.

If you do decide to leave your organisation and reinvent yourself, take heart. People do it successfully all the time. There are three key steps.

Ensure the proposed career change suits the essence of who you are. Does it match your skills and interests and is there a good fit with your personality?

Master the job-search process. A basic rule of thumb is that “networking is king”, and 65 per cent of new positions are generally picked up using this strategy.

Finally, implement a strategic job-search campaign. Successful career changers have high levels of discipline. It’s a matter of whatever it takes to do the hard yards, keep on track and persist.

Most of us spend a minimum of eight hours a day at work and its importance goes far beyond merely providing an income.

There is endless information and support available to help manage your career.

If you tap into this knowledge and implement it, you can switch from passive discontent to soaring like a bird to attain your career stars.

Catherine Cunningham heads Career Consultancy