Years ago, the company Career Builder came out with a series of very amusing advertisements that featured a frustrated employee who was quite literally working with monkeys. The ad and two subsequent series of ads asked the question, when is it time to get a new job?
Of course, the ad took everything to hilarious extremes but for the purpose of this post let’s try to answer that question. When is it time to find a new job?
Years ago, when I was reflecting on my then current job with some colleagues, I realized something that has stayed with me to this day and something I encourage everyone who has every reported to me to do regularly. It’s important as employees to take a few minutes periodically and self-evaluate how they feel about their current employment.
That evening as the discussion wandered from our bosses to quotas and onto ambitions, we shared stories and asked questions but came to the consensus that everything we were discussing could easily be grouped into three categories.
Most commonly people talk about their boss or the top leadership of the company, since you can’t discuss salary in polite company you typically talk about quotas or bonus plans and the third subject most likely is about personal ambition in some way shape or form.
While bosses, quotas and ambition are almost always the topics when co-workers get together, let’s identify what these are really about, earnings, education, and environment.
Earnings: am I being paid a reasonable salary for what I am being asked to do?
Education: am I learning things that will help me later in my career?
Environment: am I working in a positive environment where I am treated well?
My advice to everyone is always the same here if you begin questioning even one of the three E’s it’s time to sit down with your supervisor right away. In my experience almost any single concern, when dealt with proactively, can be properly addressed and quickly put in the rear-view mirror.
Also, in my experience by the time you are questioning or saying no to a second of the three questions the damage may be beyond repair.
It’s not scientific at all, it’s more a gut thing in the end I believe but I have used the above questions and followed this process a few times. Also, if you do answer YES to all three questions…good for you and please check again next month. :-)
...and now for bad monkeys click here.
