A recent article in Forbes.com highlighted a new Future Forum survey, which found that overall job satisfaction for executives is down 15% and work-related stress and anxiety have jumped 40%.
Work related stress
Work-related stress has jumped 40%! That’s a lot of stress. This could be for any number of factors.
–The Great Resignation
–Job description change
–Taking on more responsibilities for the same pay
–Increased hours
–Company vision and mission have changed
–Loss of work / life balance
Control your choices
While you as an executive can’t control decisions that others make, and you can’t control the changes around you, you can control your own choices going forward. You can control how you react to circumstances that you don’t like. You can make decisions about your own career path despite the feeling that things are happening to you.
If you are stressed out about your position—for whatever reason—maybe, it’s time to start thinking about other opportunities. What if you considered that other company’s odd offer? What if you joined a Board of Directors? What if you supported a non-profit? If you think it’s time for a change, then you can plan on updating your resume and LinkedIn profile as soon as possible. The best time to work on job search materials is when you already have a job; you will feel calmer, you will be more lucid, and you will make solid decisions about your future and your career path when you still have money coming in.
Impact of Work related stress
One engineering executive that I talked to was so stressed about his situation that he could barely answer my basic questions.
Me: Where are you thinking of going?
Executive: [long pause] I don’t know.
Me: Would you like to talk about the possibilities?
Executive: [long pause] Okay.
Me: I understand that you feel anxious and stressed. Are you sure that you want to talk now?
Executive: [long pause] Yes.
He told me that he had a lot of guilt associated with leaving the job. He was done with the company, but hundreds of employees depended on his work, and he felt stressed and anxious about leaving them, even though he was tired of working. He was considering retiring. But he could barely talk about any of it.
While it is commendable for a leader to feel some separation anxiety, that much stress is just not healthy.
So it’s no wonder that stress has risen 40%. It’s a tough world out there!
Reduce your stress
Let’s reduce that stress, shall we? We’ll work together to ensure that the process is much less nerve-wracking. You might even enjoy it. When my clients see their new resume or LinkedIn profile, they certainly enjoy that!
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Save time. Get More. Be Happy.
For a free resume review, please contact me at coach@maximizeu.life
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