At the end of March, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists published the results of its 2022...
Whether you’ve recently moved into your position or have been in your job for a while, you may have noticed that your motivation is lacking. We’ve put together some steps to help you distinguish between when you need a break and when it’s time to start seriously looking for your next move.
Consider the following questions:
- When thinking about going to the office after the weekend, do you experience thoughts of dread?
- Does the idea of being back in the office fill you with stress and anxiety?
- Are you valued for your contributions to the organisation?
- Do you often complain to co-workers, friends, and family about your job?
You often think about leaving
Are you always thinking of greener pastures? It’s totally normal for those who are content in their job to have fantasies about winning the lottery and quitting. However, when you’re regularly visualising handing in your notice at work, then it may be more than just a fantasy.
On a Sunday, you may find yourself dreading going into work, dreading speaking to your colleagues, attending those meetings, or carrying out even the simplest of tasks. Work is such a huge part of our lives, it’s not worth thinking about leaving daily and not acting on it.
Your physical and mental wellbeing is affected
Do you often crave a sick day or use holiday days just to avoid going into the office or to get your general life admin tasks done?
Being unable to find that work life balance can quickly affect your wellbeing. If you’re unable to fit your day’s work into your assigned hours and you’re unable to enjoy life outside of work, then it’s probably time to look for something new.
Workplace wellbeing has become popular news, with many employers investing in improving the work life balance of their employees. However, it’s still common for people to feel burnt out. When working a stressful, high-pressure job, mixed with a difficult working environment can commonly lead to exhaustion and stress. This is key reason people start looking for something new.
There is no opportunity for progression or development
You may start to experience feelings of boredom or that you could do your work with your eyes closed and still do them well then you may start to quickly resent your job. Speak to your employer and find out if there are opportunities for progression into a more senior role, or a different role first. If nothing changes then it could be worth taking your experience to another organisation.
Were you promised training and development when you took the role, and you’ve still not received it? Mention this to your upline. There could be some genuine reasons behind this, so give them an opportunity first. It’s entirely normal to feel disappointed for the lack of development in your career. When it reaches the point where you don’t feel you’re reaching your full potential in your role, it might be time to seek out something new. It could be useful to research into training and development you could do on your own outside of work or find courses and sessions you could join to assist in your current job and those you could add to your CV to make it more attractive for future employers.
It could be worthwhile to look at other roles that are more senior than yours, or in a different area of the business. Understand the responsibilities and the requirements for the position and see if these align with what you’re looking for.
You don’t feel appreciated
Linking progression and appreciation is important. If you’re not being acknowledged or appreciated for the role you hold within an organisation, then progression opportunities may be limited. If you’ve been in the same role for some time, without receiving additional responsibilities, promotion opportunities or extra pay, you may start to feel underappreciated. We often suggest that you take these issues to your manager and explain how this is making you feel. Appraisals are a great time to do this! If after discussing with them you’re still without a clear path for progression and continue to feel underappreciated, then now is a great time to seek out your new challenge.
On the other hand, if you’re struggling with your workload, require training and aren’t receiving the necessary support, you may find that an organisation who provide solid training, resources and support could suit you better.
This is a good time to make a list of desires for your new role. Include the things that would make you feel valued and appreciated, what would challenge you and perhaps even list companies you like the ethos of.
Toxic work environment
A toxic working environment can not only be detrimental to your mental health, but physical also. A toxic environment could make you feel like you can’t be yourself at work or around your colleagues. We’re not saying you need to gel with everyone at work, temporary blips are common and something we can usually handle
Here are some of the red flags that you’re in a toxic work environment:
- Management is poor - you may be micromanaged or completely without support
- Communication is lacking - you’ve got no idea what the plans for the company are
- Bullying is tolerated - major no no!
- The workforce is unmotivated - people regularly gossip about the negatives of the business
- There’s rapid employee turnover – this is a key sign!
- There is little to no forward movement
- You’re feeling stressed and anxious doing your job
Alongside this, the ethics of the company may not align with yours. There may be specific things that are niggling at you, or it could be the general culture of the business that you don’t feel comfortable with.
Your pay isn’t competitive
It’s no secret that employees from different companies discuss their salaries, they’re often regularly available online too. There are a few things to consider when thinking about your pay:
- Is your pay competitive compared with the same role at other companies?
- Do you receive additional benefits?
- Are you paid the same as your counter parts / co-workers?
- Is your pay representative of the work you do or your position in the company?
- Have your responsibilities changed or increased, whilst your salary has remained the same?
- When was the last time you were offered a pay rise?
To find out if you’re being underpaid, you could use online average salary data, an online salary calculator or chat to your co-workers to find out more about their salaries and benefits. Our team here at Vision Executives can also provide some salary benchmarks for salaries in the Ophthalmology industry based on our experience on a wide variety of roles we have worked on.
There’s little flexibility
One thing that the pandemic has taught us is that people and organisations can operate even more effectively when working flexibly. Obviously, we appreciate that some people can’t carry out their role from home and this is worth considering before demanding more flexibility in your position. Flexible working makes a path for meeting employee needs, having more flexible start, finish and lunchtimes and working from home to suit their diary.
Some of the key benefits of flexible working are that it can reduce absence rates and allows employees to manage their personal health conditions, alongside supporting their mental health and stress. Perhaps you could do some research into the benefits and bring these to the table at your next meeting.
You’re seeking a career change
Although what we have discussed above is generally in a negative tone. Finding a new job doesn’t always have to be because of something you’re disappointed with at in your current role. It’s common that you may have just reached the end of the road with your current job and feel that it’s time to move on. Leave on a high and get a great recommendation from your current employer. Take some time to update your CV and start applying for roles that excite you!
If after reading this article, you’re in a position to look for your next role in the Ophthalmology space, then please reach out to us and we can start searching together for your next position.
