Not everyone reflects regularly. It usually takes a break from the everyday life, or an external event: seasons changing, events among friends or family, children being born – or other reminders that time is passing.
For most people, summer vacation is the longest break from work during the year. A whole week of vacation can pass before it is really felt: peace of mind
Jobindex posts that most people change job in August. As many as one in five employees wants a new job after having reflected over it during summer vacation, more than a tripling of the baseline number. The pattern repeats itself to a slightly less extent around New Year. Maybe not surprising.
When we are at ease, we have skills that are suppressed when we are “at unease” (just to stay clear of the term stress! I do NOT mean stress, just the workload removing us from being vacation-style relaxed). At ease we become more social and loving, and we are able to see the nuances of things. We are better at remembering everything we’ve learned. Good preconditions for personal reflection: things come to the surface and can be seen in their ambiguity.
The last vacation time, maybe as much as the whole last week, can see the return of “unease”:
“I wish I didn’t have to go back. My boss does not appreciate me. My salary is not good and workloads are too high and too unpredictable. The office is in a sad location, and not very pleasant at all. I just can’t see my future in this job.”
All these statements could be called “AWAY FROM”.
Of course it’s better if you can land a job where “TOWARDS” arguments are in place: the workplace and your role in it aligns with your values. Your mastery of the tasks is perfect and you will be appreciated accordingly. Workload and salary is agreed in a fair and open dialogue. You will be proud of this new job, and the change will add meaning to your work life.
But – it can be very difficult to express what you want and am good at. Which values are the most important. What characterizes the good boss, and the good colleagues.
And then you can be tempted by “honeypots”. You may have specific skills that makes you feed wooed, and it can be very tempting to accept the works from the headhunter / the new workplace / the person in your network: “This job is SO MUCH YOU”
Maybe it’s time for a change, maybe there are more opportunities in staying where you are. In any case, I encourage you to study in detail what is important to you.
If you’re experiencing that it’s hard to have a conversation about this – that you’re being interrupted too quickly with suggestions – then consider sparring. You will have the time you need to talk things though, and we’ll focus on your perspective.
Photo by Saulo Mohana on Unsplash