From the start of the pandemic to the end of 2021, there’s been a lot of instability and uncertainty in the world. It’s no wonder, then, that when it came to their jobs, more people chose to stay in their roles or within the same company, rather than seeking out new opportunities.
It’s what Leah Lambart, career coach at Relaunch Me, witnessed first-hand.
“As so many employees had lost their jobs, my clients certainly had a feeling they should just hang in there and be happy they actually had a job,” Lambart said. “This seemed particularly common in clients who were juggling work and homeschooling, as they felt they might not receive the same support and flexibility if they were to move to a new employer where they hadn’t built that trust.”
With restrictions now lifted, employees are once again changing companies when they please and, in some cases, careers. If you are considering leaving your current role, though, know that there is some merit in staying put.
Just take it from Hamish Tame. He’s the Creative Director at Le Specs, and has been at the same company, Sunshades, for 19 years.
In this article, Lambart and Tame share three reasons to consider staying in the same role.
You Still Feel Challenged
If you’re someone who values growing and learning in your career, then getting to a point where you are no longer developing new skills or learning anything is often a good reason to consider your next move, said Lambart.
“However, if you’re still feeling challenged, then it’s also fine to just stay with the one organisation for a longer period of time,” she said. “If you are happy in your organisation, then by all means, consider yourself lucky and don’t feel that you need to make a move just for the sake of it.”
That’s one of the main reasons Tame has remained at Le Specs.
“I love problem solving, and I love the adrenaline rush of a challenge,” he said. His various roles at the company have seen him work across many brands and with many retailers, facing challenges like COVID and taking on new projects, like creating a sustainability roadmap for the organisation.
There’s a Chance for a Leadership Opportunity
Tame said that staying with the company for such a long time has allowed for a mutual, “deeply entrenched” trust.
“There were so many companies around that could have offered me leadership opportunities over the years, but most of them with the risk of giving too much of ‘me’ away or not being able to implement change that’s meaningful to me,” he said.
Lambart noted that it can take time to build trust and new relationships in a new position. On top of this, the first three-to-six months in a new role can be a steep learning curve, which takes considerable effort.
“If your goal is to gain a leadership opportunity, then sometimes it pays to stay in your current organisation, provided there is room for you to grow in your current role,” she explained. “Moving from one job to the other can sometimes hold employees back from reaching a management position as they don’t have the depth of experience in one organisation or industry to successfully lead a team.”
The Job Provides You Stability in Life
Finally, you might just consider staying in a role because it means you don’t have to worry about income, and you know what to expect in terms of workload.
If you have a mortgage to pay off or something else that requires you have stable income, like children, or you’ve jumped around in roles a lot and are keen to just stay put for awhile, you might consider staying in the same role for stability in your life.
“I often work with clients who may not feel that their current job ticks all the boxes, but because they have so much uncertainly going on in other parts of their life, they feel that staying in their role means a least one part of it is stable,” said Lambart. “This can often be the case for people experiencing big life changes outside of work such as the arrival of a new baby, going through a divorce, caring for a sick relative or supporting a partner who is going through a major career or job change.”
Tame echoed the sentiment, saying that stability was another reason he stayed so long.
“I have always been very cognisant not to confuse it with complacency, though,” he said.
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