Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Do you agree or disagree with the statement: The longer you stay at one employer, the harder it is to move on. In some respects, it's like a long term romantic relationship. You're in it for the long haul and look back at all the years together and while you're no longer feeling the love, you choose to stay anyway.
Let's say you've worked for the same employer for several years and you've realized the following:
-you're not learning any new skills
-nothing really changes, it's basically the same repetitive work day in day out
-no career advancement
-new employees are still being hired yet none of the current employees are seeing raises
-in case you're part time, your benefits have been slashed or you never had them, so have to pay out of pocket for doctor , dental visits
What are the reasons for resisting change?
-Change = taking a risk and few people who are in a stable situation want to take a risk?
-People may not have a college degree or chose the wrong major and feel they don't have much to offer another employer, therefore choose to stay where they are (i.e. entry level employees in the service, retail industries)
-You like your colleagues and feel comfortable around them
-You don't necessarily believe the grass is always greener on the other side
-You get along okay with your current boss and think the next one won't be as good, therefore you prefer to stay, etc.
-You're a single guy and work with a 3:1 female: male ratio with lots of eye candy, therefore would miss that if you left
I'd love to hear about peoples' experiences about what convinced them to stay at a job they don't really like anymore instead of moving on to a new challenge.
The economy is cr*ppy and you don't want to rock the boat. I am staying put where I am for a while even though I think I could do better. I know more than a few people that left, got new jobs, and were out of THOSE jobs within a year, laid off because of the bad/unstable employment situation. Where I am at currently is very stable.
The last job I had I stayed there because it was 7 miles from my house and my kids schools. They gave me an hour for lunch and it was very close to lots of stores so I could get lots of errands done. Mainly I stayed because it was so dang convenient. Saved lots of money on gas too. I stayed there way too long because of this, they treated me bad, and the pay could have been better.
Many people stay after 5 years, because you get an extra week of vacation after that. And you keep accruing, when you get up to 6 weeks off a year, it is hard to think about starting over with just 2 weeks again.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,585 posts, read 81,225,683 times
Reputation: 57825
Until the economy tanked, the trend among younger workers 20-30 was to stay 3-5 years and move on, they have not been concerned about retirement since it's been so far in the future. And, it was always so easy to find another job that paid more and was more interesting. Now that's not a good idea, best to stay where you are until things get better. Even the typical
25-30 year employees are getting laid off or asked to retire early, what they stayed so long for is threatening to slip away.
Why does it matter if you put in 40 years at the same place. I love where I work and have progressed within the organization. Their is still plenty of places to move up to. I am not so worried about staying in the same place. My resume looks good even though I have worked for one organization for so long. Maybe if their were no movement within the organization then I would say that a problem existed. That is not the case with me.
A few things I can think of: complacency, laziness, bad economy, uncertainty.
Some people become complacent and wind up doing the same job for 10+ years.
Some people can't seem to get motivated enough to start looking for a new job.
Some people do start looking for a new job, but the economy is so terrible that it can take forever to receive a simple call back. Thus, they become discouraged and give up for awhile.
Some people don't like to try new things. A new employer can mean an uncertain future in their view.
A few things I can think of: complacency, laziness, bad economy, uncertainty.
Some people become complacent and wind up doing the same job for 10+ years.
Some people can't seem to get motivated enough to start looking for a new job.
Some people do start looking for a new job, but the economy is so terrible that it can take forever to receive a simple call back. Thus, they become discouraged and give up for awhile.
Some people don't like to try new things. A new employer can mean an uncertain future in their view.
I agree with every one of these points. I myself want to move on from my job but I am in a comfort zone as well as worried about the bad economy. Not to mention the jobs around here aren't all that great. I'm more inclined to stay where I am for awhile longer just to save up as much as I can so I can hopefully move. Only plus is I get 40 guaranteed hours and that's near impossible to come by in my location.
I want to move on, too, but I'm finding myself in the same situation as a lot of others. I'm also lucky to have my job and I like my work team and the people I interact with, but in the back of my mind, I feel ready for a different environment and new challenges. I just worry, though, that by moving to a new job, I would be throwing away the (mostly) good, stable environment that I have now.
Until the economy tanked, the trend among younger workers 20-30 was to stay 3-5 years and move on, they have not been concerned about retirement since it's been so far in the future. And, it was always so easy to find another job that paid more and was more interesting.
That's pretty much my story. Left my company for a 50% raise.
However, I didn't leave knowing I'd get a 50% raise. I was looking for other work since my company gave me no reason to stay. If you take pitiful raises and couple it with canning the pension plan with (what appeared to be) no compensation to the employees its a recipe for saying "This company does not care if you stay or not."
Why remain at a company that gives you no long-term benefit? You simply must go to the highest bidder then.
I partially disagree with the OP though. As time goes on and you learn new skills, you are more viable in the market if you looking for a new job. I'd be more comfortable to leave knowing that I can leave behind what is there and find work elsewhere.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
