Burnt out or just grumpy

I was talking with a friend who leads a recruiting company, and we were discussing the reality and the hype of the “Great Resignation”. Her observation was that she is seeing a lot of people that are suffering post-pandemic burn out and ready to make a change. My reply was that I think burn-out is the wrong descriptor but rather people are just grumpy.

What’s the difference?

Burn out is exhaustion, being overwhelmed, the loss of focus, perspective and the ability to function at previous levels. In my humble opinion, the cure for burn out is down time to recover, not switching to a new job or career which demands increased energy and engagement to ramp up, learn and quickly become productive.

Grumpy is what we saw in the recent Canadian federal election. Voters were grumpy. They were tired of the pandemic, the lockdowns, the stress, and their current personal and family situations. The culmination of these minor to small to major complaints built into dissatisfaction with whomever was running for office.

This same phenomenon is overflowing to the employment front, which is dangerous from a career perspective. I am speaking from the perspective of person whose best career decisions were the jobs I never took, because they would likely have either been a disaster or they would have caused me to miss a great opportunity at my then-current company.

Recently, I listened to a career coach being interviewed on CBC Radio. Her advice to her clients was to "strike now while the iron is hot". New employers are offering more money, perks and benefits to attract people and current employers are spending money to retain employees so now is a great time to get a new job or ask for a raise. I agree with her statements, but in selecting a new job or making a decision to stay, money should not be everything.

Changing jobs or gaining a promotion, even in your existing company, entails risk. Changing jobs by joining a new company compounds the risk. 

When you start a new job, you have a combination of “new” factors to adapt to: new responsibilities, new performance expectations, new boss, new colleagues, new politics, new corporate culture, new customers / stakeholders to satisfy, and so on.

Ideally, new jobs come with a ramp up period or “honeymoon” phase. Reality is many jobs don’t have a ramp up period because your new job resulted from someone else leaving (maybe months ago) or a new role being created (often overdue), and your “honeymoon” phase has been eaten up by the job creation or recruiting process.

New jobs also need new energy. An employee will face a learning curve on all the “new” factors in addition to pressure of deadlines because the role has been vacant for a while. This means working more hours in your new job at the start than you did in your old one. Being “burnt out” is not a good place from which to start a new job.

As well, in a hot recruiting market, hiring processes are also often compressed. Due diligence on both sides is reduced.

In a hot housing market, bidding wars cause home inspections and financing conditions to be skipped or glossed over. Similarly, in a hot talent market, enthusiasm or pressure to fill the role, combined with the euphoria of higher compensation and other promises made, may cause both the employer and the candidate to skip over or not fully investigate the skills, experience or fit required.

 So, what should you do to ensure you don’t jump to a new job that just doesn’t work out and becomes the proverbial “jumping from the frying pan into the fire”?

As a candidate:

• Just because an employer says you are qualified for the role, may not mean you are. You need to do your own due diligence to understand the role and performance expectations to ensure you can do the job and that it is the job you really want to do.
• Investigate the culture and politics of the new company. Is it a fit for you? Clearly understand the elements of your current job and company that you value. Discuss these with potential new employers and gauge their reaction. These discussions may expose some cultural mismatches.
• Understand what is your next job after this one? Will it mean changing companies again or does the new company offer career progression? If not, how soon will you likely outgrow your new job?
• If you are being promoted to a new level in the new company, talk to leaders in the new company who are at that level. The expectations of a manager, director or VP in their company may be very different than the expectations of a similar position in your current company. Don't assume.

New jobs bring new growth, new excitement and new compensation but requires new commitment. After two years of pandemic grumpiness, make sure you are ready to commit this energy before you jump into the “Great Resignation”.