Careers in Waiting

© Meg Montford, Business & Career Coach

According to a December 2003 survey conducted by CareerBuilder.com, 38% of the directors, managers, supervisors and team leaders polled said that they were likely to change jobs in 2004.

"Warm chair attrition" is affecting Corporate America, says Joyce Gioia, co-author of the best-selling book on employment trends, "Impending Crisis: Too Many Jobs, Too Few People." She adds that 30-40% of the workforce is unhappy at work and only waiting for the first opportunity to "jump ship."

ExecuNet, an online career management and recruiting resource center for executives and recruiters, published its annual "Executive Job Market Intelligence" report based on a January 2004 survey of about 1000 executives and 150 search professionals. It states that despite the anticipated 2004 "hiring growth across the board" predicted by search professionals, "the new realities of the job market will likely require some executives to recreate or reposition themselves. That may mean changing functions or industries," said Dave Opton, CEO and Founder of ExecuNet.

Where does all this leave you? If you are an employer, perhaps a bit unsettled at the prospect of a mass exodus from your organization. If you are one of the unhappy-at-work employees, what are you doing to manage your own career? Are you ready to move forward when the opportunity arises, or are you hanging on to outdated skills and experience because you're too stubborn or afraid to "recreate or reposition" yourself for the new world of work? It is a natural human tendency to resist change. However, we are living in a world changing so fast that no one can remain immune to its impact. The time for hunkering down has passed. If you don't embrace change and make it your friend, it will bury you.

(Published in the AE News, March 2004.)