Unhappy at work? Here's our best advice to help management-level mining industry employees work out what to do next
So, you’re unhappy at work. What should you do?
Is it time to up stakes and leave? Is the grass actually any greener on the other side of the fence? Or do you communicate your unhappiness with your current employer in the hope they can find a resolution?
Here’s our best advice to help management-level mining industry employees work out what to do next.
Reflect
First of all, always look at your contribution to creating the circumstances in which you find yourself.
Ask yourself “what part did I play?” and “how clear was I in the beginning?”
If you regularly switch jobs just to avoid issues, without thinking about your part in creating those issues, you rob yourself of opportunities to increase your self-awareness.
Now, as nice as this sounds, we’re also realists! We know that if you’re sitting in the boss’s office about to tell them you’re moving on, by now you will have probably put together some compelling reasons for doing so.
These reasons will no doubt sound very logical and justified and you’ll make the move confident that you are “getting away from the issues” that have been bothering you.
Reasons to leave
In some cases, the work environment you want to leave really will be the problem. Do any of these reasons sound familiar?
- A negative culture
- Poor working conditions
- Zero opportunities for growth
- Corporate stress
- Toxic human beings making your life miserable.
Of course, any of the above factors are going to make getting a fresh start seem like the best possible solution. Indeed, if you have several of those factors in combination, then almost any new position is going to look like everything you’ve ever wanted.
The reality is if you move on, all you’ve really done is remove yourself from one particular environment. Often, though, the new environment creates a “honeymoon” period and when that honeymoon comes to an end, you come crashing back to earth as many of the old issues reappear. Then the whole process starts again.
If this is something that you have experienced on more than one occasion, it might be time to focus some attention on the one factor common to all these environments: YOU.
Take responsibility
This is a big step towards taking responsibility for making a better decision next time. Ask yourself: What was my role in this and what do I need to learn? This is nothing more than building basic personal awareness and accepting what is often described as the first mantle of leadership — responsibility.
There is a big incentive here. We continue to see that people who are capable of looking within make the greatest contributions and are therefore more highly valued.
The alternative? Most mentors and coaches believe that people can change, but our experience is that rarely does that happen without awareness. If this is true, then allowing yourself (or encouraging others) to repeat the same mistakes over and over again is akin to going backwards.
So, here is a final challenging thought: If you sense you’re repeating past mistakes, you might want to ask a few others what they see. That way you can ensure next time you decide to quit you are doing it for the right reasons.
Mining People International has more than 25 years’ specialist experience helping mining companies uncover the best candidates for their executive and leadership roles. Find out more about our executive search service here or get in touch directly.