We Just Want to be Part of Something

In last week’s article my focus and thoughts were on people that had been tenured for a lengthy time in their organizations and now had to seek employment elsewhere. This week I'm heading in a different direction and focusing on a concept that everyone strives for – being a part of something important. My original thoughts on this topic stemmed from discussions with job seekers that have been out of work for an extended period of time. As I thought more about the topic I realized that the quest to “be part of something” is really an appropriate thought for anyone that is seeking a new position or currently has a position that they may be less than enthusiastic about.

Here are the three categories I listed on the graphic above. I think this is a good place to start.

“Long Haul” Job Seekers – those that have been unemployed for a lengthy period of time

When I hear the term “long-haul” my first thought is that it describes truckers. Then Covid came along, and those individuals that had lasting effects of the illness were deemed as having “Long-Haul Covid”. I don’t know if anyone has used that term to describe job seekers, but there are many out there that are currently experiencing an extended period of job search. We think we all have an idea of what the “normal” job search process should look like, and the amount of time it should take. However, for the long-haul candidates the timelines extend well beyond what we might have once considered “normal”.

Long-tenured employees

It may seem that due to layoffs these days that it’s impossible for anyone to remain in their organization for a long period of time, yet the backbone of many companies are those long-tenured employees. Some may have moved around within their companies, while others may be doing the same basic role for a significant amount of time. For those that have found themselves "stuck" in their position they may find themselves facing a career "no man's land" - they don't want to look for a new position because they're concerned about losing the security of the company they're in, yet the work they are doing is uninspiring or the environment they're doing it in is stale and unimaginative (and possibly unappreciative).

Less-tenured employees that are “bored” / underemployed

Doesn’t this remind you of when your kids were young and would say “I’m bored - there’s nothing to do!” If you move that thinking into the workforce environment what that may mean is that the manager needs to have more work for this person, or the employee needs to find a way to become more engaged in their work or their environment. This is where all this remote work and isolation works against us as employees. If you're in the same building and near the manager you could pop into their office, have a discussion, talk about some simple projects that might provide the boost you need to put more pep in your step.

What exactly is our focus, and what's important?

So many people will flippantly say "I need a job doing anything". Sadly, those words are uttered too often. By now we know "anything" is a fast track to dissatisfaction. Key areas of focus might be: the type of work you’re going to do; the type of company and its culture; the compensation level and whether you’re going to take a step back and accept less than you’ve made in the past, be even with what you’ve earned previously, or do even better than you expected in your next position. All of these are valid thoughts and concerns. The one subtle desire that I’m not sure many of us talk about out loud, but we might miss the most is…

The Desire to be Part of Something

As much as any of us may appreciate being left alone to do a job, the reality is that we’re working with a purpose. Whether you’re a scientist working on developing a new compound in the laboratory, a supply chain executive evaluating a new supplier, an engineer developing a prototype or a marketing communications team member drafting a promotional email, there is one common thread. An employee is part of a team, and that team is part of a project, and that project is part of a company objective, and that company objective is part of a strategic plan. As an employee you know that the work that you are doing is a component, hopefully an important component, of something that is bigger.

Part of Something - "It was just my imagination..."

Every job seeker that reads a job description feels that the position (as written) is central to the company’s success, and if chosen, feels that they are going to be an important cog in their organization’s wheel. Sometimes after only a short amount of time at their new company they start to observe that their job is not nearly as exciting as it was when they interviewed, the work they are doing doesn’t seem to have that same importance, their manager doesn’t seem to be as engaged as they once were...now we have reasons to start having doubts about the work we are doing, and possibly the company we are doing it for.

Part of Something – it's more than talking in the lunchroom and MS Teams meetings

For the job seeker that has been in transition for a long time the goal is to get back to using their brain, accomplishing tasks and objectives, using their knowledge to get things done.

For the long-tenured employee it might be more subtle, in that they would like to gain skills that will make them more valuable, and keep them current with changing technology. I recently spoke with one individual that worked for a technology company that didn't want to bring in new technologies that could potentially help the business because of security concerns.

And, for the "bored" employee it might require more education on what the company's purpose is, as well as some introspection on how they themselves are approaching work. With 30-40 years left to go in your career it's important early on to have the right mindset about work (whatever their definition of "right mindset" might be).

Part of Something - Closing Thoughts

In the end it's probably a shared responsibility between the manager and the employee. The employee needs to bring a "can-do" attitude, and it's incumbent on the manager to know their staff and what makes them tick so they can be an inspiration and make sure they're helping to keep their employees' skills sharp. This might be more important than ever given the changing employment landscape. Personally, I can't wait to have the opportunity to be a part of something again.

Have a great weekend & Happy Spring!

Dave

About David Shultis

I am a senior level B2B marketing and product management professional with experience in the life science/med device/manufacturing space. Returning to a leadership role (formal or informal) where coaching and mentoring a team or working with a cross-functional team would be an important component of the position. This could be in the form of a director of commercial excellence, marketing director, a group product director or as an individual contributor in a senior product management capacity. I'm especially interested in under-performing departments, startups or rebuilds where I can contribute by making a positive change through leadership and the implementation of procedures and metrics.

When not in pursuit of my next opportunity you can find me biking in and around New Jersey (just passed 2,000 miles this year) or trying to get my walking in with a 15k step goal each day.

Photo(s) of the week.

Every now and then I do a double-take when I see something odd or different in my travels. I like to use the building called Bell Works (Holmdel, NJ) as my office, and as I approached the parking lot I saw a few cars in the lot that looked out of place. In particular it was a blue van with "Lumon" painted on it. When I exited I realized that the TV show, "Severance" must have come back to do some additional filming. While apparently plans to air these shows won't take place until late in 2024 or early 2025, for those of you that are fans I've included a few pictures below.