Rebecca Slan Jerusalim, Ph.D. is a licensed organizational psychologist and partner at Kilberry, a firm of management psychologists. She specializes in succession and selection needs and strategically identifying and developing executive talent.
Stories of employees feeling “stuck” in their jobs have become increasingly common, with 75 to 90 per cent of workers recently reporting feeling this way, according to studies by Oracle and Ceridian.
While it can be hard to define, this feeling is typically associated with a sense of frustration that things are not progressing as they should. This sentiment often stems from a misalignment between employees’ personal values and their organizations’ values and can be triggered by any number of circumstances.
Take the worker who joins an organization that claims to be family friendly, only to learn that overtime and travel are required if they want any chance of progressing. Or the high-achiever who expects to learn from their colleagues, but finds there is limited interest in partnering or sharing insight.
In these scenarios, the employees likely joined the organization with an understanding of the organizations’ needs and promises of what would be offered to them. But, over time, something shifted. People typically experience a stronger alignment when they first enter the organization – employees are drawn to organizations that meet their needs, and organizations frequently select employees for values-fit.
Yet, for a subset of workers, the alignment they initially feel predictably dwindles over time. In theory, such dissatisfaction should lead to exits, but the decision to quit is complex and hard to predict. Whether or not someone stays in their job is often a function of habit rather than choice, but you don’t want to work on autopilot and risk losing years of career fulfilment.
This lack of alignment without real recourse may contribute to the feeling of being stuck. Reframing the conversation around values to better understand these underlying engines of our behaviour can be helpful to regain a sense of perspective and control.
For those in similar circumstances, consider the following.
Take stock of your personal values
When people are unsatisfied with their jobs, they often don’t attribute their frustrations to incongruent values with the organization. Instead, they point to more apparent causes, such as a lack of flexible work hours, opportunities for promotion or a bad boss. But because values are so intrinsic, they can operate unconsciously and automatically as they drive our behaviour.
However, understanding your personal values will help you better assess your situation and forecast next steps. To help these personal values rise to the top, it is important to periodically re-evaluate them and identify your non-negotiables. This is especially important during major life transitions, such as marriage or divorce, preparing for children or becoming a primary caregiver to aging parents.
Although values are stable, your life priorities change, making certain values more psychologically punctuated depending on your life stage. For example, family might be an important and lifelong value, but how much time is spent on supporting family can change. Understanding and holding onto your values helps you shift and realign your expectations as you transition through different life stages and allows you to recognize there are different ways to maintain your values.
Identify the sources of tension and substantiate your observations
Once you have identified your non-negotiable values, it is important to be clear on where your values are being challenged and to consider whether your concerns are based on an isolated incident or a perpetual problem.
It is also crucial to uncover the root cause of the tension. Supervisors are often attributed as the source because they are stewards of the organization, but your psychological conflict can be the result of a fundamental misalignment between you and your organization.
Ask yourself: “How much of the frustration is a result of my boss’s behaviour versus a fundamental requirement of the organization?” Sometimes finding a new boss or discovering strategies to protect against misalignment with a boss can alleviate frustration and retain a strong employee. At other times, the employee is best served by finding another job or seeking different avenues outside work to satisfy their needs.
Assemble a personal board of directors
Nobody is the antagonist in their own story, which makes them susceptible to biases that are further amplified by negative emotions. To help you separate the signal from the noise, assemble a personal board of directors that consists of a variety of individuals, such as people who you admire professionally and those outside your organization.
This group of advisers not only acts as a sounding board, but can help test and validate your observations, including highlighting what you value and how you are prioritizing your values (or not) to perpetuate your circumstances. Your board can help you develop an honest and realistic perspective about what you should expect and how to keep your values fulfilled.
The bottom line
Although organizations have a role in facilitating this alignment in values, exercising control over your personal circumstances is foundational to your psychological well-being. Taking the time to understand and continuously evaluate what you most value and whether your organization and job support or hinder your experience is critical to empowering you to find long-lasting fulfilment.
This column is part of Globe Careers’ Leadership Lab series, where executives and experts share their views and advice about the world of work. Find all Leadership Lab stories at tgam.ca/leadershiplab and guidelines for how to contribute to the column here.