The current labor shortage has led to many people seeking advancements and salary increases in their careers. Here are some positives and negatives that come with the territory.
Positive- Use Other Job Offers As Leverage
The sheer number of available jobs work in your favor. If you’re looking to make more money, you can do one of two things. First, you can simply go out and look for a new job. However, the second, smarter move is to find another job and use that to leverage more money from your current company. If you like where you work but wish you were paid more competitively, this is a great strategy for getting a raise. The best part is that if your current job is unwilling to increase your pay, you have another, higher paying job to fall back on. It’s a win/win scenario.
Negative- Don’t Fall Prey to Endless Searching
They call the constant searching for a new job ‘The Great Flirtation’. It’s used to describe someone who is always looking for the next job they can ‘fall in love with’ so to speak. The grass isn’t always greener on the other side. While it’s okay to look for new jobs with more career advancement and earning potential, switching jobs just because you feel like it isn’t always the best move. Keep in mind that your future employer will be able to see how often you’ve bounced around from job to job. Too many job changes can negatively impact your chances of securing a job you really want.
Positive- Gives Power to Employees
The labor shortage gave employees another gift in the form of increased power. Now more than ever, employees have the opportunity to make demands and ask for change in the workplace. Businesses know that if their employees aren’t happy, they can easily find a new job elsewhere. It has forced employers to be more aware of how they treat their workers.
Negative- Warped Relationship with Work
Another negative to constantly searching for a new job is that it negatively impacts your relationship with work. An article written by Alex Christian for bbc.com elaborates by saying, “Endlessly flitting between positions can also warp employees’ relationship with work. “When it centres on extrinsic rewards and money, it means you’re not focusing on enjoying work or doing your job. And starting over all the time isn’t easy. You build up social capital in an organisation – changing jobs means beginning that all over again and learning a new workplace culture from scratch.” It’s difficult to imagine there would be significant value in staying at your job for a long time, but there are. Social capital, raises for longevity, advancement opportunities, and an overall sense of community are just a few.
If you are unhappy at your current job, there are no shortage of openings. Just remember that an endless search for a ‘bigger and better’ job might not yield the results you hope.