During the Great Resignation, many workers found themselves faced with a tough choice: Stick with their employers despite less than ideal work conditions in the pandemic, or display company disloyalty in the name of furthering their own careers.
Many chose the latter path because they didn’t realize a third option exists: Stick with your current employer while pushing to develop the job and career you want.
Here’s why staying with your employer might be the best decision you ever made.
1. Skills-based hiring is on the rise.
For decades, companies used education, licensing, job titles, and other credentials as shorthand for certain skill sets. They operated on the assumption that, in most cases, having earned a certain degree or done a certain job meant that a person had certain skills.
Today, however, the entire work world is realizing that credentials don’t always communicate skills. Instead, they’re relying on new data analysis tools to dig into each worker’s skills directly.
The result? Employees who stick with a company can shape their job path by focusing on their own skill building. The path up the career ladder isn’t about collecting titles anymore. Now, it’s about learning new skills – a path any employee can take.
2. Loyal employees have more leverage than they realize.
Many workers quit their jobs or switched roles during the pandemic because they assumed there was nowhere left to go with their current employer. They assumed that the conditions they were working in were unchangeable – or at least, that employees couldn’t change them.
In fact, hiring even one new employee is expensive for employers. The cost of hiring a new person to replace one who leaves can be several times the amount of that person’s compensation.
Employees who prefer to stay can use this information as leverage. Often, the changes you’re requesting cost far less than the cost of replacing you.
3. No new hire knows everything you know.
Often, the job search is driven by a sense that one’s existing job isn’t that special. “Anyone could do what I do,” job-seekers may think.
Indeed, many people may have a similar skill set. Yet no one has your understanding of how to use your skills in this role, in this company, with this group of people. That knowledge is valuable to your employer – and you can use it to advance your career.
Contact Our Experts at EPC Today
Need help shaping your career path? The recruiters at Employment Professionals Canada can help. We connect job-seekers to great employers and roles throughout the Niagara Region. To learn more, contact us today.
