“I joined a new company about a year ago. I knew that it was not as modern as some of my other recent employers but now that I’m in, I feel the corporate culture weighing me down. Most days I go in with a positive attitude and know part of why they hired me is to help drive change. But some days I’m tired and don’t want to put up that fight. How do I know if I should stay or if I should start looking elsewhere?”
-Worried about waiting
Hi Worried. Let me first validate that what you are feeling is real, and it is a bummer. I’ve worked for organizations where driving culture change is part of my job and it can be exhausting. You don't function at full capacity because part of your brain is working on how to operate in an unknown environment. No wonder you are tired.
You want your work to align with your core values and feel (generally) good. Corporate culture is an important part of that equation. The other part of the equation is how the opportunity aligns with your overall career journey.
Investigate how the culture aligns with your values
Note - I’m not going to talk about ‘cultural fit’ because that concept is often used to keep workplaces homogenous. Fit can be a cover for hiring more people who are similar to the folks already there.
You don’t need to fit in, per se, but you do need to have enough alignment to make it work for you. As a starting point, there are a few key things to check:
The people. Are your colleagues generally kind and not toxic? Are the leaders people who have gained your trust and generally seem to do the right thing? Does HR seem to support associates and follow the law? Basically - are you in an organization where the people are decent and not going to actively work against you?
The corporate values. No, I don’t mean the values from the poster on the wall, I mean what the company values in practice. Look at who gets promoted and how the business reacts to unexpected bumps like not meeting projected earnings. Is it a results-at-all-costs type of place? Is it a ‘take care of the humans (employees or customers) first and the rest will sort itself out’ place? The gist here is: does the way the company chooses to operate run counter to any of your deeply held beliefs.
The vision. Where is the company going? Does leadership know? Do the associates know? Is someone steering the ship towards something? How excited are you about the destination? You can forgive some bumps along the way if there are greener pastures on the horizon AND you believe the people and the values from 1 and 2 can get there.
After assessing the culture building blocks, really pay attention to your deal breakers. Compare the current culture and the culture of your previous employers. Decide for yourself if the gaps are ‘nice to haves’ or ‘need to haves’.
Know your potential paths
The next piece of the puzzle is to look inside and figure out what it is you want. It could be that this restlessness is a different desire making itself known. Many people are re-evaluating work and life right now. Perhaps you will find this model isn't serving you anymore.
What would make this role great
First think through what great would look like for you in this particular position. What do you hope to accomplish? This can include anything from business results to things you learn, the amount of time/energy you spend at work, new connections you build, etc.
You took the job for a reason. What was it that got you excited about this particular opportunity? How much of that has come to fruition during the reality of working there?
Create alternative journeys
Next, I want you to write or draw alternative life paths. You have one possibility from the first question - you are rocking it in your current role and it is fulfilling all the things that make it amazing for you.
If you weren’t doing this, what else might you do this year, next year, in five years? Think about the idle dreams that you play with and the careers you entertain as ‘someday’ things.
Jot down two more potential paths and play them out into the future. What things would you do, where would you live, and what types of people would you encounter?
If you get stuck, brainstorm while you are doing something else with your body. Running, driving, gardening, showering - wherever you get flashes of brilliance. Ideas will bubble up when you distract part of your brain with motor activity.
Decide what is right to pursue at this moment
Which of the three possible paths gets you excited? Which of the three is realistic if you layer on other constraints in your current life (people who depend on you for care, mortgages, life stuff)? Think again about the culture and how the current job fits into your life.
You may not be in a position to wholesale change your life and head off down another path right now. However, I do expect the process will provide clarity on what matters most to you in this chapter of your life. You will have a deeper understanding of how the current situation helps or harms those goals.
I wish you a happy reflection. You will know where to go next.
Final note - one year isn’t a dealbreaker
I’m not one to draw a hard line on rules like ‘you must stay at a job for an entire year before you make a change’. Unless you repeatedly do this in your first few jobs, it isn't a red flag.
By mid-career, you are likely to find opportunities based on your network. These people already know your skills and abilities. They are unlikely to be turned off by a short stint at one employer.
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