Posted by Dave Konkin
The Culture of Quitting
Reviewed by Balboa Concepts, Inc.
In my 35 years of experience, I have experienced numerous different workplaces, cultures, and management philosophies.
I've also talked with countless other people, at all levels within small and large organizations, nationals, and internationals. People in the back of the warehouse, on the floor, sales people, office staff, administrators, junior and senior managers, vice presidents, presidents, CEO's and owners.
The number of them who have been dissatisfied with their employment and working conditions has truly been quite disheartening. I've quit jobs after talking to senior people about my concerns and having no real resolutions. I've quit to change careers as well, and also to move to another location or for a new challenging opportunity.
There is a "culture of quitting" that is growing rapidly.
According to the U.S. Department of Labor Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey Highlight, March 2014 ...
"Quits in the private sector also declined during the recession, starting at 2.7 million in December 2007 and reaching a low of 1.5 million in September 2009. Since the trough, the number of quits has increased by 52 percent, to 2.3 million in March 2014."
The rise of 52% in the number of people or 2.3 million who have quit their job since 2009 is a staggering statistic.
It is not that the unemployment rate is at an all-time low or high. Indeed according to the website Trading Economics...
"Unemployment Rate in the United States remained unchanged at 6.30 percent in May of 2014 from 6.30 percent in April of 2014. Unemployment Rate in the United States averaged 5.83 Percent from 1948 until 2014, reaching an all time high of 10.80 Percent in November of 1982 and a record low of 2.50 Percent in May of 1953. Unemployment Rate in the United States is reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics."
What is occurring that has these people leaving their jobs? It's not just about money.
Job satisfaction includes a number of values that are to be considered by anyone.
- Purposeful and emotionally involved work
-Wages
- Benefits
- Management style
- Job security
- Company Culture
- Ethics and values
- Corporate social responsibility
- Support and training
- Appreciation by others of work done
- Company loyalty to its employees
- Support with personal issues
- Coworkers
- Location
- Opportunity for promotion and advancement
It is a balance of pros and cons no matter where you go and things do change with time always. Our personal ability to adapt to change is significant as well and plays a large role in whether we will stay or go. Developing patience, understanding, improved communication skills and understanding life has ups and downs is certainly a responsibility for all of us.
If people are coming and going from your company and organization, change needs to be thought, spoken and acted upon sooner than later.
Review your organization on these values and others that you find are important to your current team.
1. Asking potential new hires their thoughts on all of these values during the new hire process.
2. Determine the changes necessary to create a better culture with these values in mind.
3 .Plan out how to incorporate change into the organization and involve people actively throughout the process.
4. Invest in your people. Take the time to develop and train the key people you need as part of the network to create a better work place.
5. Have managers spend real time with their teams to develop sincere relationships with them.
6. Make the fundamentals of real relationships the core of all you do with your people. They are real people and deserve to be treated as such. Offer them real trust, respect and open honest communication as to how you will work with every one of them.
7. Weed out and retrain or remove those individuals who are abusing the situation or a cause of "cultural rot" within the organization. That includes senior and all other managers or employees at any level.
8. Give reasonable time expectations for change. A solid foundation takes time to construct.
9. Continually seek to review and renew the vision and invest back into it again.
Every good plan in life involves time, patience and real costs. The face of doing business and the need for better cultures in the workplace are here to stay. If the cycle of the "culture of quitting" is to change there needs to different thought, speech and action to do so. The need to become real with dealing with people in the workplace is immediate, and is for those companies that are successful, and those that are not but strive to be.
We all need to make a living, and companies need to have profits, but we need to do it in a manner that leaves people feeling and knowing they are valued and part of something worthwhile.
Successful companies already do these things and they harvest the rewards from truly investing into their people and culture.
It isn't about organizations satisfying everyone. Abraham Lincoln already told us you can't please all the people all of the time. It is about improving productivity and creating some real engagement for people and not just managing but truly leading.
Just to let you know as well ...I like my new career and I am not quitting. I enjoy going there everyday, and the values I speak of up above are all checked off on my list under the positive column.
Those are my opinions and thoughts on putting an end to the "culture of quitting". Please feel free to share yours.
References:
Thanks to The U.S Department of Labor and Trading Economics
http://www.bls.gov/jlt/jlt_labstatgraphs_March2014.pdf
http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-rate
BALBOA Concepts, Inc. REVIEW:
Money isn't the only thing to be considered when thinking about job satisfaction. There are several other factors such as management style, security, opportunity for promotion and advancement, and several others as listed in the article. When you think about quitting, you think "Can I see myself working here 1,5, maybe 10 years from now?" If the answer is no, then odds are you will move on to bigger and better things. Unemployment rates are high, but a lot of that has to do with people leaving their jobs willingly due to low job satisfaction. Here at Balboa Concepts, Inc. we encourage determination, commitment, and hard work. Although we don't encourage quitting just for the sake of quitting, we do encourage people to go out there and find what it is he/she really wants to do! Once you find your dream job that satisfied all your conditions, you can be happy, more productive, and finally start living the dream you've always wanted!
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Balboa Concepts, Inc.: The Prison Within -- Overcoming Fear
Article found on: Motivation-For-Dreamers
Shared by: Balboa Concepts, Inc.
Overcoming fear – introduction
There is a prison that has an inmate population in the billions. It’s a prison without walls, without barbed wire, without guards and without any physical barrier. But it is the most effective prison in the whole world. Few escape it, but those who do find real and lasting freedom.
That prison is in our minds. It is a prison that holds back our initiative, our talent, our ability to express ourselves and, most of all, it holds back the fulfillment of our full potential as human beings.
That prison is fear. Our lives today are controlled by fear more than we know. Fear controls the choices we make, our actions, our habits and even our destinies. Fear has become one of the greatest threats to humanity in this day in its many forms. Terrorism has become the pinnacle of fear worldwide. Recent events in the world have shown how fear can drive even those that are powerful to behave desperately and inhumanely. But the effect of fear on our personal lives is more damaging that any terrorist can ever hope to achieve. Fear of life prevents most of us from living.
Fear of life? Yes. “Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death.” This observation was made by James F. Bymes.
Overcoming fear – the many faces of fear
In its extremes, fear in our personal lives causes anxiety and phobias. For people with such illnesses the prison of fear can seem like a death sentence. Their lives may be totally controlled by fear, making life totally unenjoyable and everyday tasks a real struggle. Fortunately, this is not the most common manifestation of fear. The far more destructive form of fear is one that we have come to accept because it is so common.
For example, I remember very clearly how when I was in my first year at university I met a lot of fellow students that were spreading fear everywhere they went. They would say how difficult the first year of natural science studies was and how badly people were failing the course. They had all the statistics of how many people failed last year and the year before that. They’d say things like “50 people failed that course last year.” What they didn’t tell you was that 400 people passed the same course last year.
All the seven years I was at university, were the same. Every year there were people speaking doom and failure. Often, it showed in the results they got. They were the same people struggling to pass. I, and many others like me, got through it farely unscathed. We chose to see the 90 percent that passed and not the 10 percent that failed.
Overcoming fear – fear can stop you from progressing
There are those of you out there with brilliant business ideas. What holds you back is fear. You think about all the statistics of how many businesses fail every year, or what your friends and family will think of you if you quit your job to pursue your dreams. The fear of not being able to pay your bills, fear of getting fired, fear of starting over and the fear of not having a job title all hold you back. It is fear that keeps most of us in jobs we do not enjoy and, sometimes, that don’t even meet our financial needs.
The fear of taking risks is one that few people are able to overcome. Risk is the potential harm that may arise from some present process or from some future event. In every area of life risk-taking is a necessary thing. If you propose marriage to someone you have to take the risk that they may say no. If you are in a race you have to take the risk that you may lose miserably. If you want to live life to its fullest you have to take the risk of failure. As Dorothy Thompson said: “Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.”
Fear will paralyse you if you do not deal with it. It will absolutely stop you from living a life that you desire. Recognise it. Conquer it. Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice is that “you gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
Overcoming fear – there’s nothing to fear but fear itself
I’m sure you have had an experience in the past when you really feared something. After doing it how did you feel. Silly? Stupid? The feeling is often one of “that wasn’t so hard after all. I don’t know what I was afraid of.” Trying to fight fear is like trying to fight the dark. You can’t do it. The way to get rid of darkness is to bring in the light. The way to get rid of your fears is to conquer them. “Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it... that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear” ( Dale Carnegie).
Overcoming fear – you can do it today
Go ahead and start that business you want to start. Go ahead and study what you really want to study. Go ahead and become a musician, poet, artist, fashion designer or whatever else you want to do. Sure you might fail, but you might succeed too. Take the risk today and conquer your fears. Do you want to look back years from now and think I could have, I might have, and I should have. That is a sad way to live your life.
Overcoming fear – the futility of playing it safe
Remember that no matter how “safe” you play it one fate awaits us all. That is death. Whether you take a risk or not you will die. So of what benefit is it to you to be under the yoke of fear and live a life that is way below your potential? Use your life wisely. Free your mind from fear and worry and go for it.
Overcoming fear – the conclusion
There is only thing you should fear and that is God. That should not be a fear of terror, but of reverence. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.
You are all you can be. Go on and be it.
Article found on: Motivation-For-Dreamers
Balboa Concepts, Inc.
Shared by: Balboa Concepts, Inc.
Overcoming fear – introduction
There is a prison that has an inmate population in the billions. It’s a prison without walls, without barbed wire, without guards and without any physical barrier. But it is the most effective prison in the whole world. Few escape it, but those who do find real and lasting freedom.
That prison is in our minds. It is a prison that holds back our initiative, our talent, our ability to express ourselves and, most of all, it holds back the fulfillment of our full potential as human beings.
That prison is fear. Our lives today are controlled by fear more than we know. Fear controls the choices we make, our actions, our habits and even our destinies. Fear has become one of the greatest threats to humanity in this day in its many forms. Terrorism has become the pinnacle of fear worldwide. Recent events in the world have shown how fear can drive even those that are powerful to behave desperately and inhumanely. But the effect of fear on our personal lives is more damaging that any terrorist can ever hope to achieve. Fear of life prevents most of us from living.
Fear of life? Yes. “Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death.” This observation was made by James F. Bymes.
Overcoming fear – the many faces of fear
In its extremes, fear in our personal lives causes anxiety and phobias. For people with such illnesses the prison of fear can seem like a death sentence. Their lives may be totally controlled by fear, making life totally unenjoyable and everyday tasks a real struggle. Fortunately, this is not the most common manifestation of fear. The far more destructive form of fear is one that we have come to accept because it is so common.
For example, I remember very clearly how when I was in my first year at university I met a lot of fellow students that were spreading fear everywhere they went. They would say how difficult the first year of natural science studies was and how badly people were failing the course. They had all the statistics of how many people failed last year and the year before that. They’d say things like “50 people failed that course last year.” What they didn’t tell you was that 400 people passed the same course last year.
All the seven years I was at university, were the same. Every year there were people speaking doom and failure. Often, it showed in the results they got. They were the same people struggling to pass. I, and many others like me, got through it farely unscathed. We chose to see the 90 percent that passed and not the 10 percent that failed.
Overcoming fear – fear can stop you from progressing
There are those of you out there with brilliant business ideas. What holds you back is fear. You think about all the statistics of how many businesses fail every year, or what your friends and family will think of you if you quit your job to pursue your dreams. The fear of not being able to pay your bills, fear of getting fired, fear of starting over and the fear of not having a job title all hold you back. It is fear that keeps most of us in jobs we do not enjoy and, sometimes, that don’t even meet our financial needs.
The fear of taking risks is one that few people are able to overcome. Risk is the potential harm that may arise from some present process or from some future event. In every area of life risk-taking is a necessary thing. If you propose marriage to someone you have to take the risk that they may say no. If you are in a race you have to take the risk that you may lose miserably. If you want to live life to its fullest you have to take the risk of failure. As Dorothy Thompson said: “Only when we are no longer afraid do we begin to live.”
Fear will paralyse you if you do not deal with it. It will absolutely stop you from living a life that you desire. Recognise it. Conquer it. Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice is that “you gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.”
Overcoming fear – there’s nothing to fear but fear itself
I’m sure you have had an experience in the past when you really feared something. After doing it how did you feel. Silly? Stupid? The feeling is often one of “that wasn’t so hard after all. I don’t know what I was afraid of.” Trying to fight fear is like trying to fight the dark. You can’t do it. The way to get rid of darkness is to bring in the light. The way to get rid of your fears is to conquer them. “Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it... that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear” ( Dale Carnegie).
Overcoming fear – you can do it today
Go ahead and start that business you want to start. Go ahead and study what you really want to study. Go ahead and become a musician, poet, artist, fashion designer or whatever else you want to do. Sure you might fail, but you might succeed too. Take the risk today and conquer your fears. Do you want to look back years from now and think I could have, I might have, and I should have. That is a sad way to live your life.
Overcoming fear – the futility of playing it safe
Remember that no matter how “safe” you play it one fate awaits us all. That is death. Whether you take a risk or not you will die. So of what benefit is it to you to be under the yoke of fear and live a life that is way below your potential? Use your life wisely. Free your mind from fear and worry and go for it.
Overcoming fear – the conclusion
There is only thing you should fear and that is God. That should not be a fear of terror, but of reverence. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death.
You are all you can be. Go on and be it.
Article found on: Motivation-For-Dreamers
Balboa Concepts, Inc.
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