Today’s job market requires a great deal from employees: patience, drive, self-awareness, cultural sensitivity, business acumen, flexibility, adaptability, versatility, resiliency, and that’s just for starters. Today’s workforce has become increasingly aware of and responsive to what employers want and they do their best to deliver it. What many need and don’t have is a good, reliable Plan B.
“It’s tough enough having Plan A, why do we need a Plan B?”
Circumstances change, people change, and a job that once seemed so right and secure might not always look and feel as appealing. Employees are doing so much, so quickly; they aren’t taking time to develop personal career plans that can adapt to changing times.
For example, what would you do if you were terminated from your job or your company closed? What if you burned out? What if you woke up one day and realized that you had never been happy in your career and couldn’t continue another day?
“I don’t have answers but you sure are asking some good questions. I do
know that I’m teetering, out of balance, my company’s future is shaky, and I’m working harder than ever and enjoying it less. I haven’t planned for my future, saved for my future, or have a clue what my future can even look like.
I don’t have a Plan B. The job I have isn’t the one I want. I’ve known that for some time. I’m good at what I do but I’m tired of it. Because the company’s floundering I’m not likely to get promoted anytime soon, or get a bump in salary.
If you think I’m a mess, my company doesn’t seem to have Plan B either. We’re so busy doing things wrong we don’t have time to figure out how to do them right. We’ve grown so accustomed to operating in crisis mode using emergency tactics that it doesn’t occur to us to figure out what the problem is and how to solve it going forward.
When I started working here everything was new and exciting, I felt intellectually challenged and hungry to learn. I was making a difference to the company and the job was making a difference to me. At some point, and I can’t tell when, I went from loving what I do to just doing it. This isn’t where I want to be or who I want to be, but I haven’t taken time to consider what my options are or if I have any.
I’ve talked to my boss about it and he’s as bummed as I am. He suggested that we talk to the folks in Human Resources. We did and they told us they’ve gone out of the career planning business; that it’s up to us to figure out what’s next; that we’ll need to find ways to make it happen.
Do you have any Plan B’s up your sleeve?”
For some employees, Plan B is the dream job they’ve always wanted but never dared to explore. For others, it means getting paid for what they’ve always loved to do and always done for free. For still others Plan B is returning to school, getting a degree, and demanding more of themselves so they can demand more of the marketplace.
Plan B can be as complex as a cross- country move and as simple as an updated resume. It’s as ephemeral as a three-day weekend and as lasting as a good long book on a 3- week cruise.
Plan B is Plan A with balance. Plan B is personal. With Plan B you do the right things because it feels like the right thing to do. If Plan A is the destination, Plan B is the journey. Life’s short. Enjoy the trip.
