- As a career coach in private practice, I'm on the front lines of this sea-change. So, I'd like to share 3 client stories with you. My 3 clients are from different generations, at different stages of their careers and in different industries. But all 3 of them experienced 'moments that matter.
- Moments that matter are a human resource concept which refers to pivotal times in an employees' career and life. How they are treated in these moments, impacts their engagement on the job and their decision to continue working for their employer.
Gen Z client (this cohort is currently15-25 yrs. old). My client works in retail food services. He is relatively new to the world of work, but is great with customers, has good attention to detail. Most importantly, he had a perfect attendance for 9 months, which is rare in food services. My client got really sick with a cold and had to miss 2 restaurant shifts. He called in and spoke to his boss, expecting kindness. Instead his boss was angry and frustrated and retorted 'my older employees are much more reliable.'
Millennial client (this cohort is currently 26-40 yrs old). My client has 11 years of professional experience including 6 years working at her current bank. She has held a variety of roles, including branch manager. Currently she's in a client-facing, personal banking role. This pays more than branch manager role and there has been some friction about this. My client and her 2 children all become very sick in November. Worried that they had Covid-19, they all got tested at a local pharmacy. She told her boss, that she needed to stay home since she was feeling sick, had to care for her kids and it would be 48 hours before she got her test results. The branch manager said that 'covid leave is only for people with a proven diagnosis of covid,' and if she wanted to keep her job she had to come into work. My client was very upset, but she worked on Friday and Saturday in her client-facing role. On Sunday, she received notification that she had Covid and so did her 2 children. Her husband tested negative.
Gen X client (this cohort is currently 40-56 years old). My client worked in the non-profit sector & is a religious minority. Last year, his coworker was promoted and is now his new boss. For an upcoming, religious holiday, my client asked for leave 4pm on a Wednesday and 2 days additional days. The company approved it, as they do every year. In the week's leading up to it, the new boss made several comments about 'how much work still needs to be done' and the 'burden on the rest of the team.' A week before the leave, my client turned in a big project. No response or feedback until the day before his leave. The boss had many changes and wanted content revisions right away. My client sent in multiple drafts, but it was sent back for more revisions each time. Then, the Wednesday of the leave the manager began criticizing the graphics, layout, font color & size. My client reminded the manager of the leave but was told they "Can't leave until it's done." So, they were stuck in the office until 8pm and missed the preparations for a religious ceremony. How would you feel?
Moments that Matter. Opportunities to support and connect with an employee in a time of need were wasted. All 3 of these employees felt unimportant, disrespected and angry at their employers and decided to quit. They hired me for career coaching and that's when I heard their stories for the 1st time. I helped them with their resumes, labor-market research, job-search and interview preparation. All 3 have new jobs now, but it didn't have to be this way. My clients are now part of the Great Resignation of 2022.
=================================================================
Author: © 2022 - All Rights Reserved - Sharon B. Cohen, MA, Psychology and Career Transition Specialist. For career coaching contact me at sharoncohen200@gmail.com
• LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbcohen
• Twitter http://twitter.com/MyCareerManager
• My Career Manager Blog (daily view) http://mycareermanager.blogspot.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment