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How do you know when it’s a good time to change jobs and how should you prepare to make the transition?

THE first quarter of the year is traditionally a time when many people switch jobs and make a fresh start career wise. The preceding year may have shown them they weren’t happy in their current role or even occupation and, after the drama of Christmas, the new year can be an opportune time to finally make that change.

The reasons people leave jobs are multifarious but it’s unlikely to be a sudden or spontaneous decision. Often factors that have built up for a long time will come into play. Once the decision has been made, there’s no going back, so it’s a good idea to prepare your departure from your present company as much as you would your arrival at the new one. After all, future employers may ask your current boss for a reference or do a background check.

There’s also little point in burning your bridges with colleagues you’ve gotten to know and like with an ill-considered resignation debacle. First impressions last, but last impressions can last longer.

Sigmar Recruitment has identified the top 10 indicators that an employee is likely to leave his or her job. If most of the following apply to you, it could be that you’re not just suffering from a temporary case of the blues.

You might need a change of job if you:

• can’t see any signs of advancement in your present company

• grumble on payday

• don’t feel secure in your job

• don’t connect with management

• feel mental or physical anguish at the thought of going to work

• are bored and unchallenged by your job

• feel your commute has killed your social life

• are using your quota of sick days even when you’re not ill

• can’t stop thinking/worrying about your children/family

• are being put under unnecessary pressure at work.

Yvonne Keily, principal consultant with Sigmar, which compiled the list, says looking seriously at these issues will help you make an informed and honest decision about whether or not it’s time to move.

Uncertainty about career advancement is top on most employees’ lists of reasons for leaving a job. However, Keily recommends employees don’t jump the gun. “Prior to any hasty action, realistically assess your current role and performance within the company. Ask yourself: Are there other roles that I could competently fulfil? Have I proven my ability, aptitude, reliability and so on within my existing role? Have I exhausted every appealing opportunity for advancement and role change within my current company?”

If you answer these questions truthfully, it will become apparent whether you should set sail for new lands or drop the anchor and give your current position another chance.

Noel Murray, accountancy and finance consultant with Richmond Recruitment, believes location provides the push factor for many employees. “Any jobs I get in the midlands or in Kildare and Meath get the best response. I’d have a similar job in Dublin and I wouldn’t get half the response, even if it pays more,” he explains. Murray puts this down to issues such as commuting times and property prices. “A lot of people from the commuter belt are willing to take a drop in money to get a job closer to them.”

He adds that money and career progression remain the motivating factors for the more senior positions. “We find the biggest reason people change jobs is they want a better quality of life,” says Frank Lemass, general manager of the Ann O’Brien Group. “It used to be financial, but that seems to be third or fourth on the list now. We’ve heard of people who’ve resigned from positions in the city centre because of the hassle of parking and the length of their commute.”

Parting shot

If you have decided to make a break for it, how you depart can come back to haunt you if you don’t do it right. Prospective employers in the future might ask your current boss for a reference. If your parting shot was an emphatic ‘So long, suckers!’ in the style of Homer Simpson, that reference will probably fit on the back of a postage stamp if given at all.

Murray says workers should give the minimum amount of notice set out in their contracts and suggests telling employers face to face rather than via a letter. “I think verbally is probably the best way. It keeps it informal to an extent.”

He advises being diplomatic when breaking the news, but insists it’s not something to be nervous about.

“I would never criticise your present employer; always accentuate the positive of the job you’re going to,” he says. “It’s the same when you’re looking for a new job. Emphasise the reasons why you want the new job.

“It’s not a bad thing to move. Most people move on at some stage. It’s a normal part of life.” Keily recommends maintaining a positive outlook. “Even if you have chosen to leave a bad situation and you would gain tremendous satisfaction from telling a certain someone exactly what you think of them, remember that an outburst will not help you obtain a favourable reference, nor will it help your reputation.”

She advocates staying professional in your final weeks, giving reasonable notice, conducting your exit interview with positive and constructive feedback and being clued in as to what paperwork you will need from your current employer as regards benefits, pensions, health plans, P45 and so on.

Formulating an exit strategy is never easy, just ask George W Bush. Dubya might be thinking about upping sticks to Iran, but you should also know where you’re going. Murray recommends people examine the all-round state of the industry they’re in before they commit to leaving. He estimates that 90pc of people would have secured another job before they leave their current one.

Honesty is the best policy when you do decide to go, says Lemass. “Bear in mind you don’t know when you’re going to need a reference in the future. Be straight up. You don’t have to go into the reason why you’re leaving but if you’ve a good enough relationship with your employer, do.”

Keeping it personnel

The Small Firms Association (SFA) published a survey just before Christmas that found the main reason people leave jobs is not about money or working conditions but
is actually due to the people they work with.

The SFA survey found that of the 199,000 Irish workers who left jobs last year, 59,700 left because they were unhappy with people they worked with; 49,750 felt their contribution was not recognised; 39,800 left because of lack of advancement; 27,860 left because of salary; 9,950 were simply bored; and 11,940 left for other reasons. The results were extrapolated from 1,000 exit interviews conducted by the SFA.

The average length of time people stay in their jobs is now two to three years. Employers looking to keep their best staff on the roster will need to compete with rivals not just by increasing wages but by improving the overall experience of work for people.

Pat Delaney, director of the SFA, says: “Increasing wages simply to keep staff is like the arms race - expensive to play and impossible to win. Companies must always pay the market rate but other factors are more important in attracting and retaining people in the modern  workplace.”

He continues: “The survey findings show that in many instances people leave people, not jobs. The role of management is now far more complex, with managers required to do far more than simply give instructions. Managers need to provide training, coaching, support and managers themselves need to be reviewed on a 360-degree basis. Some 170,000 people voted with their feet last year because of a failure to get on with fellow employees and the style of management.”

Niall Byrne