This post-recession period has been going on so long now, I feel like a little kid on a long car ride. Are we there yet?
Having been on this ride before, I know that the cycle will rebound eventually and that we will again find ourselves in a seller's market. That is, employers won't always hold all the cards as they've seemed to for the past few years. Sooner or later, workers will have the upper hand in more fields, and we'll see some interesting dynamics return to the candidate interviewing process.
Ah, but no, we're not there yet, and no one can be sure when we will be. This is a post-recession without a road map and very few rest stops along the way. Most workers can only plod forward hoping for relief over the next hill.
In the meantime, those who have jobs are still feeling a bit trapped, lacking the confidence to switch positions or to even speak up for better conditions in the ones they have. In some cases, where the situation is marred by an abusive boss or a toxic environment, the only real solution might be to jump ship, even when no new job is available. Sometimes you just have to protect your mental health.
But for the majority of workers, the secret to survival is less dramatic: Make the best of the situation while waiting for the tide to turn. Here are 10 tips to help you feel less trapped at work.
1. Go deeper, or get more shallow. If you're very involved at work, it might make sense to pull back a little. But if you're just barely there mentally, the opposite might be true: Getting more deeply involved might engage more of your skills and increase your sense of satisfaction.
2. Seek balance and variety. While jobs that are the same every day can be comforting, they can also be numbing. Can you switch some duties with a co-worker to provide more balance in your day?
3. Take your breaks. Surveys suggest that more Americans are skipping lunch or eating at their desks. That tells me they're probably not taking 10 minutes in the morning and afternoon to stretch their legs either. Give yourself these small pleasures to break up the day.
4. Shake up your routine. Instead of eating a sandwich at your desk, why not eat it while taking a walk outside? Maybe you can start a lunch club with co-workers, or a Friday potluck.
5. Build work friendships. Why not do something as a group once a month, such as a movie night or even a bowling league?
6. Go home on time, at least three days a week. If you can't get all your work done, there's either too much work or you're using inefficient practices. Solve the problem, or resolve to move something to someone else's desk so you can go home. If you're worried about being fired, ask yourself: How likely is that to happen? and, Would that be a terrible thing?
7. Do something outside of work. Too many people are wearing a rut in the earth driving to work and back. No other activities, unless you count getting the kids to soccer practice. No wonder you're unhappy. Look for something you can do that's just for you. A drawing class? Yoga?
8. Solve a different problem. If work issues seem intractable, turn your attention to other problems in your life. Have you been dragging around a credit card balance for the past five years? Find a way to pay it this year, even if it involves a second job. Or perhaps you've wanted to repaint the house, lose 10 pounds or finish your college degree.
9. Start your career exploration process. If you've been itching to move on, you can put your time to good use now by building a plan for the next stage of your career. Start with books or a counseling session and advance to skills training and networking.
10. Prepare your resume. Even if you don't plan to leave the job, that doesn't mean the job won't leave you. Having your resume ready will increase your sense of empowerment, which is a sure way to feel less trapped at work.
Amy Lindgren owns Prototype Career Service, a career consulting firm in St. Paul, Minn. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com or at 626 Armstrong Ave., St. Paul, MN 55102.
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