Frances Horibe's

Are You in a Bad Job for the Convenience? In the first post of this series, Why Do People Stay in Bad Jobs?, I asked you to identify why you are staying in a bad job. In the last post, I explored some reasons often given to continue working where you are. This post will cover more, including convenience. I’m already in the best company in the industry. This can happen. When Steve Jobs was alive, Apple was considered one of the best tech companies and so worth putting up with Jobs’ mercurial temper and insane demands. But why do you think you’re in the best company in your industry? Best paid? Most prestigious? Well-known brand? Whatever it is, give a hard look whether it’s worth the price you’re paying. You might feel any other company would be a move down. So what? First, your resume will always say that you worked at the best company. It might even help you move to a lesser known company with a better environment. Best should also include best for you. I like my colleagues. Yes, that’s wonderful. But in a toxic work setting, great colleagues often mean people who have your back,…

Are You in a Bad Job for the Money? In the previous post, I noted that a bad job can sap your confidence. You feel trapped without slowing down enough to consider whether you actually are. In this post, I want to discuss whether believing you don’t have the skills to change jobs, or good money, sticking with the devil you know or even a shaky economy are enough to stay in a bad job. I don’t have the work skills I need to change jobs You may think that no other company wants your skill set (another example of how a bad work environment saps your confidence). But look at this objectively. More than likely, the skills you use right now to do the job are adequate. Don’t let a bad work environment make you forget that. You might be able to make a lateral move to another company—same type of job, same level of pay, better environment. If you are aspiring to a more senior position when you move companies, that’s a different story. You may not have, or have not been able to demonstrate, the qualities which make you promotable. Identify these skills and either get training…

Why Do People Stay in Unpleasant Jobs? We’ve all been there. Jobs where you hate to get up in the morning, where Monday is a life sentence and Friday only a temporary reprieve. It can be bad for any number of reasons: a ruthless boss; a toxic work environment; boring assignments; or stupid company rules. The list can be endless and varied. But all unpleasant. Sapping hope One universal affects not only your work life but also your will to take action to get out of it: a bad job saps hope. Your boss, in word and deed, communicates that you are a miserable incompetent. Much as you might refute it, the contempt has crept into your psyche and makes you half-believe that nobody else would hire you. The toxic work environment has caught you in a web of constant back watching and heading off attacks so you forget other work places can be healthier. The boring or unsatisfying work dulls you so that your best is as little as you can get away with and you have no energy to find better work. Over time, your confidence and ability to take action to get out are drained. It is…

Sometimes, you must speak up to maintain self-worth. There will be consequences which you need to prepare for and accept as part and parcel of deciding to speak out.

ether you take a stand on something is entirely up to you. Only you can decide that. But how you challenge convention can lower or increase the chances of continuing to earn a pay check.