Is It Better To Change Your Job Or Stay Put In The Same Company?
In every working professional's life, this question often pops up: Should I stay in my current company or change jobs? This is an important topic, one that can shape the trajectory of your career and personal growth.
Whether you're feeling stagnant in your current role or just curious about what lies beyond your current position, the decision to stay or move on is never simple. In this blog, we will explore the key factors that influence this critical decision, helping you make a choice that aligns with your long-term goals and values.
What Are The Consequences of Career Choices?
What are the drivers behind the decision to stay or leave a company? In any case, these actions have consequences. It’s important to understand the motivation behind these decisions.
This is because, if you look around, you’ll find two types of professionals: those who have spent their entire careers in a single company and those who have changed multiple jobs to reach a certain level. It’s not about who is right or wrong. What matters is understanding which option is relevant for you.
Key Factors That Influence the Decision to Stay or Leave
First, let’s identify what makes people stay in a company and what core factors they look for in a job.
1. Compensation
For many, compensation is a primary factor. Compensation doesn’t necessarily mean the highest salary. It means a level of pay that satisfies you personally. It might not be the highest in the industry, but it should be reasonable enough to make you feel satisfied.
If you stay in the same company, your compensation may not grow as fast as it would if you changed jobs. In fact, switching companies often leads to faster salary growth.
2. Career Progression
Career progression is another significant factor. Employees evaluate whether their current company provides them with opportunities to climb the ladder—not just in title, but in meaningful roles that come with new challenges.
3. Work Culture and Policies
Work culture and company policies are also critical. Does the company encourage open communication with your boss? What are the company’s views on work-life balance and leave policies? Are there flexible working conditions?
4. Boss or Manager
How is your relationship with your boss? Is it possible to change projects if things are not working well between you and your manager?
5. The Team
Finally, team dynamics are essential. It’s not always about having a team; sometimes, there can be troublemakers within the team who can make your life difficult. If this becomes a problem, people often start looking for other jobs.
The Reality: You Can’t Have It All
One key point to remember is that it’s nearly impossible to find all five of these factors—compensation, career progression, work culture, a good boss, and a supportive team—in a single job. For example:
If you get great compensation, the work might not be engaging.
If the work is great, the company may not offer enough opportunities for growth.
So, what do you do when you can’t have it all?
The Pragmatic Approach
Must-Have, Nice-to-Have, and Can-Live-Without Factors
The pragmatic way to approach this dilemma is to prioritise. Decide which of these five factors are must-haves, which are nice to have, and which you can live without. For example, if compensation is your top priority, you might be willing to tolerate a difficult team environment.
Evaluating Over the Career Life Cycle
Another critical aspect that people often miss is the ability to see their career life cycle. When you start your career, your priorities are different from when you are in the middle of it, with family and senior responsibilities weighing in. As your career evolves, so should your decision-making criteria.
Conclusion: Stay or Switch?
Staying in the same company or leaving is a critical decision with consequences. Understanding the driving factors behind your motivation at different stages of your career will help you make the right choice.
So, the next time you’re confronted with this question, use this approach to bring clarity. If you liked the content, give it a thumbs up, and don’t forget to like and subscribe to the channel and my page. Let me know in the comments what content you’d like to see, and I’ll create it for you.
Award-Winning Mindset & Executive Coach helping executives overcome #Imposter Syndrome, reach #career goals- Woman of Influence, Cancer Research - Top 100 Global Women Entrepreneurs - Author, Stepping into my Shoes
1moOne of the oldest dilemmas .... Better the devil you know, or not? Whilst making this evaluation, I like to encourage who your values match your present employment.
Software Quality | Agile practitioner | S1000D | SLM | Windchill | Automation | Publishing
1moThis is a great article to decide on stay or not stay.
Associate Director | Transforming Business Models & Customer Experiences | Consulting | Positive Outcomes with Innovation and AI | Delivery Leadership | Crafting ServiceNow Solutions | Driving Customer Success
1moThanks for sharing! In addition to this, company growth is also an important factor. As far as individual’s growth and engagements are tied to company growth it’s beneficial and win-win for both.
#1 Best-selling Author | Public Speaker | Tedx Speaker| Mentor & Coach | Business Leader | Strategy & Operations | Digital Transformation | Management Consulting | IIM Lucknow
1moDo join my newsletter and be part of 7000+ people community. I discuss topics related to life, work and career - that matter to us.