Should I think about changing Jobs?
Changing jobs is never an easy decision to make. You have an emotional attachment to your colleagues, your employer, and the hard work you have done with your clients.
So, here are a few reasons why you might start looking for a new job:
Salary
You are being underpaid. Either your colleagues are being paid more than you, you didn’t get the promised pay rise at your last review, or other companies in your area simply offer higher salaries.
Occupational Health Nurses who are paid below the market average have in general worked for their current employers for a significant period of time and have shown loyalty and a good work ethic. Their salaries haven’t increased in line with their growing experience within Occupational health and this has left them out of sync with other OH Nurses in the market.
If this sounds like you then we would advise that you speak to your employer about increasing your pay. If this is not successful, then it could be time to look for a new job.
Am I being paid enough?
Change of responsibilities
Over time the needs of a business change which means the roles of their employees is required to change too. This could mean that you are required to cover a different or larger geographical area, work with different clients, change from working face to face to more phone-based work, or just a change in your day to day duties. Often these changes are short term and nothing to worry about, however if they are a longer-term shift in your duties and you are no longer happy then it could be worthwhile exploring other opportunities in the market.
Change of management
Companies regularly have a change in management which can affect your everyday work. The reasons are numerous. Mergers, buy outs, retirements, redundancies etc. What matters is how this affects you. Sometimes a change in management is welcomed, however a lot of the time the change in management comes with a change in working practices which are not welcomed by the current employees. A change in management is often followed by a mass exodus of staff who are not happy with the new way of working. If this is something you are dealing with then get in touch and we can advise as to whether it is worth looking for a new role.
Lack of progression
This is also known as hitting the glass ceiling and happens when you outgrow your role but there are no opportunities within the company to move into. Under these circumstances if you feel ready for more of a challenge and you have discussed it with your manager but they cannot offer you anything, then your only option is to look for a new role that offers you the challenge you are looking for.
Lack of training
We speak to Occupational Health professionals on a regular basis whose primary reason for leaving their job is lack of professional development. Whether this is in relation to an OH qualification or OH specific training courses the frustration is the same. This can make you feel undervalued and also potentially at risk in the workplace which no one should ever feel. There are OH providers and in house OH depts that we deal with regularly who offer continuous professional development in the form of ongoing training courses or an OH Qualification. They can offer both experienced OH Nurses, and RGN’s looking to get into OH, the opportunity to study for an OH qualification which helps develop both themselves and the company they work for.
If you are thinking of changing roles then please get in touch and we will advise you as to the opportunities in your area and whether we feel you could benefit from a move.