A false sense of security

Today I’m going to talk about just how safe and secure is that corporate role? 

Last time I said that this is actually a great time to leave your corporate job and do something else. I know for a lot of people that’s quite challenging.

“Yes, but I’ve got security and the comfort of a regular paycheck. I’m much safer here.” you say. Well, I question that on two grounds. 

I question it on how secure it is and how safe it is. Let’s be honest, you could be made redundant tomorrow, and whether you’ve got one month, three months, or six months on your contract as notice, you’re going to be out on the streets and trying to start again.

The longer you’ve been in an organisation, the more specialised you’ve got, the older you get, and the more expensive you get. It can be really hard to start again. It’s difficult to find another corporate role, and then you might not have any choice but to do something else. 

Also, how good for you is it in this safe role? 

Sadly, too many workplaces are toxic these days. You’re under constant pressure to produce more with less. You’re constantly on call. You’re constantly being given demands and expected to absorb information and keep up with things. That gets to be really, really draining. 

If you add to that, pressure to conform and the bullying that is all too frequent, this is a really unhealthy environment for you, and it takes a toll on you physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I know from personal experience that when I left corporate I was in pretty bad shape. I was unfit. I was suffering from stress. And I’d really sort of just switched off lots of emotions as a sort of protection mechanism. That works, but when you switch off the bad stuff, you switch off the good stuff too. 

What’s more, my corporate role was so demanding that along with my family life I didn’t have any time for me, I didn’t have time for my hobbies. That’s not good for you, because you need to do stuff that fills you up and helps you grow.

So how good is this safe, comfortable corporate role after all? 

Maybe it is time to move in a different direction.


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