According to conventional wisdom, you’re either moving up in your job or you’re moving down (and out). But, in recent years, another career-path option has begun to emerge – moving laterally within the organization.
If you work for a business long enough, sooner or later a time comes when you feel burned-out and ready for a change. But the opportunity to move up into a new job isn’t always there and, unless you want to get out completely, it’s worth considering a “sideways” move in one of these situations:
- You’re looking for new challenges, but not more responsibility.
- You and your boss aren’t getting along and, no matter how hard you try, things just aren’t getting any better.
- The company has begun outsourcing a lot of what gets done on your team, but you’d like to stay on in another capacity.
- You’ve started taking classes to acquire more skills, and adding a promotion to that would just be too much to handle at the same time.
- The time has come to start thinking about a different career requiring a different skill-set and you might gain relevant experience in another part of the company.
- You admire a team leader in another department and would love the opportunity to learn from them.
Of course, your employer won’t be interested in you making a lateral move unless you can demonstrate it has value to the business. One benefit is the opportunity to keep you on the payroll (provided you’re making a valuable contribution), rather than have to go out and replace you. That means savings in terms of recruitment and training, which can add up to a considerable amount of money.
Letting you make that sideways move also gives your employer the ability to relocate you to another area where skilled, dedicated workers like you are needed. This way, the business has an alternative to the “burned-out” employee sydnrome that can lead to a high (and expensive) turnover rate.
In the right circumstances, making a sideways move can be a “win-win” for everyone. You get the opportunity to grow your skills, while taking on fresh challenges, and the organization benefits in cost savings and longer-term employee retention.
High Profile Staffing offers a wealth of resources for job-seekers and employees looking to make a change in their career. Find out more!