Can I return to my old job?
By Joan Lloyd
Dear Joan:
I'm writing to request your guidance. I started a new job
about 7 weeks ago. In my former role, I worked independently
and had a lot of responsibility and autonomy. I was recognized
as a talent and I was assured I was on track for another
promotion.
However, I was frustrated because I felt that my workload
wasn't adequately recognized. I was working in a smaller line of
business since I joined the company, I was anxious to move
into the 'bread and butter' product, but quite frankly,
just burned out.
I'm in a new job now in a different company and I'm a little
shell-shocked by the change. My recommendations are largely
ignored. My boss is short-sighted and a micromanager - and he takes
the credit himself when he is forced to implement my
recommendations. I'm starting to realize I may have made a pretty
big mistake.
I left my former employer on very good terms with even a few
execs letting me know "The door is always open". I'm realizing now
what a great management team I left and how much I was learning
there. So I guess the question is obvious: Can I really go back? If
so, when?
I appreciate any insight you can provide!
Answer:
You may have heard the expression, “You can never go
back,” but don’t believe it. I know many people who
have returned to their former company after testing the waters only
to find they were filled with sharks.
In fact, you may be surprised how readily your former company
will welcome you back. The reason? There is nothing quite as good
for morale as a returning employee who will tell anyone who is
complaining, “Hey, things aren’t as bad here as you
think. I’ve been on the outside and I can tell you the grass
isn’t always greener. That’s why I came back!”
And when a high potential returns, a lot of people notice and it
looks great for the company even if no one is complaining. The
thought process goes something like this, “Wow, if a high
potential like her comes back this place must be pretty good. After
all, she could get a job anywhere.”
Contact those former executives now, before they forget how
good you are. They may not have the perfect job open for you right
now, but they may have something within the next few months and why
not put your hat in the ring? They have invested in developing you
and you already know the culture, so you aren’t a hiring
risk. In fact, they may even try to create a new job for you, since
they already know your strengths. You’ll never know unless
you ask.
Dear Joan:
I love what I do, working in the IT department of a hospital with 2 other women, both younger than me, and a gentleman who is very close to retirement. Of the group, including my boss, I am the most educated. I took the position as a jump off to a bigger and better opportunity. In IT here you have to pay your dues before the analysts and informatics specialist jobs open to you. But I have hit a wall.
I love what I do, working in the IT department of a hospital with 2 other women, both younger than me, and a gentleman who is very close to retirement. Of the group, including my boss, I am the most educated. I took the position as a jump off to a bigger and better opportunity. In IT here you have to pay your dues before the analysts and informatics specialist jobs open to you. But I have hit a wall.
My coworkers seem very insecure, and the team spirit I have
thought existed does not. They are out for their own interests
exclusively, and rarely share key information that is critical to
operations. So communication has broken down. Moral is down also. I
just returned from a week off for vacation and they are "making me
pay" for my time off by treating me coldly, so insecurity is at an
all time high also.
I have tried to develop inroads with the ladies, only to get
the frosty responses, blank stares, and shunning. I have tried to
approach each of them and ask if I have done something, but they
say no, turn around and go back to what they were doing... I have
tried gentle kindness, and tried to overlook their exclusionary
behavior, but it is very unsettling in a professional environment.
My boss has too much on her plate to bring this to her attention -
I have no clue what to do. Suggestions?
Answer:
This catty, immature behavior doesn’t deserve any more
effort on your part. The problem may be insecurity or it may be
that you have done something to turn them off, such as mentioning
your education (which they might interpret as you feeling superior
to them).
If you have offended them, you have done your best to try to
right the wrong. Because you love your job, focus on that and
forget about trying to make them like you. The more you try to bow
and scrape the more power they will believe they have over you. If
you continue to get great results, your star should continue to
rise. However, if they are withholding information that is critical
to your job performance, you owe it to your manager to tell her
exactly what is going on.
