I’ve been hearing a lot among friends in business, and in the business press, about “The Great Resignation“, as millions of people resign from their jobs. But I recently read a piece about an interview with LinkedIn CEO, Ryan Roslansky, in which he says that what’s really happening is a “Great Reshuffle”, as people search for more meaningful work.
“You have employees globally who are rethinking not just how they work, but why they work and what they most want to do with their careers and lives”, says Roslansky.
In essence, the point Roslansky is making – backed with millions of datapoints from LinkedIn profiles – is that we’re in a period of transition, and people are thinking, “what do I really want to be doing?”
LinkedIn looked at their data on people changing their jobs, and said that this is especially the case with younger people in the workplace.
Job changes among people in what has been defined by demographers as “Gen-Z” – or colloquially, “Zoomers” (that’s people aged up to their mid 20s) over the past year have increased by 80%, according to LinkedIn. Job changes among Millennials (those aged 25-40) have increased by 50%. [note: see my health warning: You are more than a demographic profile.]
There’s an idea that if you’re in Gen-Z, you might well have started your career during the coronavirus pandemic, and that’s been a tough time for many in work. So now you might be looking ahead at what you really want to be doing, as many are.
For millennials (aged 25-40), many of you started working during a recession, and that might have meant an unsteady start, with more job changes early on. So you might still be looking for the right thing for your career.
There are some who have been saying that people are changing their jobs because of remote working. My own opinion is that I honestly don’t think this is all about remote working. I think when you’re in the right team, you love to be working with them, and social interaction at work is a really healthy thing, for people and for teams.
Are you feeling unsettled in your job?
So if you have been feeling unsettled, ready to “reshuffle” your job, what can you do?
Firstly, know that the past years are not wasted. The Lord can and will use your career journey so far for good. What I find most often is that followers of Christ see that through the tough times in their career, the Lord was often working in the most significant ways. That’s certainly my own testimony.
My advice would be: be patient. Don’t just jump into anything! Transition well, and make sure you land in the right place. Changing jobs can be stressful, and you don’t want to leave and leave again.
The Bible encourages us to trust God as we look for the path ahead:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday.
Psalm 37:3-6 ESV
Finally, our core scripture at Worship.Works is from Colossians 3:23-24: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
What could this mean for your next career move?
If you’d like help thinking about how to let God lead you in your career, you might be inspired by some other posts on our blog. Or, take a look at some of our current career opportunities where we can place you into a professional business environment, supported by training and equipping from Worship.Works. If you’re a recent graduate or have 3+ years of working experience, how about joining our Christian Graduate Scheme in Business (Analytics/Marketing/Client Services)?