A large fraction of professionals across various domains and job functions face the proverbial “Mid Career Blues”. In the most common cases, it starts after four or five years of work experience. The term refers to an onset of depression and lack of self believe caused by unhappiness at work. The person often feels lost and is incapable of deciding on the right career path.
The most common factors that lead to mid career blues are listed below:
Monotonous Nature of Job
Some work scenarios have a definite scope where the nature of job remains the same for a long period of time. A change in domain often requires a transfer to a different division or a city. This may not always be possible which leads to stagnation of mind for the employee.
Unsatisfactory Compensation
Most organizations follow a process of appraisal which needs to be normalized to follow a bell shaped statistical curve for ratings of employees. Invariably, some employees feel hard done by as the distribution of ratings is linked to the compensation levels.
Peer Pressure
In today’s competitive world, a “sit-back” attitude leads to others getting ahead in the race. This is especially true for technology and engineering jobs where not keeping pace with technological changes leads to a gap in skill levels and a person feels technically handicapped in comparison with peers.
An amalgamation of the above factors or any of the factors individually leads to employee attrition. On many occasions, employees find that the new job is a mismatch of prior expectations and eventual reality. At this juncture, employees look at other options like yet another job switch or higher education.
However, career choices need proper planning, thorough research and introspection which are not easily achieved in a short time. A higher education for example may be a financial constraint. Further, many professionals shy away from approaching career consultants due to egoistic reasons. This is when mid career blues truly sets in. It appears as a mind block and as a situation which results in irritability, poor punctuality, lack of contribution at work and increased stress levels leading to a deterioration of health.
Ways to Prevent Mid Career Blues
Knowing and Setting Early Goals: It is imperative to have a clear career vision early. This will help in focusing on targets and eliminating wrong options. This requires considerable introspection. It is much easier to bear dissatisfaction at work when there are goals to be achieved for future.
Being Proactive at Work: It is important to be proactive and approach supervisors or managers in a new job for discussions. On many occasions a change in the nature of job is possible but employees are not expressive enough. Consider switching jobs as a last alternative.
Alternative Career Options: An alternative talent or a hobby can be nurtured gradually as a non profit activity, till the point where one is confident of changing it to a full time monetary occupation. Starting a small nonprofit business on ones own can be an option.
Effective Human Resource Initiatives by Firms: Today’s HR initiatives are aimed at preventing attrition rates. But the HR teams need to come up with effective strategies by digging deeper to do employee satisfaction checks. Communication between management and employees should be transparent and not diplomatic.
In conclusion, one must approach mid career blues with a positive mind as a boon rather than a bane. It is sure to make one introspect at the right time and can propel one's career to reach greater heights.
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