Things have evolved over time and people are no longer staying at one company for many years. There are a few reasons why this is true. Changes in financial rewards such as receiving a pension don’t exist at many companies anymore, so people don’t have the incentive to stay. It also used to be viewed negatively if people job hopped too much, so they stayed even if they weren’t happy. However, these norms are shifting now and you will see people having at least 7-9 different job changes over their career and receiving different types of incentives to make it worth their while.
Many companies have to make tough decisions to remain competitive now. They may have to merge, acquire or divest part of the business to stay viable which can have negative impacts to employees. This becomes challenging for employees when they have given so much to a company and may not see the same loyalty in return. Although you may see your company as a priority, it doesn’t mean that they see you the same way. I thought about this situation when I saw the quote “Never allow someone to be your priority while allowing yourself to be their option” by Mark Twain. Are you someone who has put your job above everything else? Has it become a priority to the point where you are working a lot of hours, missing personal events and causing yourself stress and exhaustion?
Make sure that the choices you make in your life allow you to remain a priority.
Paulo Coelho says “When you say yes to others, make sure that you aren’t saying no to yourself.” Let’s be realistic and recognize that there are times where you may have to make work a priority. However, the important thing is to ensure that it isn’t the only priority you have and it isn’t causing you to push everything else including yourself to the bottom of the list.