{"id":90313,"date":"2024-09-11T21:36:24","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T21:36:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/?post_type=news&p=90313"},"modified":"2024-09-11T21:36:24","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T21:36:24","slug":"hrs-new-talent-headache-the-rise-of-the-career-downsizer","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.stress.org\/news\/hrs-new-talent-headache-the-rise-of-the-career-downsizer\/","title":{"rendered":"HR\u2019s new talent headache: The rise of the \u2018career downsizer"},"content":{"rendered":"

More people are wanting a career ‘downsize’ – to rid their lives of stress, according to MyPerfectResume’s talent expert, Jasmine Escalera. She says that’s bad news for HR wanting to promote people.<\/h4>\n

Could something unusual be happening in organizations today?<\/p>\n

Are Americans looking to beat the stress they have in their jobs by voluntarily moving themselves into roles that are\u00a0less demanding<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Could this lead to fewer people wanting demanding jobs?<\/p>\n

According to career coach Jasmine Escalera, and career expert at MyPerfectResume, there\u2019s mounting evidence this trend is indeed happening.<\/p>\n

The practice of staff choosing to demote themselves into a less stressful jobs is something she\u2019s calling \u2018career downsizing\u2019.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>Not only does Escalera say it\u2019s happening, but she argues the trend is reflective of what data from The American Institute of Stress<\/strong><\/a> (and others) have been saying for some time \u2013 that a shocking 83% of US workers now say they suffer from work-related stress, with 25% saying their job is the number one stressor in their lives.<\/p>\n

She says career downsizing is effectively staff saying \u2018enough is enough\u2019<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 and that in the absence of good HR to make their existing jobs more manageable, they\u2019re having to take last-ditch measures, and put control into their own hands.<\/p>\n

So how widespread is this trend really?<\/p>\n

And, more than this, is this latest talent headache a worrying one for HR professionals to contend with \u2013 having staff that just don\u2019t want to move up anymore, and active want to move\u00a0down<\/em>?<\/p>\n

TLNT<\/em>\u00a0decided to sit down with Jasmine to hear her thoughts:<\/p>\n

Q: I\u2019ve heard of people wanting to climb the career ladder \u2013 but people who actively want to come down the ladder \u2013 that\u2019s a new one to me. Please do explain!<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: \u201cWhen I first started my career, concepts such as \u2018toxic workplaces\u2019 and \u2018unhealthy workplaces\u2019 weren\u2019t really things we actively thought about. But now, I sense workers are so flooded with expectations of what a good workplace\u00a0ought<\/em>\u00a0to be, and what good workplaces ought to provide, that people are much more aware of the fact they might be in overly-pressurized or overly-stressed at work, or not able to be their authentic self. At the same time, people are assessing how their life is impacted by their work more, and how they can make their work and life fit better together. The upshot, is that this is all adding up to people actively considering career downsizing, as a way of them being able to facilitate a better working life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: We keep hearing that people are still financially pressed, but are you saying that people \u2013 despite this \u2013 would still take a pay cut rather than be too stressed?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: \u201cFor some, career downsizing clearly isn\u2019t an option, but we\u2019re seeing a trend for more people willing to take a cut financially, and stepping back career-wise, if it means they have less stress and less anxiety in the workplace. There\u2019s a real sense that people are having moments of reflection, and asking what the meaning of life is. While it\u2019s still the case that for younger people, it\u2019s all about how far they can go up the ladder, for mid-career individuals, we\u2019re seeing greater willingness to trade pay for better balance and stability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Are you seeing people actively \u2018not\u2019 taking promotions, and isn\u2019t this bad news for HR folk who instinctively want to move people up?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: \u201cWe do see people unwilling to take a promotion, and we certainly see more people asking about the impact a promotion might have on their life. Job seekers, or those already in jobs are definitely being conscientious about whether they want to move up, and whether the extra reward is worth the extra stress they believe this will entail. We\u2019re even seeing reticence amongst people to take\u00a0stretch roles<\/em>\u00a0\u2013 those jobs that typically involve a bit of extra personal pain for people to see that they can do something they thought they coudn\u2019t. For HR folk, this is unusual territory, as now they\u2019re having to battle antipathy to move up \u2013 something that they could have taken for granted.\u201d<\/p>\n

Q: Is this a poor reflection on HR, if people are taking this drastic move, and could it see companies experience shortages of people who want to \u2018step up\u2019?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: \u201cYes, and lack of a cohort wanting to move up \u2013 because they\u2019re seeing the level above them want to move down \u2013 is is a very real problem that we could see getting worse. HR might well have to enter into additional conversations around offering flexibility in order to persuade people that a role isn\u2019t as stressful as they think, or that they will be given support if they do find it stressful. If people are unwilling to step up, what HR professionals might also have to do is be much more forensic about planning what skills they need and what the organizational structure needs to be. If people aren\u2019t taking promotions, HR has to react to it somehow.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Q: What could be another impact of this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

A: \u201cWe\u2019re already seeing people who are just turning up to work, doing their bare minimum hours, and refusing to enter into anything that creates more workload and stress. This will continue. But I also think we\u2019ll continue to see the rise in people exploring the\u00a0side-hustle\u00a0<\/em>more and people deciding to become their own\u00a0solopreneur<\/em>. When people aren\u2019t fully focused on their careers anymore, or don\u2019t want to move up to the next level, you always see a spike in people wanting to work for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most and least stressful jobs in the US<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

To learn more about stress-related issues go to STRESS.ORG<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

By\u00a0Peter Crush<\/a> for TLNT<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo by Mikhail Nilov<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

More people are wanting a career ‘downsize’ – to rid their lives of stress, according to MyPerfectResume’s talent expert, Jasmine Escalera. 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