A Pitch to Stay Put: Avoiding the Job-Hopping Syndrome

Abstract

Do you find your job challenging and satisfying? Or has it become too routine or too stressful (sometimes in the same day), leading you to consider other jobs and perhaps other careers?Medical technology offers broad opportunities for professional growth, and many people work at one company for most of their careers. That may reflect high job satisfaction or simply limited alternatives, especially in relatively small fields.In previous generations, staying with one company for 30 or more years was the norm, but an increasing number of professionals today are attracted to the challenges and stimulation that come with switching jobs every two or three years. But what can employers and employees do to counter this trend?Wanderlust is common to young professionals in many fields—they may become easily bored and tend to think the grass is greener somewhere else. Understanding what motivates younger employees can help managers provide the support and resources needed to keep these employees from moving on.So what actions can managers take to maintain or increase employee retention? “For any employee, long-term or short-term, put them in a position where they can be successful, let them be successful, and then recognize them for that success,” says Ken Maddock, corporate director of biomedical technology services at Baylor Health Care System in Dallas.Managers and more experienced co-workers should also consider the following strategies when working with newer employees:Experienced staff can act as mentors to younger, less-experienced staff on both a formal and an informal basis. Mentors can help with technical challenges, career advice, office politics, or work/family balance. Some organizations have formal mentoring programs; at others, mentoring relationships evolve informally.Whether you are in an entry-level position or in senior management, the most effective way to keep your job fresh and stay motivated is to take ownership of your career. Many young technicians just out of school have yet to learn that “there's more to their career than fixing the next broken thing in front of them,” says Glenn Scales, CBET, a long-time employee and current patient safety specialist at Duke University Health System in Durham, NC. Some individuals may be content being a technician for 30 years, while others may yearn for new challenges but not seek them out because they fear failure. Take control of your career with the following strategies:While staying in a job may be beneficial in some cases, sometimes changing jobs may be the better course—for the organization and the employee. The following are some issues to consider:As Maddock puts it, “The bottom line is that if you are working for an organization in which you believe, you should stay unless you are really stymied in your efforts to grow.”