The Pandemic didn’t just disrupt our work, it disrupted our relationship with work as well. It opened up new ways of thinking about and doing the work we do. As a result, I have noticed some changes with my coaching clients:

Values

Many of my clients have realised what’s important to them when it comes to work and life and are no longer willing to compromise their values. Many of them are taking bold steps and leaving jobs that don’t work for them. They’ve recognised that they’ll be working for a long time, so they must be working on something that is worth it for them.

Work Life Balance

We’ve seen the human side of each other, and don’t want to go back to being treated like a number. Many appreciate not having the commute, having more family time and that a better balance is achievable. More and more people want to work for companies with flexibility, compassion and inclusion at their heart.

 Know Your Worth

Staff who didn’t feel acknowledged or recognised as talent in the past have reflected and recognised their unique skills and talents and are no longer willing to be sell themselves short.

Mental Health and Wellbeing

COVID has brought to the forefront the fragility of life and the importance of protecting your mental health. People are looking to work for companies who are actively supporting the mental health of the employees such as Nike and LinkedIn, who gave employees a week off to destress and acknowledged the issue of burnout. 

Growth Mindset

Many people are happy to retrain and work in new ways – more and more people are realising they don’t just have to have a 9-5, they are researching what it means to have a part time job and side hustle. 

If you are at a Career Crossroads, I’d suggest thinking about:

1. Why you are working, what you want from work, what stage of life you are in?
2. Identify your transferable skills – You may do some work outside work, volunteer in the community at a hospice or a faith group for example, think of the skills that you use there
3. Voluntary experience – a great way to dip your toe in the water, without committing
4. Identify jobs in-demand, new types of job are springing up all the time, that we didn’t even imagine would exist ten years ago
5. Refresh your online profile, your LinkedIn profile should really showcase what you have to offer
6. Network – touch base with your contacts, get their opinion on what you could do next and also ask them to be on the lookout for you
7. Learn how to excel at virtual or online interviews.

If you found this useful, you may also like:

• BLOG: Ten Steps to Successfully Changing your Career
• Event Highlights: Career Progression During Covid
• Webinar: Regain your Confidence at Work