It has happened to all of us, at least once, whether we want to admit it or not… We have all fallen for the idea that the grass is always greener on the other side. Some might be changing classes thinking the other one was better, to find it was the same curriculum, just a different teacher. Some other time, you could have been thinking that you should have ordered what your brother ordered at that restaurant because your dessert didn’t fulfill your expectations. And you don’t even have to be feeling poorly about your current situation to get excited about a new thing.
Just as elementary school kids get excited with their new school supplies, we get excited with new phones, new cities, new experiences… and jobs are not the exception. But there is something tricky with that since these expectations and all this excitement can be counterproductive. Don’t get me wrong, being happy and motivated to start a new job is a great feeling and it is harmless, but we have to check if our expectations are well-based or misled… Have you ever felt huge excitement to start a new job only to be disappointed at the end of the first week? Well.. this phenomenon was labeled “Shift Shock” by Kathryn Minshew, co-founder, and CEO of The Muse.
This feeling of disappointment can be a little more complex than one might think. If we try to define what a shift shock is, we might find an experience that sums it up around us. Whether you experienced it first hand or someone close to you did, this phenomenon is closer than we know. Every company has had an employee who was perfect for the position but didn’t last as long as they could. But what is causing this issue? Is it a problem of employee retention? a recruitment issue? or, is it a problem of picking the wrong job?
I think it is safe to say that the primary cause of shift shock is unfulfilled expectations. Those could be because there was misleading information about the job or company, but could also be a result of not seeking enough information to build a well-based idea of what the job would be like. Sometimes having an unclear idea of what it looks like to have that role in the company can open the space for our filling gaps brains to complete them as they hope them to be, rather than as they are. And we ask ourselves, is there anything that can be done to prevent this new era problem? Or are we doomed to go from an unfulfilling job to another unfulfilling job every so often?
And when it comes to finding a solution, they are all going to work out depending on who is trying to solve the issue. Companies should attend it to retain their talent and create qualified teams that are comfortable with their workplaces and add to their values. Also, people looking for a job might want to keep it cool during the interview process and ask all the questions they have so they won’t be going through another interview process six months later.
So, let us help you avoid that from happening, whether you are the company or the employee.
What can the company do to prevent it?
Sometimes we need to sell the job position, we need to market it to make it attractive for good talent and to find the best fit for it as soon as possible. And that is okay. The way we do it is the important part here. We are not only inviting new talent to a department, but we are also making them part of the company. And we want that working relationship to work for the best for everyone. So, it is imperative that the new talent knows what we expect of them and for us to know what they expect from us.
So we can start by doing things like showing what a day on the job looks like. When you take an aspirant of the job to what a day looks like, they can adapt their expectations to the job’s reality. Sometimes the job description on the website is not enough, people want to see what it implies to be a part of the company. If the schedule is strict, how much time do they have for lunch or breaks, what do the main tasks look like for the aspirated position, and so on? Being upfront with what is expected from them in terms of working hours and responsibilities is crucial during the first part of the process.
There might be other factors relating to the role that needs to be clear with the candidates. Things like salary, company policies, and more need to be talked about. Doing this will increase the chances that they stay on the job, no one wants to be taken by surprise with these matters. When everything is on the table, regarding expectations, you are setting them to succeed. Knowing what we are required to do, not having to guess or be surprised by emerging responsibilities, helps people to thrive. Being aware is the best way to fulfill the expectation and go beyond, that way they have a starting point, a baseline for quality, and someplace to innovate and improve the processes and more.
A huge factor that can let people down when starting a new job is the company’s culture and working environment. So, we need to make sure they understand our values and how they are represented in daily activities and employees’ behavior. If we have teamwork as a core value, how do we encourage that value in each individual and each team? take the time to get to know the candidate’s set of values, and how they align with the company. It is safe to say that nowadays, a significant fraction of candidates could be willing to leave behind a seemingly perfect job opportunity if they weren’t sure that the company’s culture aligned with them. So, we need to consider this too. How does this candidate match the company’s culture and could even add to it or improve aspects of it?
Culture needs to be a topic during the early stages of the job, or even during the interview and hiring process. We want new talent to get to know the company’s reality and adapt to its culture seamlessly, that is when having a good onboarding process can come in handy. If we did our part and made all the expectations clear and real, the only thing left to do is to help them become part of the culture, one of the team, and a member of the company from day one.
What can you do as someone looking for a job?
It’s unavoidable to have expectations, good or bad. We always create an idea in our minds before the experience. So, a helpful thing would be to stay grounded. Try not to get caught up in the idea of it and get into its reality as much as you can. Be real with yourself, do you feel like it is a good fit for you? Does it seem like you can grow professionally there? taking care of those details might not be an infallible formula to avoid shift shock, but it certainly is a good way to prevent it.
Don’t be afraid to ask all the questions you need to ask. During the interview process, remember that you are not the only one being evaluated for the position, you are evaluating the company to see if they are a place where you can invest your talent and expertise. Having all the information clear will help you create a reality-based image of what it would be like for you to be there and evaluate how much it could work for you. Being well-informed can help you make a sound choice.
But what happens if you already asked all the questions, you were very informed, you kept yourself grounded, but you got a new job and it is not what you expected?
If after all, it seems like it doesn’t work, there are a few things that could help a little. First, slow down, don’t jump to the conclusion that it was a poor choice or that feeling of regret of why I got into this. Give yourself the time to check within, how are you feeling? Is it the place? the culture? something about the role? And more importantly, is it salvageable? Sometimes this feeling can be caused by a misunderstanding. Perhaps the job was oversold, or there seem to be more responsibilities than they described in the hiring process. And now you can determine if this can be corrected in a way, or if it’s bearable compared with the benefits.
Another thing could be taking a minute to reevaluate your goals, to think about what you want and how this can help you get closer to that, or not. Maybe that is the place to be for a determined period to grow. But maybe, it is not. It’s okay if it is not a match, that can happen to anyone. We can evaluate all we want, and feel like we are in the perfect place on paper and when we get there, it is not quite right for us. Sometimes we don’t need to fight it, just know to accept when to move on.
The world faces new challenges every day, economic recessions, health crises, and more… and all of those impact our lives in ways we don’t even imagine at first. New phenomena like shift shock appear as we see how employee retention becomes more and more difficult. Yes, we all try to prevent this sort of thing from happening to us or our companies. We play our part and try to be as transparent as ever with new candidates, we try to add people that help us grow and that we help grow too… and the best way to do so is, to be honest, and careful with our people.
