Are You a Worker Who Is Concerned?

In today's world of work, there are a number of workers who are concerned - about where their organization is headed and/or how they fit into that future picture. Perhaps there are rumors of a merger or buy out or possibly shutting down an office. Maybe you have heard that there will be a new office opened, in the near future, that will handle the same kinds of tasks done at your location. There could be a number of different concerns. If you are one who is concerned, I encourage you to think about the basis for your concern and determine if you need to develop a plan for working on it.

Start by writing down the facts that you know. If you have no facts, then write down your beliefs or what has caused you to be concerned. You may need to spend some time thinking about little signs that you have noticed over the past several months, perhaps. Maybe you heard the tail end of a discussion between two managers that caused you to wonder what was up. Perhaps you have noticed a change in the form or frequency of communications from management. Whatever indications you have that something is not right - write those down.

Then you must decide how you can get more information to clarify the realities of the situation. Do you have a co-worker who is a confidante? Are you comfortable discussing a variety of issues with your supervisor? Is there someone in Human Resources that you can talk to who will give you some answers? Try to determine where and how you can get some real data. You may just decide to add up what you were able to write down initially and determine that you would be better off taking an active approach to make a change yourself.

It may be that there would be something else within your organization that would be more stable and would suit you. It may be that the potential coming change will not impact you or your work and you are OK where you are. It certainly may be just odd circumstances that caused you to be concerned and there really is nothing out of the ordinary to be concerned about. Or it may be that you want to begin thinking about where else you could look for work. Sometimes although people may see the "handwriting on the wall", they choose to ignore it until they receive confirmation of the change that is now underway.

As a professional career counselor, I can talk with you about your concerns and help you evaluate what may be real. We could also discuss possible options for you to consider. If you are concerned, I encourage you at least to identify why you have those feelings or thoughts. From there you can decide what direction you want to take.

Mary Ann Davis is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in private practice providing coaching and counseling for life's transitions; including career or job change, loss of job, retirement planning, planning to return to work or to school, and other life planning issues. She meets with individuals in person and via telephone to assist them through her change guidance system. Mary Ann is certified as a Master Career Counselor (MCC) by the National Career Development Association, a Life/Work Counselor by the National Employment Counseling Association, and is a Distance Credentialed Counselor (DCC). For more information on her services, please visit her web site at www.YourCareerPlan.com. To contact Mary Ann, please call (513) 665-4444 x3 and leave a personal and confidential voice message or send an email to YourCareerPlan@cinci.rr.com.