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Ethics of Self-Preservation
I am in a senior position with a marketing agency that is in bad shape. Employees are on reduced hours and pay because our work has slowed substantially. The owners pledged to get new work but have not made any moves in that direction. I’m looking for a new job, and I’ve seen some very appealing openings with current clients. I’d be a great candidate, because I know many of the players, and they know and like my work. We don’t have a noncompete, but I am worried I would further harm my employer if I applied for a job with its clients. Will the clients take it as a red flag? Will I accelerate the demise of my current company if I jump ship to a client?
— Anonymous
You will not harm your employer by taking a new job with one of its clients. You are not responsible for your employer’s demise. If the roles were reversed, it would not offer you a fraction of the consideration you are offering. It is a job, and maybe you love it, but as I have said many times before, it will not and cannot love you back. If there are no noncompete issues (which may not matter anyway, as the Federal Trade Commission banned noncompetes last week), by all means, take a job with a client. If the client asks why you’re leaving your agency, you’re welcome to offer a diplomatic answer — or you can tell the truth. This is not an ethical quandary. It would be unethical only if, for example, you took a position with a client and then shared proprietary information about your former employer or its other clients.
The Overly Conscientious Boss
I manage a small, stellar team at a nonprofit. After annual reviews last year, I reached out to my supervisor to request raises for each member of my team and myself, factoring in both the annual cost-of-living raise and the merit raises I would like to see. I then shared what I was hoping to get each individual with that person, so they would know they had someone advocating for them. This seemed like a good decision at the time, to show I valued their hard work.
However, we recently received our raise notifications, and, while everyone did get a salary bump, we didn’t quite hit the numbers I was hoping for. Now, based on some reactions, I’m worried that they’re disappointed because expectations were set too high. Did I make a mistake in giving them the specific salary increases I was hoping for? How should I follow up? Should I follow up at all?
— Anonymous
Though you meant well, you did make a mistake. In the future, you can certainly tell members of your team you are going to push for raises, but don’t give them exact numbers until you know what those numbers are. In this instance, you set your team up for disappointment, and that’s what you’re seeing right now. I’m not sure if you should follow up. It may just deepen any resentment they’re feeling — a bit of salt in the wound. They probably don’t care about your good intentions right now. The best path forward is to learn from this misstep. And don’t be too hard on yourself. You were acting from a good place. I’d also think of some other ways you can show your team how much you value its hard work.
Too-Many-Ideas Guy
I work in social media on a digital media team at a nonprofit. There are two “strategists” on the digital team. Their jobs are to help strategize, and my job is to manage and create content. One of the strategists has free range deciding when and how he will participate. For example, I am responsible for managing the video content on our TikTok channel. At a meeting, this co-worker announced we would introduce a weekly stream of video content that is not a good fit and does not align with the strategy I have been developing. Further, this co-worker has never produced a video, so I am not sure what role he would play. He becomes the de facto project manager of many of his ideas, “directing” those who have the skills to do the work. My supervisor considers this co-worker a “go-getter,” but I think he is being anti-collaborative and imposing more work on the rest of us. I try to stay out of all of his projects. This, however, is still exhausting. His ideas are endless. If I did address this, how would I?
— Anonymous
People like this strategist thrive in the workplace because they come up with “interesting” ideas and don’t trouble themselves with how those ideas come to fruition. Management focuses on the ideas, valuing quantity perhaps over quality, and doesn’t really care who executes the ideas so long as they are executed. Of course this is exhausting, particularly because it seems that the strategist is throwing things at the wall to see what sticks.
If you want to address this, start by sharing how much you appreciate all his enthusiasm and creative ideas, but then share that sometimes, his ideas don’t align with project aims and strategies and that it would be great if you could meet and collaborate, focusing not just on generating ideas but making sure those ideas are well aligned with organizational needs. If all else fails, become an idea person, too!
Grim Prospects
I am a 41-year-old creative/media industry professional who has struggled to find full-time work since the pandemic. I was just beginning to reach the junior rung of the management ladder when workplaces shut down and companies began downsizing. I have the additional misfortune of having spent most of my career in an industry that has been roiled by restructuring, mergers and mass layoffs. I have a master’s degree from one of the most respected professional schools in my field, a wealth of experience and enthusiasm. Yet the jobs simply don’t exist anymore for someone with my experience. I have been surviving on gig economy delivery jobs and dog walking for the past four years. I am terrified I will never get back on my real career path. Do I start over in another field? (I have an arsenal of transferable skills.) Do I go back to school? I’m single, with no children, and no property tying me to any one place.
— Anonymous
A shocking number of people in the media industry are in similar straits. Just this year, there have been mass layoffs at several companies and news organizations, and too few new jobs are being created to absorb so many job seekers. You are eminently qualified, and it is incredibly painful when being eminently qualified isn’t enough.
That said, you can find a new career path. You’re going to have to think creatively. A lot of the ideas you suggested in your letter may prove fruitful.
I have more questions than answers to offer. Start with looking at other fields where you can take your arsenal of transferable skills. What do you need to do to change career paths? How can you make as lateral a transfer as possible? If you return to school, have a plan and know what you’re getting into. What do you want to study and why? What is the job market like in your field of study? Can you afford a graduate education or second undergraduate degree? If you take on student loans, will you be able to manage the debt burden?
Finally, when you do apply to new jobs, present your experience as an advantage. Highlight your creativity, resilience, leadership skills and adaptability. Good luck as you move forward.
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