For many that are close to me, the biggest feeling of being on mute is when they speak up about being short staffed and/or needing time off.
I enjoy logging into MyBlankJob each morning to see what the name of the site currently is. This morning I found the site to be named, My You Are on Mute Job.
I feel as if this has two connotations. The first connotation is the obvious, which the person who submitted the Buzzword likely intended. So many of us are on calls all day long, and almost every call has a moment of pause. The participants of the call repeat the question, or repeatedly say the name of the person that they are expecting to hear speak. Silence ensues until someone finally chimes in with, “You are on mute.”
I am bewildered by the inability to find the mute button at this point. It feels like this should be a learned behavior after a month or two, and we are now more than a year into our remote working world. I believe that 75% of the time, when the phrase, “You are on mute.” is spoken, the actual phrase should be, “You are not paying attention.”
Then there is the second connotation that the phrase, “You are on mute,” conjures into my mind. That is people are speaking, but they may as well be on mute because no one is listening. They are not being heard.
For many that are close to me, the biggest feeling of being on mute is when they speak up about being short staffed and/or needing time off. I have not had a week off since 2019. I am definitely among those that are asking for time off and not getting it.
I believe that this is commonplace. Most people are doing the work that teams once had multiple people for. This will be a major driver in the expected shift in jobs in the latter part of 2021. Some job market economist estimate that has much as fifty percent of workers will entertain making a career change within the next 18 months. That is an incredible estimate.
I think that for some the shift will be to positions that can be done remotely from jobs that require a presence in the office. For others, the shift will be to a new market, perhaps a market that is viewed to be more stable post-pandemic. For others, the move will be within the same type of role, but with a different company.
Before you make a jump to perceived greener pastures. I encourage you to stop, and take a look around. Would the feeling of being on mute be addressed by a different employer? Would you be better off working to address your concerns with your current employer? What are the drivers of your desire to make a change? What are your options?
Please do me a favor, take a look at MyBlankJob’s Finding Purpose section. You will find a huge assortment of opportunities to consider if you are considering making a career change. While you are on the site, please vote for your favorite annoying buzzword. I enjoy seeing what the site is named each day, and writing about it.