It was time. Her pulse began to rise. She had spent the weekend with those she loved. Her family. Her Friends. Her husband. But she knew the time was coming, and she was on her way. Soon she would be putting on the handcuffs. Sometimes she loved the handcuffs. But not often. More, and more the handcuffs felt like something she needed. Where was the passion she had known? And these were not any handcuffs…they were golden handcuffs.
For those that have not heard the term “golden Handcuffs”, the term refers to “benefits, typically deferred payments, provided by an employer to discourage an employee from taking employment elsewhere.” In the job market, this can be the practice of paying employees higher than market value, so that a lateral move to a different company, or competitor would result in a loss of wages. It can also refer to pension, or other retirement benefits that are built around a long-term employee vestment period. In some cases, employees are not 100% vested for a period of ten years or more of active service. “Golden Handcuffs” are handcuffs in the sense they discourage you from breaking free, and they are “golden” in the sense that they have value – chiefly monetary value. So, there is both restriction, and reward in golden handcuffs.
If you have been lucky, and/or if you have managed your career well, you can certainly experience passion in your career, and job. But for our woman professional described above, there is less, and less passion in her job. Sadly, this is the case for many professionals. We appreciate, even need the golden handcuffs, but less, and less we feel any passion in the work we are doing. As for our woman professional described, she also recognizes that she has a need for the golden handcuffs. The monetary perks will benefit her, and her family. The important point here is to recognize that need, and passion are two different things. Sometimes these two dynamics compliment each other, sometimes they are in conflict.
If you welcome Monday morning with energy, and a sense of purpose, you most likely are well aligned with your job. You most likely feel you are doing work that has value. You feel a sense of worth. If you are in this group I am happy for you. But my suggestion is to review how you are feeling about your job periodically. A suggestion is to review it every six months, or around the time of your annual review. As most of us have seen, life is full of change, and your initial passion may change over time. Consider that people are dynamic. Once they have mastered new skills, and new jobs, they seek new challenges.
If you are in the group the feels less, and less passion for their job, it is probably time for an assessment of how you relate to your job, and what level of satisfaction. A career professional, such as a Career Consultant, or Career Coach can be of great value in performing this assessment. But here are a couple good questions to ask yourself: 1) Do you dread Mondays? 2) Are more than half of your workdays in the week “bad days”? 3) Do you watch the clock at the office, anxious for your work day to end? 4) Do you feel “disconnected” from your job? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you may indeed benefit from a job satisfaction review.
Not all handcuffs are bad. At their best golden handcuffs help build job stability, company loyalty, and provide greater monetary rewards. At the same time, you need to consider the value of pursuing your passion, and conversely the cost of NOT experiencing passion in your work. The first step in understanding if your passions are being experienced is to codify what your passions are. A career professional such as a Career Coach, or a Career Consultant can provide great value here. Once your passions are captured, and understood, the next step is to map out how your passions are being satisfied in your career. If there is a big gap between the two, it may be time to look at all options. With some good foundational work, and planning, you have a better chance to marry your job to your passions. And this is the best deal of them all.
Author: Brian Kail, MBA, CPC is a Certified Career & Executive Coach. For more information see AscendProCoach.com
For those that have not heard the term “golden Handcuffs”, the term refers to “benefits, typically deferred payments, provided by an employer to discourage an employee from taking employment elsewhere.” In the job market, this can be the practice of paying employees higher than market value, so that a lateral move to a different company, or competitor would result in a loss of wages. It can also refer to pension, or other retirement benefits that are built around a long-term employee vestment period. In some cases, employees are not 100% vested for a period of ten years or more of active service. “Golden Handcuffs” are handcuffs in the sense they discourage you from breaking free, and they are “golden” in the sense that they have value – chiefly monetary value. So, there is both restriction, and reward in golden handcuffs.
If you have been lucky, and/or if you have managed your career well, you can certainly experience passion in your career, and job. But for our woman professional described above, there is less, and less passion in her job. Sadly, this is the case for many professionals. We appreciate, even need the golden handcuffs, but less, and less we feel any passion in the work we are doing. As for our woman professional described, she also recognizes that she has a need for the golden handcuffs. The monetary perks will benefit her, and her family. The important point here is to recognize that need, and passion are two different things. Sometimes these two dynamics compliment each other, sometimes they are in conflict.
If you welcome Monday morning with energy, and a sense of purpose, you most likely are well aligned with your job. You most likely feel you are doing work that has value. You feel a sense of worth. If you are in this group I am happy for you. But my suggestion is to review how you are feeling about your job periodically. A suggestion is to review it every six months, or around the time of your annual review. As most of us have seen, life is full of change, and your initial passion may change over time. Consider that people are dynamic. Once they have mastered new skills, and new jobs, they seek new challenges.
If you are in the group the feels less, and less passion for their job, it is probably time for an assessment of how you relate to your job, and what level of satisfaction. A career professional, such as a Career Consultant, or Career Coach can be of great value in performing this assessment. But here are a couple good questions to ask yourself: 1) Do you dread Mondays? 2) Are more than half of your workdays in the week “bad days”? 3) Do you watch the clock at the office, anxious for your work day to end? 4) Do you feel “disconnected” from your job? If you answered yes to one or more of these questions, you may indeed benefit from a job satisfaction review.
Not all handcuffs are bad. At their best golden handcuffs help build job stability, company loyalty, and provide greater monetary rewards. At the same time, you need to consider the value of pursuing your passion, and conversely the cost of NOT experiencing passion in your work. The first step in understanding if your passions are being experienced is to codify what your passions are. A career professional such as a Career Coach, or a Career Consultant can provide great value here. Once your passions are captured, and understood, the next step is to map out how your passions are being satisfied in your career. If there is a big gap between the two, it may be time to look at all options. With some good foundational work, and planning, you have a better chance to marry your job to your passions. And this is the best deal of them all.
Author: Brian Kail, MBA, CPC is a Certified Career & Executive Coach. For more information see AscendProCoach.com
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