Ask the expert: Job taking over my life

By MARIE WILSON

Q: I am a branch manager in an industry that I had previously no operational experience. I now regret that decision and having completed two years in the role, I am challenged with seeking new employment. How do I do it?

The position is stressful and has demanded personal sacrifice and extensive skill development in a highly competitive market. My personal circumstances, however, have changed since accepting this position. I am married.

While we are financially (asset) sound, we are cash-flow negative and struggle to reverse the position. Re-employment in my previous career is likely to require returning to the city - approximately one and a half hours' drive.

I aspire to establishing and operating an eco-tourism accommodation business on the 4ha block of land that I planted in olives in preparation for "the day".

A: I don't think seeking a job in your old field of work, and moving back to the city, will necessarily improve your situation. A new job will be demanding and the move will add more cash stress. I think there are three things you can do: ease the cash flow situation, get your job back into a reasonable time frame, and gain some clarity regarding what you really want to do.

If you haven't already done so, work up a family budget and try to identify where your money is going and what can be eliminated or reduced.

To manage your job back into a reasonable time frame, I recommend the Personal Effectiveness Programme. There are also coaches who can work with you, as well as a small library of books on the subject.

First rule: work only five days.

Make sure you are not doing the work and resolving the problems of your staff; your job is to support them doing their job, not doing it for them. If you are still swamped, then you may need to hire a personal assistant. If you have had a positive impact on business performance, you should be able to work out a way to get some additional support, even if it is only part-time.

Longer term, you need to be clear about what you want from your career. You have a long-term goal of accommodation provider in an olive grove. If that is really what you want, you might think of the steps between now and then which will help you achieve this goal. What do you need to learn, how much money will you need for this transition, and how well will your ideal actually suit you?

You may want to assess why you are so anxious about leaving your current job; is it the job itself - or just the hours - that you are trying to escape?



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Dr Marie Wilson is associate professor of management at the University of Auckland Business School, research director of the ICEHOUSE business accelerator and a veteran of 20 years in corporate management and small business.