Workplace Requires Willingness To Adapt Modern Employment Marked By Ambiguity

If the words “uncertainty” and “ambiguity,” often used to describe the workplace of today, sound negative to you, all you may need is an attitude adjustment.

Marilyn Bechtold, a certified career counselor, spends her days retraining people’s thinking about their job skills, their future in the workplace, and what they should “not” expect in the way of job security.

Predictably, it’s her older clients, the ones who grew up thinking they would retire from the same company after 30 years of devoted service, who are the biggest challenge.

They may have stayed with their jobs, even though they learned to hate them, because of the security they afforded. And with retirement and paid medical benefits just around the corner, they have bided their time there, feeling burned out and consequently overwhelmed with stress.

By the time they find their way to Murro Consulting Inc. in Phoenix, it’s usually because they are victims of downsizing or a reduction in the work force.

“And they’re devastated,” Bechtold said. “The older worker is the one who takes it personally when their job is eliminated.

“Their self-esteem is at stake. But they have to see that it was their job that was eliminated, not them.”

It’s important for them to go through a grieving process, including the initial shock and denial, then the anger and depression and eventually getting to the stages of acceptance and forgiveness.

“There’s a lot of education that goes on while they go through this process before they can vent and forgive and then move forward,” Bechtold said.

And moving forward is the key issue.

To facilitate that, Bechtold teaches clients how to play the work game by a new set of rules:

Keep your eyes on the big picture, what’s going on in your marketplace.

Watch for trends. See where the growth is and develop skills to compete in that arena.

Observe which departments seem to be shutting down. When old ones shut, new ones in other areas will open.

New tools are needed for the new workplace as well.

“No longer is there job security, and your only constant experience will be change,” she said. “We’ve changed from a manufacturing economy to information and service, so you need new skills to deal with the technology and customer services.”

Those new skills include:

People skills.

Communication.

Problem-solving.

Ability to change and be flexible.

Computer literacy.

Creativity.

High tolerance to ambiguity and uncertainty.

But how do you feel comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty at the office when you have been groomed to pay homage to the opposite?

To Bechtold, ambiguity means there is more than one way to solve a problem, and uncertainty fosters excitement and keeps you fresh.

To help them find the right jobs, Bechtold guides clients through an assessment process to see what employment areas might be most fulfilling.

“As you go through stages, your values change, and you want to make sure your values match an organization’s values,” she said. “If your values match, then you’ll have more fun working there and be more effective in your role.”

And you might not watch the clock so closely.

“You’ll be re-energized and you won’t care how many hours you’re putting in,” she said.

But whatever direction a job may take, the key to continued employability and success may exist mostly in attitude.

“It’s No. 1,” Bechtold said, “because whether you know it or not, your attitude is always showing. No one wants to be around negativity.”