The Day I Stopped Believing in Job Security

If you’re staying in a job because you think it feels safe, this might make you think again.

It was just another day at the office, heads down, everyone counting the hours until 5pm, the low hum of phones and keyboards tapping in the background.

I was an operations manager then, leading a brilliant team who worked hard, supported each other, and always did a great job despite the pressures of the role.

In an instant, the ordinary day didn’t feel so ordinary.

Then my phone rang. The managing director wanted to see me in his office. That never happened.

I arrived at the managing director’s office to find the HR Director there too and I knew this wasn’t going to be good news. They told me that a member of my team was going to be made redundant. The decision had already been made, I was just being informed.

Then I was told to bring her to the office but not to tell her what it was about. I can still remember that short walk across the open-plan office. She looked at me for answers and could probably see in my face that something was wrong, I wanted to do the human thing and reassure her, but I couldn’t because I’d been told not to say anything.

After what felt like the longest walk, I had to leave her in that room and return to my desk, knowing what was about to happen.

Is this what ‘secure’ looks like?

What I hadn't expected was how they did it. Because there was no notice period, no chance to say goodbye to the people she worked with every day, her friends. Just a box to clear her desk and an escort to the door, like she'd done something wrong.

My team looked to me for answers I didn’t have. We watched her leave in silence and it hit me: Is this what you get for loyalty? Is this what ‘secure’ looks like?

That day changed how I saw ‘job security’ forever.

Not long after, it gave me the drive and confidence to take control of my own destiny and leave that role, because deep down I knew I wasn’t happy.

I understand companies have to make tough decisions sometimes, I really do. But that day showed me something I’d never seen before: how quickly ‘secure’ can change, and how little control we actually have when we leave our happiness in someone else’s hands.

How ‘Safe’ Is Safe?

I haven’t shared this story to create fear, or to try and convince you to leave a job just for the sake of it. But if you’re staying in a job that you know isn’t right for you, simply because it feels safe, ask yourself - how 'safe' is it really? If your company needed to make cutbacks, would they show you the same loyalty you’ve been showing them?

How would you feel if you spent the next 5 years in a job you wish you could change, only to then find your company makes the decision for you?

Leaving something that feels safe, especially when it’s familiar, can be scary. But what’s even scarier is staying in something that doesn’t feed your soul, wishing you were anywhere but there.

This is your life, and that means living it for you.

If you’d like more real-life reflections like this, head back to the blog page to keep reading.

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