How To Have a Positive Conversation With Your Manager About Job Satisfaction
As the job market continues to pick up steam and demand for engineering, manufacturing, and architecture talent is getting better by the day, you may be tempted to ponder your career satisfaction and consider other opportunities. No doubt, we’re living in the best technical job market of all time. The options for anyone with an engineering or architectural background are limitless, with more flexible and exciting opportunities than ever before.
Yet, you’re a successful engineer or architect who enjoys your profession, your projects, and your company. Perhaps you really like what you do and enjoy your challenging work. Perhaps there are a couple of aspects about your job that you’d like to change and it has been on your mind. Maybe it’s your pay, your duties, or your advancement potential. Starting these conversations with your leader is often stress-inducing and intimidating. It’s very tempting and easier to create a new job search and explore your options in the hopes of using the new offer to improve your satisfaction in your current role.
Could you use some advice about approaching important topics with your manager while improving your relationship? We’ve got you covered with ideas and practices to navigate this area confidently.
Having an open and honest conversation with your manager helps resolve concerns around different aspects of work that are often about non-financial benefits. These might include your workplace environment and the nature of work, the types of projects you’re given, and promotion opportunities. You’d like to continue to be very engaged, have high job satisfaction, look forward to learning new skills, and be an asset to your company.
Why Initiating Conversations Are Important
Jen Fitzke, Recruiting Lead at Konik with over twenty years of engineering recruitment experience, adds, “Your manager would much rather speak with you about issues ahead of time rather than after you put in your notice. You elevate your status as a problem-solving employee by talking to them ahead of time. The person who uses another offer as leverage burns a bridge either with the employer they leave or with the potential employer whose offer they rejected to stay where they are.”. Over time, this builds trust between you, your leader, and your company. This trust often translates to better relations for everyone, and you’ll often be considered for career advancement and more challenging projects in the months ahead.
"Your manager would much rather speak with you about issues ahead of time rather than after you put in your notice." -Jen Fitzke
How To Structure the Conversation
Here we start to break down each critical step for you to help you enter the conversation with more ease and confidence:
- Prepare What You Will Say
We asked Sol Rosenbaum, PE, an experienced energy engineer and founder of TheEngineeringMentor.com, for his insight. When thinking and preparing for the conversation, “Be very sure about what you’re asking and have your data ready and do your research before the talk.”
The first step to any conversation with your manager is to understand the issues that you are facing. You must think about what you will say and list the critical issues along these lines. Categorize the issues according to their importance levels and write down how that issue might be affecting you. Also, if possible, search for some solutions because your manager will know that you are focused on your overall improvement.
"Be very sure about what you're asking and have your data ready and do your research before the talk." -Sol Rosenbaum, P.E.
- Schedule A Meeting
“Don’t surprise them with this as it may feel like an ambush without allowing them to prepare”, says Sol. Give your manager a heads up beforehand and ask in-person to schedule a meeting a couple of days later to discuss the topic. Try to be as neutral as possible while keeping an open mind about the subject and what will be discussed. For example, try “Could we sit down later this week to get your thoughts around my compensation plan?” Or, “Could we talk later about my overall performance and compensation? I’d like to have a discuss around this and get your thoughts”.
Informing your manager why you want to speak with them beforehand helps them be mentally prepared and open-minded when entering the conversation. When the manager knows about the topic of the meeting, they will more likely approach this with thoughtful consideration.
- Take Care Of Your Body Language
While talking about job satisfaction can be tricky, be mindful that the meeting remains positive from the beginning until the end. Try to be self-aware of your body language, keep your shoulders back, maintain eye contact, and try to smile and keep it light whenever possible. Remember that your conversation should be engaging instead of black and white so that the manager can bring in their input wherever possible. Let the manager know that you appreciate them taking time for you and assure them that the conversation was meaningful and helpful. Also, be confident about the changes you are willing to make to improve job satisfaction and morale.
- Come Up With Solutions And Ask For Ideas
After you have presented your issues, immediately come up with the possible solutions you decided on beforehand. When you come up with solutions, your manager will know that you are serious about your concerns and thoughts. It will show your thoughtfulness and strong communication abilities to the manager as they know you take responsibility for your career. Ask for your manager’s perspective and input, as they might have ideas and information that’s helpful for you.
“It will show your thoughtfulness and strong communication abilities to the manager as they know you take responsibility for your career.”
- The Follow-Up
“Don’t expect a decision right away,” says Sol, “Give your manager some time and space to gather their information and allow a thoughtful response. They may need to meet with others before being able to respond to you, and this generally takes longer than you’d like.”
“Always thank them for the conversation and their consideration of your request, and recap the conversation and next steps in an email to make sure you’re on the same page,” he adds.
Next Steps
After the conversation with your manager and subsequent follow-up communication, if you’re not content with the outcome and feel like your concerns are not resolved, you always have options to look elsewhere. If you think your engagement and excitement about your career have deteriorated, this may be a great sign that it’s time to look for a better overall opportunity. These conversations are a critical step in your ongoing career satisfaction and development. Practicing these skills helps you evolve as a person and professional and will be helpful as you build your career.
What do you think? What advice would you add to the conversation? Drop us a note and let us know your thoughts!
Tom Goettl, President of Konik, a Technical Talent Network, writes at the intersection of careers, leadership and technology.
tom@koniknetwork.com
Special thanks to blog contributors!
Sol Rosenbaum, PE, Owner & Managing Director of SR Engineering & Consulting, and Founder of TheEngineeringMentor.com.
Jen Fitzke, Recruiting Lead, Konik
jen@koniknetwork.com