Shift-shock and it's treatment!

There is a trend to name every phenomenon nowadays. Nowadays you may be hearing the word "shift-shock". However, its nothing related to shift duty (night shift, morning shift, afternoon shift etc). It is the shock one receives when the person changes the company.  In other words, I can call it as "change-shock"! Human basic nature is that it wants comfort zone and a set routine. When there are changes to it, human nature tries to oppose it. Hence, a person should be flexible enough to accommodate and adjust to unwanted changes in life. Earlier in one of my article, I covered the culture-shock topic. It is the type of shock one experiences or receives when he/she suddenly steps into a complete different or opposite culture of another country.

When I read the news regarding "shift-shock", I realized that yes, there is something like "shift shock" exists and I also have experienced it. The only thing was that I didn't know that it is "shift shock". Who is a better person than me who have understood and experienced it that has changed 8 companies till date (for whatsoever valid reasons)? Sometimes there is a shift of not only company, but the culture of the company, the city in which company is located, the facilities the company provides, the work-culture.

Shift shock was one of the top 10 workplace trends in 2023 and is continuing to gain momentum into early 2024, as suggested by US News, with about 29 percent of employees experiencing “shift shock” encompassing the job and the company culture, as indicated by the Muse’s earlier Shift Shock survey.

LinkedIn suggests that, an average person changes jobs every 4.2 years, highlighting individuals’ career transitions that might result in the initial disorientation employees feel when they move to a new role and company, with Gen Z and millennials noting experiencing regret after accepting a new role, even when they considered it their “dream job”.

A study shows that, 30 percent of job seekers leave jobs within the first 90 days of getting hired.

Shift shock is trending due to its association with broader trends in the workforce, such as changing attitudes toward work among younger generations. It highlights the discrepancy between employees' expectations and their actual experiences in new jobs or with new employers. As more people seek job satisfaction, work-life balance, and environments that prioritize well-being, issues like shift shock gain attention. Additionally, the term has gained traction as a way to describe and understand the impact of workplace culture and practices on employee engagement and retention.

Talking about me, I have invested 12 years in only one company. The shock I received after changing that company was huge. But I managed to cope up with it and adjusted to next company within a month. 12 years was my highest tenure in one company, then 5 years, 3 years and so on. Please note that, it is not in sequence. 

As per my opinion, the "shift-shock" is not limited only to the employees who change companies. It is more than that. The siblings who has to change their school, friend circle, teachers, as well as the city due to their parents' job gets transferred, are the one who experience one kind of the shift shock only. 

Another example of real life is when a newly-wed Indian bride goes to her husband's house permanently in a joint-family, where everything is new for her. The house, the culture, the atmosphere, the people. She gets new surname, sometimes even new name! This is a type of shift-shock only. 

In the context of employees and companies, the word shift shock has a deeper and additional meaning. When you take a new job, start working there and start feeling regret about your decision, then you’re in shift shock. It’s like purchasing a mobile phone and once you start using it, you find that most features aren't the ones that you had expected. 

“Shift shock is the disorientation and stress employees experience while undergoing significant changes in their work environment, such as a new role, team or organizational structure,” said Matthew Warzel, president of a resume writing firm MJW Careers. 

Shift shock may be sometimes a result of the faulty hiring process. If a hiring team is inaccurate or paints an rosy picture about a specific position, the benefits and payments, the result can be disappointment and disillusionment for the employee. Opposite can also happen. An employee if put everything in his/her resume to get shortlisted and gets selected, its now the company's turn to receive the shock as he fails to perform as per the expectations. In short we can say that one of the reasons of these shocks is - expectations mismatch! 

Companies are still struggling to convey expectations when interviewing candidates virtually. Without having new hires onboard and meet their coworkers in-person, introducing them to company culture and helping them get adjusted to their roles can be challenging as well. On top of this, many companies are also struggling to understand how candidates’ expectations have shifted.

Hence it is necessary that before agreeing to take any new job, potential employees and employers should engage in honest and straightforward communication about their expectations about different aspects of the job, including performance, compensation, company culture and work-life balance. This transparency can help build trust, foster a better understanding between both parties and drastically cut down on shift shock.

Shift shock is the realization that your new job is not what you thought it would be when you signed the employment contract. It happens when new employees start a new job and experience a disconnect between their expectations of a job and reality. The role is different than what you were led to believe during the recruitment process. 

The Indian Express states in one news article that, Karnam Gupta, a PR Manager, suggests that employees should ask relevant questions before accepting a role while also cross-checking if it aligns one’s personality with job responsibilities is essential to avoid unexpected challenge.

Signs of shift shock which an employee experiences, are increased stress, decreased job satisfaction and difficulty in adapting to the new circumstances. 

The shift shock is also experienced when after a long period of working from home, the employer asks you to start working from office for all the 5 days. Vice versa is also true. 

Sometimes, there is striking similarity between two companies and one can overcome shift shock within a week or two. However, sometimes there is change in domain, the service area in which the company operates. For example, for many years I worked in telecom domain. That means our client was all telecom operators in India and abroad. 

However, later when I got a job which has nothing to do with telecom industry at all, it was a very different experience. Though the role I was playing was similar, the customer and related terminology was completely different. Similarly, I experienced the shift shock when I chose ITIL (Operations Management) track and left the software coding (development) track at initial years of my career. Though in this shift the domain was same, role was completely new. But I adjusted to it by quickly learning the new things and doing relevant certifications. Even before that, I had left the electronics industry and got into software industry. 

Some people experience the similar shock which is caused due to change in flow of something. 5 weekdays you work and then weekend comes. On weekend, you spend every moment in nurturing your mind and body. You complete your home chores, other pending tasks. You pursue your hobbies, you may travel somewhere. When Monday comes, few experience a shock of the workload while going to office on Mondays. It is called Monday blues. 

The Monday blues are when you feel down at the start of the week. You might feel anxious, depressed, or have a sense of dread about Mondays. Dragging yourself back to the working week after a two-day break can feel like a burden. Nevertheless, if you like your job from heart, you will not feel it as a burden even if you have to work on weekends. Remember that! However, here I am not advocating the weekend work culture because it's important to maintain a work life balance.

Shift Shock Survey:

A survey by Muse is gaining tracking online because of the significant findings about this trend. The survey found:

• 72% of respondents said they’ve experienced shift shock.
• 29% said their shift shock included the job and company.
• 80% of the respondents said it’s acceptable to leave a new job before six months if it doesn’t live up to your expectations
• 41% would give a new job two to six months if they felt shift shock
• 48% would try to get their old job back if they felt shift shock 

To overcome shift shock, below things can be done:

What employees can do:

• Acceptance: First of all accept that what you are experiencing is normal and others also experience it. Acceptance of something is first step to start making attempts to come out from it. 
• Learn new things and take help: Find suitable training programs to enhance your technical and soft skills. Take trainings in mental wellness. Attend coaching sessions that your employer may offer to help you adjust the company culture. Embrace a mindset of continuous improvement. Be open to learning and adapting to new processes and cultural norms. Take help from other employees who are also undergoing through same mental state and ask them what are the things they are doing to overcome it.  
• Communicate: Have honest conversations with your manager and/or HR about your expectations and any issues you’re facing. Together, you can work on finding solutions or creating an actionable plan to address them.
• Feedback and Surveys: Engage in regular feedback sessions and surveys to express your experiences and concerns. This can help HR to monitor and address any issues related to shift-shock. 
• Give careful thought and consideration before agreeing to take on a new job
• Set clear expectations of what you want during the interview process
• Ask lots of questions – don’t leave things open for interpretation
• Extensively research the employer. Read up about them on Glassdoor, LinkedIn and other sites. 

What employers can do: 

• Avoid trying to sell top candidates on the job – avoid sugarcoating things.
• Write accurate job descriptions – Don’t leave out important details.
• Be upfront and honest about the details of the job during the interview process
• Discuss the challenges of the role.
• Have a strong onboarding process.
• Offer new hires the support and resources they need to be successful.