Brits Are Recession Proofing By 'Career Committing': Here's How To Do It

Quiet quitting was the work trend that took over 2022, and this year it’s ‘career committing’. Career committing refers to employees investing in their careers despite facing economic uncertainty – they’re learning new skills and taking on new challenges in order to succeed and prevail in their careers.

Since the pandemic, British professionals have built up a bank of resilience. Half of Brits say they are confident in securing a new role and 90% are confident in their current role, according to new research from Linkedin. 

Additionally, 56% of UK employees have made positive changes at work in response to economic turbulence, including proactively taking on new projects, networking more, and making more of an effort with colleagues.

Now, more professionals understand their value in a tight labour market. The demand for higher salaries remains the biggest motivator for employees wanting to leave a current role and an increase in salary is the biggest factor that would influence them to stay.

This may lead to some challenging conversations this year as nearly two-thirds of UK bosses have said they are not offering a pay rise to help with the rising cost of living crisis. 

However, this research highlights that employees are keen to be in the driving seat of their own careers, and have the confidence to do so. “It’s great to see that many professionals are optimistic about new career opportunities in 2023 and that LinkedIn’s data show that for the UK workforce ‘Career Committing’ is top of the agenda,” Helen Tupper, co-host of the Squiggly Careers podcast, Author and CEO of Amazing If, says.

Tupper has provided four tips for anyone looking to career commit in 2023:

Small successes

“If you’ve lost your spark for work, then focusing on your small successes is a great way to reignite your passion. End each day by writing down one thing you’ve done well that day. Keep this up for a week and you’ll create a bank of successes that will be a source of motivation for you.” 

Learn forward

“If you’re not doing a role you love and it feels like you want to move on, then refocus on learning forward. Look at the skills and knowledge you need for what you want to do next and read. You can use LinkedIn Learning courses that help you move towards your goals. This action will give you energy and put you in a more positive position for the future roles you’re interested in, as well as widening your current repertoire.”

Create connection

“We find more meaning and motivation in our work when we have a sense of community in our career. Look to your LinkedIn professional network to find people, and groups, that are passionate about things you are passionate about. Commit to one new connection and one new conversation over the next month to focus your efforts into action.”

Strengths solve

“When you’re looking at new roles, consider how your strengths could solve some of the potential problems that a team or organisation might be experiencing. For example, if an organisation has new competitors, perhaps your creative thinking strength could help the product team come up with new services. Or if a team is facing cost challenges, you could discuss how your strength in negotiating could support them to achieve their objectives. By sharing how your strengths can help, you’re much more likely to be seen as someone they might need to know.”