Speaker 1: Hi, this is our Ask Me Anything segment where we
Speaker 1: tackle a question you have sent us. Our listener quaint
Speaker 1: sent one to us and we're going to talk about it.
Speaker 1: He's in a close knit team of about 15 people
Speaker 1: and they're in the banking sector. One of the senior
Speaker 1: managers came across an opportunity in a competing firm and
Speaker 1: has floated the idea to 5 people in the team,
Speaker 1: including Queen.
Speaker 1: Now no one has a non-compete or a non-solicitation clause
Speaker 1: in their contract, but they're concerned about the fallout when
Speaker 1: they announced their resignation. Before we could record this AMA,
Speaker 1: Quin wrote back to me that one of the directors
Speaker 1: that he wants to work with pulled out saying that
Speaker 1: he prefers the stability of the current job but may
Speaker 1: move in 9 months' time. Quinn is not sure what
Speaker 1: to do now. Should he move? And if he does,
Speaker 1: will this mass exodus look bad for all of them.
Speaker 2: I think Tiffany, this is a very interesting situation. 15
Speaker 2: people are moving
Speaker 1: together. Yeah, 15 people in the team, but about 5
Speaker 1: people are going to move, so a third of them
Speaker 1: are going
Speaker 1: to move.
Speaker 2: So it's like the first
Speaker 1: batch, batch. Who knows, there may
Speaker 2: be
Speaker 1: more.
Speaker 2: I think just based on this situation, right, my suspicion
Speaker 2: is Quinn may be seeing things from perhaps a rose.
Speaker 2: The lens of a happy family working together, but I
Speaker 2: think in reality it really doesn't work that way. Yeah.
Speaker 2: Usually most of big groups of people moving across competing firms,
Speaker 2: they don't really happen. When they break it up into
Speaker 2: like batches of the 1st 5, sometimes there's a reason
Speaker 2: why they break you into the batches, right? Certain things
Speaker 2: are maybe
Speaker 2: The first group of people are the ones that they really,
Speaker 2: really want, and then after that, things may
Speaker 2: change.
Speaker 1: It's like nice to have, but then I feel bad
Speaker 1: that we didn't bring you across. So we kind of
Speaker 1: floated the idea
Speaker 1: as well.
Speaker 2: Yeah, so that's what I mean by the rose-tinted lenses.
Speaker 2: Usually the higher, maybe they prefer certain employees and then
Speaker 2: they want them to come as the first batch. The
Speaker 2: rest is like see how. I think also when such
Speaker 2: moves are being discussed, right, it's not just the demand
Speaker 2: side that may change, but it's also even on the
Speaker 2: employee side, the supply side, the supply side.
Speaker 2: In different life stages, different tenure in the company. Some
Speaker 2: of them might feel that, OK, if some people in
Speaker 2: my team move on, I have opportunities. Oh yes, that's true.
Speaker 2: If I stay on, the loyalty may be rewarded. I'm
Speaker 2: be able to progress further, there's a gap, you see.
Speaker 2: So it's not realistic to say everybody will move together
Speaker 2: for the same
Speaker 2: thing.
Speaker 1: I think the sound of it at the start sounds
Speaker 1: very good because it sounds like very spartan moment, like
Speaker 1: we are going to go and then everybody is like, move,
Speaker 1: judge that kind of stuff, but you're right.
Speaker 1: Because there might be people who are, let's say parents
Speaker 1: or who have loans and they might go, you know,
Speaker 1: I would prefer the stability, like one of the directors
Speaker 1: that he mentioned, right, would prefer the stability. And I
Speaker 1: think when he said I might move in 9 months' time,
Speaker 1: I think that person is also sussing out because what
Speaker 1: if things change within the current company if he gets
Speaker 1: a promotion like you say, he might not move or
Speaker 1: if the company decides, OK, this is not very, yeah,
Speaker 1: there's not double bootload, we are not going to increase headcount,
Speaker 1: then maybe he will move. But whatever is the case.
Speaker 1: There are people who want the stability. They don't really
Speaker 1: want the lure of going to something that is new,
Speaker 1: something that pays well now, because they want something that
Speaker 1: it's like bird in hand, right? You have the bird
Speaker 1: in hand. Why do I want to shake my own foundation.
Speaker 1: So you're right, I think maybe what Quin can do
Speaker 1: is to think where is he at at this point
Speaker 1: in his career. Does he need the stability or
Speaker 1: Does he want to try something different? So move not
Speaker 1: because it's like a spartan moment, but you know, do
Speaker 1: it because he wants to. I mean, would you say
Speaker 1: that would be your advice as a career counselor?
Speaker 2: Exactly. I think when we take ownership of our own career,
Speaker 2: we think for ourselves and not just rely on other
Speaker 2: people and what they are doing. It puts the ownership
Speaker 2: of career into our own hands and we are more
Speaker 2: convinced and convicted, committed towards how we want our career
Speaker 2: to move forward. I mean, just imagine, right, if today
Speaker 2: Quin makes a move across and then he realizes that
Speaker 2: actually the grass is not greener on the other side.
Speaker 2: Then where do you put that blame? Do you blame
Speaker 2: that because everybody went, so that's why I also followed
Speaker 2: on and it's not working out for me, but it's
Speaker 2: working out for everybody else. I think it's important to
Speaker 2: think for yourself so that you have the ownership.
Speaker 2: Good thing is work relationships can progress into friendships outside
Speaker 2: of work. So the relationships that Queen, you built up
Speaker 2: with your 14 other people on the team, it will
Speaker 2: last past the companies that you are in, no matter
Speaker 2: where you are at. So continue to build that into
Speaker 2: a friendship, perhaps then you won't miss them that much.
Speaker 1: Yeah, exactly.
Speaker 1: Now, Quaint, I hope our conversation has given you some
Speaker 1: clarity on what to do. Let us know what you decide.
Speaker 1: We're really very curious. If like Quint you have a
Speaker 1: work-related question, do write into us. We're at CNA podcasts
Speaker 1: at Medcorp.com.sg. You can also find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts,
Speaker 1: and YouTube.
Speaker 1: The team behind the Work It podcast is Christina Robert,
Speaker 1: Joan Chan, Juani Johari and Sai Ye Win. Sound mixing
Speaker 1: by Carrie Lim, video by Hanida Amin. I'm Gry and
Speaker 1: I'm Tiffany. Here's wishing you a good work week ahead.