Mid-life career crisis is a phenomenon in which many employees find it difficult to adjust their lives according to the current situation and want to change their work processes. to satisfy their needs. Sometimes they succeed in finding and adopting new processes and become a shining example in front of others when many others fail. The HR department of an organization can play a very important role in identifying such employees at the beginning of this crisis and help them overcome the same crisis with the help of counseling and adopting different other processes and tools. This article examines such situations with the help of three different case studies and remedial measures that can help such employees come out of the crisis at the earliest. Say no to plagiarism. Get Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get Original EssayMidlife Crisis: Midlife crisis is a particular period in an individual's life in which he begins to realize, understand and face his/her mortality. The person begins to ask questions such as: what am I doing and why am I doing these things? Depending on the person, this phenomenon can occur between the end of their thirties and the age of 65. This can happen for various reasons. One of the most important reasons may be the feeling of choosing the wrong career in life, not liking the current job, the strong feeling that life is too small and one should try something new. different that pleases him. If these people do not find suitable work to do, it leads to a mid-life crisis in their lives. Often, employees, after spending a few years in the organization in specific roles, discover that they are not cut out for that role. Sometimes they start to wonder why they chose this role. Normally, these things start happening in mid-life. Until now, most employees are expert in their existing roles, but do not want to continue in the same functions, due to too many expectations, repetitive nature of tasks, peer pressure, etc. People have earned enough money and are generally settled. in life. Here they begin to think about alternative roles they would like to play. Sometimes employees like to do other work, but they may not be paid well and therefore are not able to make a decision between their preferences and their existing income. Some employees, confident in themselves, approach HR services with their desire for professional reorientation. Others, who do not have the audacity to speak out, continue with their current work, and by the time they realize that they cannot really continue their work, it is already too late. Their performance at their current job starts to deteriorate and they can't really go anywhere else. Normally, these employees suffer the ax from employers and life becomes too difficult for them. They really don't want to do the work they used to do in another organization, and other organizations are not willing to employ these people in different roles without any experience. The right advice at the right time: Every time an organization hires an employee, it invests in them. Organizations spend money to identify resources with specific skills, who can perform particular tasks, and then train them. All this investment in an employee is expected to pay off, subject to a long career ofthe employee within the organization. We often observe that these senior employees previously had certain skills, but now they are involved in personnel management and have lost their original skills. When some employees start feeling a mid-life crisis, their performance starts to deteriorate and this is the phase where they need professional help or advice. Sometimes it's easier to meet people's expectations and sometimes they're totally different. HR can play a vital role where expectations can be addressed at an organizational level. Sometimes these are just fascinations, and at a certain point, employees suddenly feel like they can take on the roles they dream of. Here HR can clearly tell them that it is impossible to make such a transition and employees need to face reality. Vinit, a senior project manager in one of the reputed IT companies, started getting bored of his day-to-day role. He was an excellent C# and Java coder and wanted to continue coding. With his excellent programming skills and social skills, he climbed the ladder of success very quickly and was considered one of the youngest project managers in the company. Everyone looked after him as a success icon and role model. When Vinit was promoted to senior project manager, his main job was to manage the team of 50 programmers and complete the allocated project work within the stipulated deadline. Vinit didn't like the people management job, but he earned a handsome salary and hence kept quiet. Being a service oriented organization, there was always pressure from the client to get the work done as soon as possible and Vinit's aim was to meet deadlines. Vinit barely did any coding now. He used to find many fixes during code reviews, but he had to ask his teammates to fix the same. He had expressed his problems to management earlier, but management told him that if he wanted to succeed, he would have to accept greater responsibility for managing people rather than that of an individual contributor. Higher expectations from the client and managing 50 people with their different expectations, Vinit got frustrated. He had now lost touch with coding and was an expert in Excel management. Even though he was struggling on both sides, Vinit was trying to push the work forward. Soon the client became dissatisfied as the expected result was not delivered on time. Management contacted Vinit to share the customer's issues. Management told him from the outset that with the type of salary he receives, he could not become an individual contributor. Vinit had lost touch with programming, so he was not confident enough to be able to become a technical architect, which was an important individual contributor position. One day, Vinit became so frustrated that he quit. HR and management then tried to discuss the situation with him and even offered him a role as an individual contributor for a short period, but it was too late. This can be considered one of the examples of mid-level crises. If Vinit and HR had identified what he likes, maybe Vinit would have upgraded his skills at the right time to become a technical architect. Maybe he could have made a little less money, but he would have been happy. I Wasn't Born for This Job: (Eureka Moment in Life) Often people love certain things, but can't make a career out of them for different reasons. In developing countries, parents generally exert pressure on theirchildren to succeed in their careers and corporate jobs, and most children study and work under the burden of these expectations. These people always find their likes suppressed over time and as they settle down in life, they start dreaming of these alternative jobs/wishes. Life becomes difficult for them as they cannot concentrate on existing jobs and cannot get their dream job. If the employee works in a good organization, HR can play a very important role here in understanding the employee's wishes and, if possible, providing limited opportunities within the organization to realize his wishes. Best Company Trainer Suresh started his work as a mechanical engineer in a company. Even though he was good at his day job, he didn't seem satisfied with what he was doing. He was frank and had good teaching skills. He explained concepts very well to his colleagues. After a few years, one day the HR head found Suresh waiting outside his cubicle. HR welcomed him and Suresh told him he no longer wanted to work on the assembly line. He has good communication and teaching skills and wants to explore a career that will help him utilize his skills and give him mental satisfaction. The HR manager asked Suresh to take an MBA course. HR encouraged Suresh by telling him that if he gets a good score, the company will refund his course fees and he can then consider another career within the company itself rather than within the company itself. 'outside. Suresh wanted to do something about his mid-life crisis, but it would have been dangerous for him to quit his job. After completing his MBA, HR started involving Suresh in management meetings. Suresh also started undergoing technical and general training within the company. After a few years, Suresh became an internal trainer in the company for all managerial or technical training. The company saved thousands of rupees by hiring corporate trainers. Here, HR thought about the needs of the employee and hired them at the right time. This benefited the company and Suresh in the long run. Mid-life career crisis due to lack of clarity regarding future career path: We often find that people work on jobs that involve repetitive processes. Although it takes some skill to manage these processes, employees generally adapt very well to the situation. After a while, they start getting bored of their existing job. At the same time, they worry about their future, as they work in jobs based on repetitive processes. Workers especially working in sectors like BPO show these trends. There is a lack of clarity about the future of work. In such scenarios, employees begin to worry and sometimes experience a mid-life career crisis. Nitesh works on a voice-based process in one of the leading BPOs in India. He started his career with the company six years ago. Normally, due to shift turnover and some other reasons, there is a lot of attrition in the company. Nitish has always been loyal to the company and worked for 6 years. He's now a team leader, but he doesn't see many of his peers. Those who joined during his time or later left the company a long time ago. Some of them have successfully chosen different careers and others find it difficult to settle down. Nitesh doesn't know what will happen to him in the next 2-3 years. The companyopened a new voice process in Manila and it is cheaper to do business from there. Nitesh is now increasingly frustrated about his future role and future in the company. This began to affect his health and people would sometimes notice his abnormal behavior. It's time for Nitesh to meet HR and tell them about a) His future in the organization b) The company's future plans in India c) Regular shift work. If the company is transparent with fair HR policies, he should get answers to all his questions without any problem. If certain policies are unclear, for example the company's future plans regarding operations in India, HR should be able to inform Nitesh. At the same time, they should try to convince him of his promising future in the company. If he has health problems due to shift rotation, they should be addressed and, if possible, he should be allowed to work regular shifts. The human resources department became aware of the concerns of one of the longest-serving employees. They thought it was high time to engage everyone in individual or group discussions to clarify the doubts in the minds of the employees. They also started a long career in the company (minimum 5 years) and Nitesh was one of the few to get them. Nitesh is now assured that he has a bright future in the company and is slowly regaining his efficiency at work. Triggers for Midlife Crisis Situations in Employees: Employees of the organization may face a midlife crisis due to the following reasons: Relationship problems: These problems can be personal or professional problems. In case of professional problems, HR can help to some extent. There are situations where people are frustrated because they are alone. They are normally introverted and have hardly any friends. Such cases should be referred to an advisor who can give you the right advice in this case. Children who stay away: Many people are accustomed to the company of their children and are mentally and emotionally attached to them. If children leave home to pursue higher education, it creates a huge void in the person's life and can trigger a mid-life crisis. Such cases should be referred to a counselor. Physical Changes in Employees: People tend to get older with age and their physical appearance begins to change. Their hair turns gray, they become slightly overweight and begin to feel like they have already spent half their lives. They have very few years of active life left and they should try to fulfill all their unfulfilled wishes. This is the main trigger for midlife crisis. Counselors can help calm situations. Elderly or deceased parents: This is an individual problem and may be best handled by a counselor. Dissatisfied with work: This is the area where HR can involve the employee to understand their aspirations. If his aspirations are close to some of the requirements within the organization, he can direct the employee on the right path to achieve these goals. If the employee wants to do something completely different, HR should explain the practical difficulties of carrying out these tasks and clearly inform them that these opportunities may not be available within the organization. The employee can then have a very clear mind and make their own decisions. Engaging employees at the right time is the most important thing. If HR approaches the employee too late, the employee has largely lostmorale and, at that point, corrective action, although possible within the organization, may not work. How to Identify Employees Facing a Midlife Crisis: Employees of the organization may exhibit the following symptoms in a midlife crisis: Change in schedule: Employees suddenly change their work schedule. For example, if they arrive earlier during the morning shift, they suddenly start working during the afternoon shift if the organization's work schedule is flexible. Additionally, they also try to accept new challenges that they may or may not be able to handle. Performance issues: Employees who used to perform very well are suddenly facing problems delivering their work. This is a very good indicator to understand that something is wrong with the employee and perhaps a timely discussion at this stage would help everyone. Irritability, anger: the employee suddenly becomes irritated by small changes/disturbances, which he may normally ignore. circumstances. There are sudden mood swings and the employee may become short-tempered. Sudden increase in alcohol consumption: The employee who used to drink occasionally suddenly starts drinking more. This behavior can be easily noticed by close friends or family members. Depression and Anxiety: The employee is usually in a depressed state of mind. He presents several disorders which can cause nervousness, fear, apprehension. Irrational decisions: Employees may make irrational and hasty decisions. They make such decisions with the fear that they have very little time left to live and that if they do not act quickly, they risk losing some opportunities. Obesity/Change in exercise program: Employees become obese because they do not exercise at all or sometimes there is a noticeable change in their exercise program. For example, a person who goes to the gym in the morning suddenly starts coming in the evening. How employees deal with mid-career crisis: Going through such a situation is not easy for many employees. Those who face the positive side of the crisis may suddenly find their life's purpose and become stars in their next roles, but many are left with a depressed life. They cannot make decisions in life and often lose good jobs. In such cases, support from family members, close friends and loved ones can help them recover from the situation. It is important for older people in the family to help them and explain to them how they have adapted to different life situations. Often, employees face this situation during economic downturns. It becomes very difficult for many employees to adapt to slowing economic cycles and cope with the new realities of life. During economic downturns, these older people are often targeted due to their higher experience and higher salaries. In such cases, it is important for these employees to focus on the next phase of their growth to emerge from the crisis. Steps Companies/HR Departments Can Take to Help Employees in Mid-Career Crisis: Here are some of the steps companies can take to help employees in mid-career crisis: Help employees to focus on their future career path: In some cases, where employees are uncomfortable because they are unsure of their future role in the company, HR can take a proactive approach to help.