My wife was recently downsized after 8 years as a Senior Manager (Clinician in the health insurance industry). The company is giving a decent transition plan with a 2 month stair step down to her last day and a healthy severance package, so it's giving her a chance to explore a lot of options.

Seeing how many other new options there are for her have sparked my interest in looking too. My current position (Sr Ops Mgr for a corporate global remote CX workforce) is fine…I'm fully remote with a decent salary. But there are things I don't like about my existing leadership and basic inefficient SOPs that are likely not going to change. I'm in my fourth year with this company after doing 15 years in nonprofit management, 10 of which was with the same NPO.

In my previous career I saw that they industry relied heavily on your passion for the cause and compensation ceilings were firmly in place because of it. Part of my decision to leave the NPO world was so that I could have the freedom to walk away for a better paying position if it came along. But I still have this tug to stay loyal to my current employer (whoever that may be). My wife's situation is reminding me that nobody is indispensable.

So what says the board? How much loyalty do you give to your employer, and how quickly do you look for new opportunities?

i learned this painful lesson recently.

Was at the same company in 5 different roles over 14 years and they tossed me to the curb as soon as the market got bumpy.

I guess the good news is I learned my lesson and will be more proactive going forward.

I've interviewed people that have changed jobs because they feared they were going to lose their job due to the market. If fear is what is driving you, then you should consider that not everything is in your control.

This is not my modus operandi and I have been laid off before only to find something better. The notion of looking for something better is really a part of a personal journey. And I certainly don't judge anyone who has a certain way of thinking because sometimes life dictates a career/job change and vice versa.

Edit to add: The search for a better job will follow as soon as my company's/group's business practices do not align with mine. I do not believe in loyalty (unless it's a small business) for the company or the worker.

How often? Weekly at a minimum. I count asking other contractors about the ever present rumor mill in O&G of who is working, who is hiring, who is adding /subtracting work, who the game makers are etc....

As soon as it sounds like things are about to hit the fan at my company, I start looking. I've gotten pretty good at being able to anticipate when layoffs are coming: hiring freezes, budget cuts, closed door meetings, rumors start to heat up etc.