Until recently I had never worked for a company that respected my time and career growth, so being a lifer seemed like a choice from a bygone era. I now have a

Until recently I had never worked for a company that respected my time and career growth, so being a lifer seemed like a choice from a bygone era. I now have a checklist - the most boxes I can tick, the more likely I am to stick around. 1. The bare minimum is that my salary should keep up with inflation, if my work productivity stays the same and nothing improves at all. Only my most recent employer has passed that test. It sucks to prioritize just compensation that much - but in such a turbulent economy as the one I was born into, I can't afford to support myself and my partner while making less year over year due to the devaluation of the dollar. 2. I want to ideally work 40/hr week. Some overtime is going to happen, after-hours work is going to happen, that's that nature of the work, but it shouldn't be a weekly thing. 3. The company should provide training and both horizontal and vertical movement opportunities. No one wants to stagnate if they care about their skill growth. 4. Decisions the company makes are rooted in logical processes. This one sounds kind of vague, but it's important. I've worked for many companies that changed large parts of the business up just because someone new came in, or the CEO felt a certain way. When the company lays out the reasoning for a change in direction or policy that is rooted in reason and proof, that inspires confidence to me - both in company longevity and in how I'll be treated as an employee. There's nothing I love more than to dedicate myself to my work, but the experiences I've had over my time in the industry thus far have made it a very unwise choice to make until I've spent significant time with an employer and can evaluate these points.