What you need to know about career restlessness.

It is Sunday night, and you can't wait for Monday morning. Only one more sleep until work begins anew. Is this the story of your life?

There has been some new research published recently in The Harvard Business Review about the “mid-professional”. Mid-professionals – otherwise known as professionals between the ages of 35 and 54 - make up more than one half of the workforce. One in four members of this group are in managerial or supervisory roles. Harris Interactive polled more than 7,700 mid-professionals and discovered the following:

30% put in more than 50 hours a week

43% are passionate about their jobs

33% feel energized by their work

36% feel they are at a plateau

40% report feelings of burnout

A 2005 conference board survey showed the largest decline in job satisfaction over the past 10 years occurred in workers between the ages of 35 and 44, followed closely by those in the 45 to 54 age group. There is a new term associated with this - Middlescence - also known as career restlessness.

The key issue discovered in this research was that the problem is largely invisible. Employers view these employees as good corporate citizens and don't really see the issue. It is a unique phase, as both personally and professionally you have a lot more at stake. It is most likely the most complex phase of your work and life.

The good news is if you find yourself in this situation, there are some actions you can take. We will be discussing those actions over the next couple of issues. Be encouraged - you CAN change this!