It’s Time to Quit Your Job
If you’ve ever changed jobs, you probably went through some internal struggle to decide if it was really time to go or not. Sometimes a better opportunity comes along and sometimes you’re unhappy, but how do you know if you should work on making your job better or quit? Here are the signs that it might be time to quit your job:
It’s affecting your health
If your job is impacting your health negatively, your job needs to change in some way. Your immediate action should be to assess your job and determine if there’s anything you can change about it or about how you react to your job that might help improve the situation. Oftentimes, implementing boundaries and stress management techniques can make a world of difference. But sometimes, that’s not enough. If your health is suffering because of your job, and you are unable to turn it around, make it your first priority to leave.
You’re bored
When you’re bored at work, time seems to stand still. You probably ask yourself “why am I doing this?” at least once a day, and you feel like you’re surviving, not thriving. Boring jobs have their place, but if all you can think about is how bored you are every day, this is probably no longer the job for you.
There are no growth opportunities
Once you’ve mastered your job, you will inevitably start thinking about “what’s next?” For some people, different assignments, a promotion on their team, or another role in the same company would be a great next step. Realistically, the right growth opportunity for you might not always be available exactly where you are when you’re ready, so it’s necessary to leave to grow.
Your skills are underutilized
You know your skills are top-notch and you’re ready to start working on bigger and more visible assignments, but you’re doing work that really isn’t a great match for your skills. If you’ve expressed this and it’s falling on deaf ears, look for an opportunity that’s a better match for your skills.
The work environment is toxic
Some level of office politics is unavoidable, but if you find yourself in an environment that feels unsafe or hostile, it’s time to re-evaluate your job. Workplace hostility is usually against company codes of conduct and should be reported. If the situation is not resolvable in a way that makes you feel safe and protected, it’s okay to move on (while utilizing any reporting channels available to you).
It’s not what you signed up for
You may have heard an interview is not only an opportunity for a company to get to know you and determine if you’re a good fit, but also, an opportunity for you to interview the company and determine if they are the right fit for you. You might ask all the right questions, get all the right answers, and determine that this is your dream job only to find out a few months or sometimes days or weeks in your dream job is a nightmare. All the great things you were told during your interview process are simply not true. No job is ever going to be 100% as advertised, but if you find out the job you signed up for is wildly different from what you agreed to or want, you should consider if it’s time to move on.
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Quitting your job isn’t the only option to remedy a work situation you are unhappy with, but there are many valid reasons and situations when it’s the best choice.
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