When is it time to quit your job?
It is never an easy decision to make. If you’ve worked hard and invested a lot into your current place of employment it can be hard to decide to move on to something new. If you work with people you really like or if you have made it to a level and place that you feel proud or good about it can be scary to imagine starting over again.
It can also be unsettling to imagine that it might be worse somewhere else. What if you regret leaving and can never find something as good ever again? These are the types of fears that keep people stuck in a place that does not make them happy. I see it all the time. A huge part of my job is helping clients improve their career by seeing when it’s time for them to quit their jobs. Here are a few tips to help you with this life-changing decision.
How to know when it is time to quit your job
Unhappiness: Feelings of constant unhappiness might be a signal that it’s time to quit your job.
The best way to know what job is right or wrong for you is to listen to your feelings. If something feels wrong, it probably is. These feelings might indicate that are certain aspects of your current job that need to be looked at and improved upon. Or these feelings might tell you it’s time to move on.
When something feels right it usually is. If you feel excited, interested, passionate you are on the right path but if you feel bored, depressed or disinterested 80% of the time you are probably not doing the right job for you. Listen to your gut and your heart. Your intuition will never fail you. This is a very simple way to help you make the right choices.
Golden Handcuffs: If you are only staying at your job because of the perks it might be time to move on.
You feel that you want to leave but you can’t because of your large pay cheque, pension, your bonus, the benefits, the stability etc. These “golden handcuffs” keep you at a job that you don’t want to stay at. These incentives are not a good enough reason to stay at your job. Imagine having all of them plus the right job. It’s possible!
Toxic Workplace: If your workplace is toxic you need to leave before it impacts your health and self-esteem.
You might wonder what a toxic workplace looks like. Here are a few signs:
- Gossip
- Health issues and absenteeism among the employees
- A lot of drama
- Your colleagues (or you) feel afraid
- You are chronically stressed and overworked
- Bosses are selfish or disrespectful
- Employees are talking about how much they hate their jobs or looking for new jobs
- You feel bullied, belittled, humiliated, put-down or devalued
- You’ve gone to HR or a manager with an issue and no one can help you
If this describes your job my advice is to run! No job is worth this.
Lack of Career Development: If you are no longer developing in your career why not find a place that will provide this? There is no reason to stay stuck.
If career development is something that is important to you, but you feel bored, like you are not challenging yourself, growing or learning it might be time to quit your job and find one that gives you this. Developing your career is a way to stay engaged and interested in your job and get additional value from it.
It’s time to quit your job if you are not developing, you are unhappy, your workplace is toxic and if the only thing keeping you there is the perks. Trust your gut, its your most reliable compass when you don’t have a map of the future! Need help figuring out what’s next? Check out our post on how to find purpose and fulfillment in your career.
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