The Point of No Return: When Is It Time to Quit Your Job
How often have you asked yourself: “How do I know it’s time to quit my job?” Well, the fact that you’re contemplating it might be the first signal. Before I did what I’m doing now, I had a regular 9-to-5 job just like everyone else. I used to be an HR manager for an IT company. So just a regular Joe. Let me tell you something, quitting that job was the best thing that ever happened to me. I realized I wasn’t happy with my career path and figured out it was time to leave and find a new job.
Now, this article isn’t about convincing you to leave your job. There are many side effects of quitting. The instability that comes with sudden unemployment is something we all dread. That’s why most people go through the motions every day. Their unhappy work situation can negatively impact their health and emotional state. Additionally, I’m not suggesting you leave your job and start something completely new as I did. You might just be looking for a better work environment or a more agreeable work-life balance. If you’ve begun your job search process on time, you shouldn’t fear making the change.
As I’ve mentioned, I’m not going to try and convince you to quit. This article will simply help you spot the signs it’s time to quit your job, if there are any. I’ve chosen six most common factors that I’ve noticed in my previous engagement.
Toxic Work Environment
This one is highly important and one you can gauge only once you’ve been at the company for several months. When you’re applying, there’s no chance of knowing the culture as what you get is basically a real-life Instagram profile of only the best moments.
When you work in a toxic environment, your job responsibilities and passion don’t really matter. You can have your dream job, but if it’s agonizing to work with your coworkers, it will be meaningless. Sometimes, an unpleasant situation can be a one-off, but it can also be the company’s culture. For instance, if you notice managers and the boss are too negative, punitive, and dishonest, you shouldn’t be working there.
Even if everything’s fine on your end, you can notice a toxic environment on your colleagues’. Have you ever witnessed a manager publicly shame someone? If it happened to others and not to you, it’s only a matter of time it gets to you. It’s important to differentiate constructive criticism from negativity and mistreatment. If you spot any of the above in your office, it’s a sign it’s time to move on.
You’ve Reached a Plateau
Many employees often feel like they can’t break the glass ceiling. They’re just stuck in the same position with no opportunities for growth or scarce ones that always seem to go to someone else. You shouldn’t be at a company where you feel like you’re not improving. Any job, financial benefit aside, should be about career development, not doing the same thing over and over again.
I’m not talking about vertical advancement within the organization. It can be anything, from starting a different project to getting different assignments and being mentored by senior managers. If the company doesn’t offer you an opportunity for professional growth, you’ll be the one to suffer from it in the long term. Before quitting, you should always talk with your boss and see if they’re willing to help you grow. If not, it’s time to hop on LinkedIn.
No Communication
Employee engagement is crucial to their happiness in the workplace. However, a lot of companies simply fail to realize that. No communication usually goes hand in hand with a toxic and oppressive environment.
Lack of communication can start from little things, like not saying hello in the hall. Yes, this is completely trivial, but being nice to one another adds to a healthy relationship within the firm. However, the biggest problem is when you notice managers tend to ridicule your colleagues when they suggest something different to bosses’ ideas. This often results in employees fearing to speak frankly (or speak at all) out of fear of ridicule and retaliation. If you feel like you’re afraid to get your ideas across, that lack of confidence can be damaging to your mental health. Just leave and try to find a more supportive leader.
RELATED: Workplace Conflicts? 4 Tips to Improve Communication
Pay Issues
Issues with your salary is a big one. Sure, we all want to be happy with the jobs we have, and we want to do what we like doing. However, the bottom line is, every single one of us goes to work because of the paycheck. When there are persistent problems with it, that’s no good.
To many of us, a paycheck isn’t just a financial benefit — it’s also the way our companies recognize and reward our skillset. If you’re not getting the pay you think you deserve, and the boss is not willing to talk about a raise, you should probably be on your way. Of course, money shouldn’t be your sole reason. Studies show that people, when changing jobs, end up with an average of 15% increase in pay.
Another form of pay issues is when there’s tardiness. Everybody can tolerate when this happens once or twice. However, when your wage is repeatedly late, this is a sign of instability within the company. Why would you want to work at an unstable firm?
Health and Personal Life Are Suffering
This is obviously the number one reason why you should quit your job. You don’t want the negativity and unhappiness that goes on in your office to spill over into your private life. If you bring that negativity home, it can impact your relationship with your loved ones.
A stressful job can affect your well-being as well. If you start noticing you’re taking too many sick leaves, and you feel like your days off are way too few, it’s time to realize you’re unhappy. This can result in several health issues, which you can avoid by putting in the two weeks’ notice. Go for it!
There Are More Days You’d Rather Not Go to Work
This is a sign when you should trust your body and your mental health. You may not have a toxic boss; you may have a job you like with a rewarding salary. So there might not be a clear reason to quit. However, something still feels off. Your general happiness is not where you want it to be, and your days are becoming a nightmare.
If you go to sleep feeling depressed about having to work the next day, if you wake up hating the fact you have to work for the next eight hours, that job is not for you. Trust your feelings on this one and get a new job before you become apathetic towards your current one.