Quitting is not failing, it’s identifying when something is not going to work. In Australia we’re encouraged to stick things out through thick and thin. There is a lot to be said for loyalty and perseverance but staying indefinitely in a job you dislike, is ludicrous.
Here are eight (legitimate) signs that it may be time to quit your job:
- Your colleagues ignore you. Do you feel as though you no longer have a voice at your work, and that no one wants to communicate or co-operate with you?
- You clash with your boss. For reasons you can’t seem to explain you can never find common ground with your boss and their vision and yours are in opposite directions.
- You’re anxious about returning to work on Monday. Having the ‘Sunday Blues’ before a new week is one thing, and battling an overwhelming sense of dread every time ‘work’ is mentioned is another.
- You don’t think you’ll be happy there in the long-term. In fact, you’ll be downright disappointed if you find yourself at your job in two years. Ask yourself: Where do you want to be in five years? Is your current situation going to help you get there?
- Are you benefiting from your job? Other than an income, you need to be receiving something more substantial through your work (remembering we spend a third of our lives labouring away). Companies aren’t simply hiring employees anymore, they’re looking for partners that can grow the company – is your partnership with the company a win/win situation?
- Is your company moving in a different direction? It’s very possible to outgrow your job, and your company. If a corporate ladder is like an escalator, where is it going to take you? Dream big, but be realistic about whether you can move up in your company.
- All you can talk about it how you hate your job. Enough said.
- You waste time on social media. You’ll do just about anything to distract yourself from your work environment, then of course, actual work. Procrastination is a vicious cycle of boredom, guilt and failure. There’s a probably a good reason why you can’t get focused.
Remember it is far better to leave a position with a glowing reference before losing the love and departing on a sour note.