A certain amount of turmoil, trepidation and week-day morning blues is part of the territory in any job. Usually this is tempered by moments of euphoria, excitement, satisfaction and a general sense of purpose and accomplishment. So how do you know that it is really time to leave a dead-end job and not a momentary slump or burn-out you are experiencing? Below the Middle East's #1 job site Bayt.com outlines10 key factors that indicate it may well be time to move on.
Whether it’s your mental or physical health that is being significantly impaired by the stresses of the job, heed the early warning signs and don’t wait until the symptoms are long-term and severe. Common symptoms include being chronically fatigued, insomnia, poor concentration, inability to focus and chronic headaches, backaches and/or stomach pains.
If you find yourself doing a job that is best suited for two people or more and you have been unable to marshal the resources or support to lighten the workload to a more realistic level, it may well be time to leave before you completely burn-out. This state of affairs may be due to a recent merger or acquisition, cost-cutting activity or simply oversight by your boss; whatever it is, don’t allow yourself to be taken for granted and make sure your boss is made aware of the nature of the burden you are carrying before you call it quits and seek more realistic job responsibilities elsewhere.
It may be that you have allowed your relationship with your old manager to turn irreversibly sour over the years through poor communication skills, laziness, unprofessional conduct, poor judgement or simply an inertia to invest in the relationship. Perhaps a new boss has replaced your old boss and you simply cannot get along with him despite your best efforts or he has made it clear that you do not feature in any of his plans for the department. Needless to say, your future prospects with the firm are largely impaired if your relationship with your manager cannot be salvaged and it is better to leave before you find yourself increasingly marginalized or forced to the door.
Have you lost all interest in your colleagues lately and begun to find yourself left out of team projects, group discussions or even the office grapevine? Do you find it increasingly difficult to get along with your peers and have trouble completing projects or meeting deadlines because of this? Have you lost the respect of your work colleagues through misconduct, poor performance or poor team-playing skills? You may be better off learning from this experience, starting afresh elsewhere and committing to never let the situation repeat itself.
Burning bridges with key clients, as with anyone you work with, is highly inadvisable and may be a very valid reason to leave graciously. If you have acted unprofessionally, unethically or persistently underperformed for a key client or any number of important clients, you may want to spare your firm further embarrassment and leave before the clients do.
The need to be recognized and appreciated by your employer is a key motivational factor and nothing is more demeaning and unsettling than being consistently overlooked for a raise or promotion particularly if your peers and subordinates are rising through the ranks and perhaps even overtaking you in the salary and titles race while your position remains largely static. Make sure you talk the situation through with your boss before making any rash decisions as he may have big plans for you down the line that you are unaware of. If your boss is unresponsive and you see no future growth prospects either in your present job or in other roles within the company, it may well be time to call it a day and seek momentum for your career elsewhere.
When boredom sets in and the job becomes a routine monotonous ordeal with no learning curve left to speak of it is may be time to move to greener pastures. The means and opportunity to explore new challenges and acquire new skills and knowledge is an important aspect of any job, especially if you value your career progression and don’t wish to be pigeon-holed or unfairly pushed to a premature learning glass ceiling. Make sure you have tried to broaden the role, acquire new training and add more challenging tasks and responsibilities before you commit to seeking growth and learning elsewhere.
Has going to work become a matter of grave consternation for you? Do you hyperventilate at the mere thought of reporting to the office and spend the weekend dreading the first day of the week? While every job has its ups and downs, when the job loses all joy and excitement for you and you are confident that this is a chronic not a temporary phenomenon there is very little reason to stay on and suffer.
Corporate scandals abound lately and should be a serious lesson to us all. If you find yourself working for an unethical organisation or asked to do something remotely unethical or that does not fully agree with your own values, standards and beliefs, leave immediately.
If downsizing is around the corner and the company is in a state of sustained and long-term decline, there is no reason to cling steadfastly to a sinking ship. Rescue your career by seeking greener pastures elsewhere.
Whatever your reasons for leaving, don’t under-estimate the impact of this decision on your life and rush into it before thinking through the consequences. Depending on your reason for choosing to leave your job, you may want to consider the following if circumstances and the nature of your situation allow:
In some cases, a speedy exit may be warranted and it would be futile and counterproductive to drag on a bad situation needlessly. Analyze your situation objectively, talk it through with your mentor and significant others and make sure you don’t jeopardize your career by acting too hastily or by declining to act fast enough in response to the writing on the company walls.
