Top 5 Signs You Should Quit Your Job

For several decades, it was normal to hear that someone would stay at a company for their entire career. An employee that stayed with an employer for more than 20 years was not uncommon. Now a day, we have seen a definite shift in the movement of employees from one job to the next. Some may point to a lack of loyalty from both the employer and the employee, and yet others may say that the online age has created more opportunity and aggressive recruiting. Regardless of the root cause of this phenomenon, it cannot be argued that most employees will change several jobs in their lifetime. However, many people may be afraid or fearful to leave their current position even when all of the warning signs are present. Here are the top 5 signs you should leave your job.

1) You Hate Going to Work

You may think this would be an obvious statement but you would be shocked at the number of people that I have encountered that continue to go to their job but dreading going there every day. When I worked at a coffee shop for several years serving customers, I would hear the groans about the "Monday blues" and how Wednesday was "hump day". I never understood this attitude because I was fortunate enough to work at a job that I loved and the people always made it a great experience. One of the best words of wisdom I had from a mentor was to always find a job where you enjoyed the people and purpose almost above all things. If you find yourself hating the company and going into work, it's a very good sign you should start looking elsewhere. A constant complaint that I have heard when doing career consulting is that the person loves the people they work with but hate their boss or the company. Once again, if the direction, purpose or integrity of the company does not match your beliefs or values, it is a good sign that it is time to leave.

2) You Don't Respect Your Boss or They Don't Respect You

We've all had times when we have disagreed with our bosses. One of the best bosses I have ever had was probably one that I argued with the most. There were times where we would be so upset at each other, I felt I would quit on the spot several times and likewise, he probably wanted to fire me several times. However, at the end of the day, I knew that he was just pushing me to be a better leader and to stretch me. When he asked me to take a promotion, I was shocked but he let me know that he respected me and thought I would be the best person for the job. Funny thing is that during this entire time, I never spoke bad about him even though I was upset at him. There is a clear distinction between liking and respecting your leader. Respect allows for disagreements, differences of opinions and frustration but the recipient will always feel like they have a voice in the matter. Disrespect occurs when one gets shut down and believes that they have no say in any issue and are constantly made to feel as though they are lower than someone else.

3) You Find Yourself Searching for Jobs Constantly

Looking for another job or position in a company is completely normal. Everyone gets the urge to "see what is out there" and even go for an interview now and then. In fact, I have told all of the managers that have worked for me in the past to go and interview with another company 2 times per year. The reason for asking them to do this was to get a sense of what other companies were offering, make sure that they were keeping their interview skills relevant and lastly to ensure that they were pushing themselves to be better. If another company was going to pay them more and give them a better opportunity, I wanted to have them take it. However, if you find yourself constantly doing this and searching more than a couple of times per month, it may be a good time to get some help from a recruiter or career consultant so that you can leave your job quicker. One woman that I helped out recently was struggling with this very problem. One of the exercises I had her adopt was to focus her career path and strategically apply for 2 jobs/week rather than doing blanket resume applications. Sure enough, she was able to find another job that suited her better and currently loves her new position!

4) You are Envious When Others Leave

Most of us will be happy when we hear of a fellow peer or employee that has accepted a position at another job or company. If we are honest with ourselves, we have all had times when we have felt a bit envious as well. Perhaps we've been in a position for a long time and we may have even outperformed this certain individual only to find that they have "passed" us on the career ladder. Be careful with this sign as it may lead to potential bitterness in your performance and I have witnessed some great employees hit a slump because of this. Remember that you are not entitled to anything and that no one is stopping you from leaving yourself. The best thing to do when you see this sign is to either realize you want to stay and will do your best or to leave yourself.

5) You Experience Issues Away from Work

The greatest sign you should leave your job is that you experience issues away from your workplace. Perhaps you are not sleeping well, are showing increasing signs of stress that is beginning to affect your health, your family and your social life. When work becomes so engulfing that it takes away from these important aspects of life, it is time to walk away. One of the most courageous friends that I know is a longtime friend that studied hard to become a lawyer. She was very successful in her practice and was very good at her job but she had lost an immense amount of weight and dealt with so many stressful aspects of her career. One day, she let me know that she quit her field completely. Today, she is creating furniture and working at other jobs and is amazing at both! She smiles constantly and is a different person! I know that financial obligations and pressures contribute to people having a hard time with being able to leave but ask yourself if you lose your health, family, faith and friends, what profit have you really made? When a palliative nurse recorded the top 5 regrets of the dying, she listed them as:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.

2. I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.

3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.

4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.

5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

Perhaps you have been or know someone that has been contemplating leaving their role. See if these signs exist and if most of them do, it is probably a good sign it is time to take the next step. Please comment and share as I would love to hear any stories or thoughts as we navigate through this journey together!