There comes a point in every working person’s life when you look at the mirror before going to work and you feel burned out. You mind starts going at a 100 mph and you start to sum up reason why you don’t want to go to work. You drag your feet when you get there and do what is necessary to get the job done. But at the end of the day while doing your sleeping ritual before heading to bed, you know deep down that you are not happy or not passionate about what you are doing.
The following are some signals are normally a good indication that it’s time to move towards another venture by Jayne Mattson from her article “8 Signs It’s Time to Leave Your Job:
1. Your relationship with your boss changed. For years you’ve had a fabulous working and personal relationship with your boss, but you begin to sense a shift in the organization’s culture and your boss’s leadership. You are being asked to take on more responsibility and do more with fewer resources. The relationship is deteriorating, and you feel like you are losing your support system within the organization.
2. Work and life values are no longer being met. When you were hired, you knew the organization and role were a good fit that met your work and life values. However, with the changes in the organization you’ve noticed you are no longer feeling satisfied with your work. Or maybe the culture shifted, and you are not able to perform at your fullest potential. Ask yourself: If you interviewed at the company today, would you want to work there?
3. You are left out of decision-making meetings. A business decision was made without your input and you don’t agree with the direction. You’re losing influence with upper management and are no longer “in the know.” Your subordinates begin to ask others for input and decisions, which further diminishes your authority.
4. You are not being asked to take on high-visibility assignments. What about me? You begin to notice that your subordinates are now in the spotlight and asked to lead a major project working directly with your manager. Your high-performing team is being broken apart and moved onto other teams to maximize their strengths. Not only are you not being put on highly visible assignments — your team is being broken apart.
5. You are frustrated with the direction of the company and are more vocal than usual.The company is changing its focus, and you do not support the decision. You are becoming more vocal about your disagreement. You are feeling frustrated; your input is not being heard because management is hearing undertones of dissent in your voice, as opposed to the content of what you are saying.
6. You find yourself awake at night with an anxious feeling, replaying conversations. The pressures of work assignments, tight deadlines or disagreements with your manager resulted in not getting a solid night’s sleep. The anxiety over work is increased, and the lack of sleep has prevents you from performing at your best.
7. You are managing the political arena more than performing your job. There are rumors the company may be bought and “every person for himself” seems to be the mode of operation, which doesn’t allow time to do the work. At the end of the week, you have spent more time managing the politics than accomplishing something on your to-do list.
8. You are no longer passionate about your work and dread going to the office each day.Do you wake up in the morning energized and look forward to your day, or do you dread it? If getting out of bed each morning is becoming a challenge, then you need to listen to your instincts and ask yourself, “Why?” We spend a majority our lives working, so don’t ignore the signs that are telling you, “It’s time to move on.” You will find another job in which you look forward to going to work each day.
If you are still not sure, here are some additional tips from Amy Gallo and her article “Is It Time to Quit Your Job?”
- Assess your dissatisfaction. Start by figuring out whether you lack excitement about the bigger picture or the day-to-day activities. You may be able to change the latter but it’s hard to do anything about the former.
- Look at other options. Don’t leave on an emotional whim. Even if you’re unhappy, take time to see what else is out there. Compared to realistic alternatives, maybe your situation isn’t so bad.
- Test your assumptions. Run a few experiments to assess whether your perception is reality. For example, put your hat in the ring the next time your boss has a high-profile piece of work to be done. If you’re overlooked, he might not appreciate your skills and it may be time to move on.
From the words of Hunter Walk in his article “You Are Not Your LDAP: Why Leaving Your Job Doesn’t Mean Losing Your Identity”
“Careers are sets of decisions where you have the chance to emerge from the chrysalis every so often and show the world, show yourself, how you’ve evolved. You are not your org chart, your department budget or your title. Don’t let success at a company prevent you from pursuing scary and wonderful new opportunities to build.”
Source:
http://mashable.com/2013/06/08/leave-your-job/
http://blogs.hbr.org/hmu/2013/01/is-it-time-to-quit-your-job.html
Related articles
- Good boss, bad boss: 2 in 10 say manager hurt career (lifeinc.today.com)
- Eight excellent reasons to hang on to a job you hate (news.efinancialcareers.com)
- 5 Things You Should Be Talking To Your Boss About (iteam212.wordpress.com)
