We’ve all struggled with our motivation to go to work from time to time. It’s common to quit a job because of a difficult boss, unhealthy office culture, or simply because you don’t find the job fit you any more.
You’d think a job that makes us feel awful would be easy to leave, but for many of us it’s not the case. Either we feel it’s impossible to find something better, or we worry that if we leave, we’ll end up in a worse position than we’re in now. Here’s what I’ve learned: no job is ever worth your health. In fact, nothing is! Yet our need for financial survival constantly gets the best of us. It’s time to start doing what it takes to get a grip on your well-being.
What should you be on the lookout for in terms of warning signs?
Signs You Should Quit Your Job
Here’re 24 signs you should quit your job immediately:
1. You Dread Going to Work in the Morning
If you dread going to work for an extended period, you’ll undoubtedly consider resigning sooner or later.
Although you may fantasize about quitting your job, coping with the decision in real life can be stressful, as you must choose between feeling trapped in your current position and risking the unknowns of resigning. So, how do you know when it’s time to make a change?
- Stress or worry is having a negative impact on your health or personal life
- You can’t relax, and stress follows you into the nights, weekends, and even vacations
- You begin to wish you were sick or in an accident so you wouldn’t have to go to work that day.
- You’ve stopped caring about how well you do your job and are regularly sidetracked from your duties
- To numb the pain, you indulge in bad anesthetic behaviors such as drinking, eating junk food, or watching TV
- You’re not sure why you’re still working there
- You’re working in a hostile or harmful atmosphere
2. You Have Absolutely No Interest in the Work You’re Doing
Your grumbles and eye rolls at work may be an indication that something is wrong. That wrong is just your lack of interest in the job you joined for experience or money.
These two factors drive you to take up a job, but your interest in your job affects your decision to leave or stay in the long run.
If you repeatedly think, “ugh, I can’t believe I have to do this,” every time you sit down at your computer for weeks or months at a time, you should consider exploring your options for new employment.
3. Your Job Is So Routine, It’s Become Boring
Many of us work the same job every day of our lives. There may be a better job out there for you if you’re not enjoying your current position.
Request a promotion or hunt for another job if you’ve outgrown your current role and feel stuck in your current firm. Otherwise, you’re limiting your own growth possibilities.
4. You Feel Stuck
Your current employment may be harming your interests if you don’t see a way to develop your career. It’s one of the signs you have to quit your job if it doesn’t provide you with enough opportunity to either demonstrate your talent or improve as a professional.
This problem has three sides to it.
The first is that your employer does not allow you to put your skills to use. People tend to forget about this, at least at first, if the money is good.
Second, it’s terrible news for your career if the corporation has decided to discontinue the project you were working on and is not providing you with any new crucial duties.
Finally, if the system does not provide opportunities for upskilling or reskilling, your abilities will become obsolete over time.
Either get involved in the relevant projects or invest in training to solve these problems. It’s time to look for new employment if your current one doesn’t encourage these. Remember that stagnation is the absence of growth.
5. You’re Concerned About the Financial Stability of Your Company
Get out while you still can if you don’t know where your firm will be in a year. Even if you are a newcomer in said company, judging its financial fate and getting fearful results is among the signs you should quit your new job.
Your company may be hurriedly shrinking, losing a lot of money, or sinking the entire industry. Start looking for a new job in a more solid organization if you observe the warning signs.
6. You’re Not “You” Anymore
You may become irritable if you’re always under stress at work. Despite what you may believe, this does not happen to everyone. Workplace stress does not induce temper tantrums in everyone.
Impatience may be a problem for you, and you may be aware of it. Inappropriately raising your voice at your subordinates or colleagues can backfire. Small irritations might make you angry.
Your job can have a profound effect on your character. As a result of the tension and exhaustion it causes, you’ll be exhausted in other areas of your life. Soon, your family and friends will realize that you’re becoming a different person.
You know you’ve hit rock bottom when you start hearing “you used to be…” statements.
You’ll hear things like, “You used to be humorous,” or “You used to be so vivacious” from those who know you well. This is one of the strongest signs that your job is not right for you.
7. You’re Noticing Physical Changes Because of the Stress
Stress has a physical manifestation. You’ve assimilated it when it manifests itself in your heart rate and bodily well-being.
The physical impacts of stress can sneak upon us, and when you’re sick, the stress of looking for a new job or endangering your health insurance is probably the last thing on your mind.
When the cost is too severe, such as a significant impact on your physical or mental health, which further affects your relationships and home life, it is good to shift occupations.
It could be as simple as your asthma getting worse because you work in a polluted city or a chemical company. Weight gain, lack of sleep, and everyday sickness are sometimes the result of your commute and desk work.
When you feel intense anxiety or despair and unexplained headaches and ailments during the workday, know that work stress is harming your mental health. Don’t wait for more signs; you should quit your job immediately!
8. Your Boss Needs an Exorcism
There will be times when you and your boss disagree, but when matters go beyond minor disputes, and there is a lack of trust and support, productivity and career advancement might suffer.
When you sense like you have to watch what you mean to say carefully, you feel like you’re always being reprimanded or scrutinized, feeling like you’re constantly under a microscope. When you feel like your employer doesn’t have your back, there’s no trust; it will not work.
See if you can mend fences with your manager first before you decide to leave. By expressing your displeasure with their treatment of you, they may take your advice to heart and do better in the future.
However, this isn’t always going to work. No improvement after such discussions is among the signs you need to quit your job. It’s up to you to decide if the relationship can be saved or if it’s best to end it.
Even if you decide to leave your current job, it’s a bad idea to burn bridges with your coworkers because your future employers will see it as a bad sign.
9. You’ve Entered a Spiral of Negativity
Negativity may come through your thought process by looking at everything that’s happening around you. A workplace filled with negativity can hurt your physical well-being. Workplace stress and toxicity can deplete your energy and lead to burnout.
Again, we’ve all felt this way at times when we’ve had a really busy work period. However, if there is no end in sight, or if you are experiencing more anxiety due to a difficult job scenario, you should seek help elsewhere.
Being undervalued is among other signs you need to quit your job. Although being grossly underpaid can be a concern, “undervalued” does not solely apply to money.
Instead, being undervalued is a problem if your achievements aren’t acknowledged or if your continuous effort isn’t respected. Your supervisor and coworkers should consider you as an important member of the team, and they should praise you when you do good work.
If you’ve been underappreciated for a long time, you’ve earned the right to hunt for a job where you’ll be valued.
10. You Have No Time for Yourself
How many of you have heard of the American CEO who quit working after his daughter told him about the milestones he’d missed while working?
Everyone is concerned about striking a healthy work-life balance. Work-life balance is important if you’ve been neglecting your family since you’re working 90 hours a week. If this is the case, it is one of the signs you should quit your job immediately.
11. You Feel Like an Outcast
Do you constantly appear to be the last to hear about what’s going on at work?
If you’re left out of meetings, rarely receive face time with high management, and have never heard of the major project that everyone else is so enthusiastic about, your superiors may perceive you as nothing more than a body filling a desk.
Isn’t that one of the signs you need to quit your job now? That’s awful news for your job, and it could be time to move on.
12. Time Isn’t on Your Side
Depending on how much your mother wants grandkids, you’ve probably already started to feel some pressure about your biological clock. But have you ever considered the ticking clock of your professional career?
Allow me to be clear: it is never too late to change careers. Some people spend decades trying out several careers before finding the one suitable for them. On the other hand, staying in unfulfilling work is a waste of time. Period.
13. You’ve Got a Wandering Eye
You have a roving gaze.
When one of the parties begins to look into other choices, it is one of the most telling signals that the relationship is finished. It’s time to admit that you and your job aren’t meant to be.
If you get excited when you hear about your friends’ employment or find yourself daydreaming about a completely new field, it’s time to admit the truth: you and your job aren’t meant to be.
14. You Have an Unhealthy Obsession With Checking Your Email
This hints that you’re always looking for a new way to pass the time. You are not focusing on the subject at hand if you constantly check your email, Facebook, or other social media. You should look for a career that you are passionate about to stay focused.
15. You Constantly Disagree With Coworkers
Is everything your employees say to you incorrect? Do you have to work with the most obnoxious and unreasonable people? They could be thinking the same thing about you!
If this is the case, you should start looking for another job. You might want to look for a job where you can work with like-minded people, or where a diversity of opinions is encouraged.
16. You Daydream a Lot
Suppose you’re always pondering, “What if?” you should consider quitting your work. You don’t want to wake up in 50 years and wonder if your life may have turned out differently or even better.
You should investigate these dreams to see what they signify to you and what path you wish to take in life.
17. Mondays Are Your Least Favorite Day of the Week
If it’s Sunday night and you’re dreading going to bed, it’s most likely because you don’t want to go to work the next day. Work doesn’t have to be something you adore, but it shouldn’t be something you dread every Monday. You should be looking forward to the coming week at least a little bit.
18. You’ve Got Something Better Planned
Do you have a better job lined up than your current one? If you do, you might want to take the risk of quitting your career and making that new opportunity your full-time role.
19. Your Gut Says Otherwise
Always trust your instincts, especially if you begin to feel uneasy or nauseous when you consider having to go to work. It isn’t a poor dinner if your stomach turns sick. It’s your nerves alerting you that something is truly wrong, and the tension is wearing you down.
20. You No Longer Smile at Work
Consider the last time something positive happened at work that made you happy. Are you running out of time? That is an issue. Work isn’t always enjoyable, but you should appreciate your coworkers and be satisfied with your work.
21. You Procrastinate a Lot
Remember how you used to put off doing your schoolwork until “later” because you didn’t want to? On the other hand, work can occasionally resemble a grown-up version of homework.
You should be enthused and energetic about doing your task rather than always looking for methods to escape it.
22. You Have the Impression That It Brings Out the Worst in You
You may have felt nervous, unsure, and anxious when you first started (we all do), but that’s nothing compared to what you’re going through. Any doubts about your talents are amplified; you feel like an imposter, you’re ragged, strained, and anxious, and you become enraged at the situation.
23. You’ve Been Informed Its Time to Move On
Those close to you have probably already realized that the employment isn’t right for you. They can be useful reference points at times, especially if you’re undecided about what to do next. Those in your circle might be objective because they are on the outside.
24. You Feel Compelled to Stay
Perhaps you’ve recently received a promotion, a buddy recommended you for the position, or you have a fantastic boss who has spent a lot of time and effort tailoring the role to your abilities. The thought of leaving now feels, well, wrong.
Conclusion
Quitting your employment is merely one component of a larger solution. You should also invest in training and education to improve your work prospects.
Upskilling and reskilling are required not just to find the perfect work but also to land one with the correct title, pay, and benefits.
