It’s easy to convince yourself into staying in a job that isn’t right for you. There may be benefits to your job such as good pay or a sense of confidence in what you’re doing, but these may not outweigh the negatives. To help you determine whether you should quit your job, here are seven warning signs to look out for – if any one of them rings true, it could be time to go and find a better job.
Your job is damaging your health
No job is worth your health. Whilst some occupations have more health risks than others, a good employer will put in place protective measures to reduce the risk of harm. This could include wearing earplugs to prevent hearing loss from noise exposure or being trained to lift objects in a certain way. If these measures aren’t in place, and as a result, your health has been damaged, it could be time to quit and possibly sue your employer.
There may be other times when you’ve got ill or injured as a result of non-work related habits such as developing breathing difficulty from smoking or developing weight gain from an unhealthy diet. In some cases, such health problems could stop you from doing your job efficiently – and attempting to continue work may aggravate problems. This is another clear instance where you may have to quit (although an employer may force you to quit and pay you for it in some instances).
Of course, there are less obvious health dangers which can be just as much of a reason to leave a job. Chronic stress caused by a job could be negatively affecting your physical and mental health – on top of contributing to high blood pressure and heart disease, it could be making you depressed. There may be ways to relieve stress in your job, but if this is not possible and you are feeling utterly worn down, it could be time to find a less stressful job.
There’s shady stuff going on
If you’ve noticed unfair or illegal activities going on within the company you work for, this could be another reason to leave.
It’s possible that you may be the victim – you may not be receiving work benefits that you’re legally entitled to or you may be getting discriminated against. If you have tried reasoning with your employer and this has not worked, you should leave and possibly considering hiring an employment attorney to take legal action against the employer. It could even be possible that other employees are receiving the same treatment, and this could be worth noting authorities of.
Alternatively, the shady activity could be being directed at customers or at other third parties and you may not feel comfortable being a part of it. This could include lying to customers, not declaring tax or supporting controversial causes/clients. Whatever the case may be, if you don’t agree with the activity that is going on, you shouldn’t have to put up with it and it could be a good reason to leave.
You hate your colleagues
Quitting because you don’t get on with your colleagues may seem petty, but it is important. You spend a lot of time with your colleagues and not getting on with them could make your time at work miserable, especially if they’re making no attempt to get along with you.
It could be worth putting up with the odd difficult colleague, however, you should have to put up with an entire team of employees of whom you dislike. Certain issues like bullying or harassment may be able to be solved by talking to your employer (unless it’s the boss who is the problem). There are also HR support networks and counseling services for employees who may be dealing with issues like workplace bullying.
The pay is too low
Low pay can be another worthy reason to leave. It’s possible that you may enjoy your job enough to put up with the low pay, but if you know in yourself that you could be earning more (possibly even doing the exact same job) then you should consider looking elsewhere.
It’s not always easy to find a well-paid job – especially if you’ve got little experience and education behind you – and you should be realistic about what you can achieve. Try looking at job boards and see what other employers are offering the same job that you’re doing, as this may tell you whether you can earn more.
You’re not learning anything new
Once you stop learning new things from a job, it can become repetitive and boring. There should always be a sense of progression. Either that or your job should be varied enough that you’re constantly learning new things just from taking on different tasks.
If your job has become boring and you’re doing the same thing day in and day out, then it could be a good reason to quit. Know what it is that motivates and stimulates you so that you can find a job that doesn’t make you bored.
Your job is costing you the relationships of people around you
A good job shouldn’t get in the way of relationships with family and friends. If you’re not able to spend time with your partner or your kids because you work such long or unsociable hours, then you may want to consider quitting. Similarly, if you have no free time to see friends, you may want to consider quitting.
More employers are now offering flexible hours and the ability to work from home, which could be an alternative to quitting if you enjoy all other aspects of your job.
You’ve been offered a better opportunity elsewhere
Having another job lined up makes quitting a job you hate easy as you don’t have to worry about the uncertainty of finding work. You do however need to be sure that you’re leaving your current job for a better option – make sure that you’ve compared all the pros and cons of each job so that you’re making the right decision.
