When to quit your job
By Kristie Kellahan | smh.com.au | 23 February
It is only human to go through periods of dissastisfaction at work. Most of us are prepared for moments of boredom and for minor disappointments. But most careers advisers say savvy workers will also keep an eye out for long-term indicators that it's time to seek out greener pastures.
You've reached a dead end
It's time to move on when a job becomes a dead end in terms of development, says Claire Stretch, director of Stretch Consulting and a life coach with askacoach.com.
"Once you've completed your learning curve in that job you can feel uninspired, bored and unstimulated," she says. "A sure sign is when you go to work on autopilot and that is sufficient to get the job done."
Stretch recommends talking to a manager at this point to explain how you're feeling and to check whether there are other opportunities within the company.
If you are more or less happy with the company culture but bored with your own role, it makes sense to try to move sideways rather than out.
"A smart company will want to keep you because you're a knowledge asset. You already know how things are done there and have shown an aptitude for learning by mastering your current role," she says.
You're not satisfied
There may be a problem if no matter what you do, you're just not enjoying your current job. David Kalmar, a psychologist with The Radiant Group, an organisation specialising in assisting people through transitions, says there are important warning signals to look out for before you suffer from burnout. "If the stress of working is starting to affect your personal life and you're not sleeping well, for instance, it could be a sign that you're in the wrong job," he says. "Work is meant to be just one element of our lives, not the main focus, and it should enhance the other areas. If you are bringing home the stress and worries of your job or you've got nothing left to give to yourself or your relationships, it's not sustainable."
Poor reviews
A poor performance review, especially when you know you've put in the effort, can be the sign to move on, says Paula Baskus, national general manager of Talent2 Managed Services.
"If your manager doesn't want to talk about your future or developing performance indicators that are realistic and motivating, there's not really much point in staying where you are," she says. "A talented employee will want to achieve and grow and be acknowledged for that.
"And if you don't want to get up in the morning that's definitely a sign it's time to quit your job."
Conflicting interests
To be happy at work in the long run, your values have to be aligned with the role and the company in general, Kalmar says. If you highly value health and wellness, for instance, you are not likely to feel good working for a tobacco company. Sometimes you may go into a job for one reason, perhaps a high salary, but over time your needs change and the money alone no longer satisfies.
"If you find yourself having a conflict of interests with your job or the company you work with, it can lead to feelings of tension, boredom or distraction," Kalmar says. "Taking more sick leave is often a sign there's a problem."
Talking to a friend or even a counsellor can help to get a clear idea of what your values and priorities are. There might be a way to realign those values with your current job through a little readjusting. If it's impossible to bridge the gap it may be necessary to move on in the interests of your own happiness.
A great offer comes along
You don't have to be unhappy in order to leave your job. Sometimes opportunity comes knocking with an offer too good to refuse. Stretch says to consider all offers and approaches from headhunters with an open mind. "If your first instinct is 'no' you might want to think about whether that's because you really love your current job, or is it a fear of change," she says. "It's a good time to take a really pragmatic look at all the advantages and disadvantages and weigh up the data."
Stretch says it's wise to go deeper than the superficial advantages of a fatter pay cheque or better hours - as important as these things are to lifestyle - because they are not sustainable influences on happiness. "It has to come down to values," she says. If you decide to move on, Stretch says it's essential to develop a sound exit strategy. "How we complete things really affects how we move on to the next stage of life," she says. "No matter how dire the old job has been, exit well, hold your head high and do the most professional job you can to the very end. That way, you take your integrity with you."
First published by Smh.com.au on February 23 2008
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