Key signs that it's time to leave your job

Barack Obama one famously said “Change will not come if we wait for some other person, or if we wait for some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change we seek”.  Consequently many people across the country will start their working day on Monday with the same sense of loathing and regret. We have all been there sat in work complaining that your job prospects and future inside the company are dying, whilst at the same at expecting things to change, without investing any personal time in making the brave decision to do something about it.

 So how do you recognise that it is time to leave your current role?  We would say that if you answer ‘yes’ to any of the following questions, then it is time to look for pastures new.

• When others ask you what you do for a living do you feel embarrassed to tell them?- If you cannot speak passionately about the job that you do then it is time to find a job that you are only too happy to talk about and can do it with a sense of pride.
•  When colleagues leave having found new work are you jealous and secretly envious of them? - Maybe you already know that it is time to leave but you are still in denial or don’t know how to take the first step.
• Do you constantly take days off sick due to tiredness and ill health due to your work?- If the work culture is stressful this will ultimately take its toll on your health. The negative consequences of this is that it could soon affect your family life as well as your close friends, then it’s defiantly time to leave.
•  Do you hate the repetitive nature of your job? - A new role that provides new challenges and situations which force you to act or think differently could prove to be more rewarding.
•  Do you find yourself getting bored due to being unchallenged or finding your job too easy?-You may thrive in a more rewarding or fast paced environment.
•  Do you look at your pay packet and feel that you are underpaid for the work that you do?
• Do you wish you were recognised in some way by the company and rewarded for your years of service? - A company that fails to provide a means of recognising individual employee achievements may not provide you with the opportunity for progressive career development.
• Do you find yourself trying to avoid your work colleagues as you do not get on well with them?- Whilst you will not get on with everyone in life, such issues can wear you down and will affect work place harmony. Finding a company where people’s thoughts and loyalties are aligned with your own will mean that you will be much happier.
• Have you stopped caring about the latest company developments or issues that could affect you? - The best companies to work for have staff that care and are passionate about where the company is heading. They will see themselves as a critical part who have a say in the direction of the firm.
•  Is the best part of your job when you leave to go home/the weekend?- If this is the case then serious thought must be given to finding a role that inspires you to look forward to your working day.
•  Is the company you work for uncompetitive and losing market ground resulting in staff redundancies? - Don’t wait for the inevitable, now is the time more than ever to try leave and try a whole new career path.
•  Is your work life balance none existent? - As a general rule if you work more than 50 hours a week, you may be spending too much time in the office, this can not only affect your health but will lead to an increase in stress.

If you have answered ‘yes’ to the majority of these questions then you are half way to getting of a “career rut” as you recognise that something in your professional life needs to change. Those that just bury their heads in the sand in a state of self-denial will do the ultimate disservice to themselves.  Taking the step in changing your job takes courage and a reassessment in life goals, but it is the very same goals that motivate us and challenge us to seek, and more importantly want a better way of life.