When To Leave Your Job

Everyone has a bad day at work at some point or another. You can leave the office cursing and dreading going back the next day because of something your boss said or a coworker was on your last nerve. You might even say to yourself that you’re going to put in your two weeks’ notice and be done. But the next day you go back and everything is fine. There is a fine line between knowing when to leave your job and when to stay.

The question to ask yourself is: Are you being stretched or are you in pain? Seems simple, right? Well, sometimes it’s hard to differentiate the two. You can have a bad week where you want to quit and feel as though you’re being overworked, but you have to decipherer if you’re just being pushed to grow and uncomfortable or if you’re being asked too much and overworking yourself. To figure this out, you need to know yourself and what your limits are when it comes to you. If you’re too comfortable in your job, something can easily trigger you to feel an urge to quit if you are being pushed to work outside of your comfort zone.

We’ve come up with some questions to ask yourself to help you figure out if you should stay or if you should go.

1. Are you unhappy every day you go to work? If you dread going to work every day and feel saddened the night before just thinking about going to work, this is a red flag. Yes, work is work, but it should be something you enjoy and get excited about. If you are downing glasses of wine every day after you get off just to deal with the stress then this job isn’t for you.

2. Are you working in a toxic environment? You are surrounded by colleagues who are constantly negative and never talk positive. They talk poorly about one another, about the same job or just have nothing ever good to say. This is a hard environment to work around and will only push you to feel the same way. Negativity energy is a full force butterfly effect.

3. Do you believe your skills are not being put to good use? If you have ideas that your boss and colleagues just throw down the trash immediately maybe this job isn’t for you. If you feel like your skills are not utilized or recognized then you’re not in the right place. Yes, there are times when you have an idea that is not agreed upon and you have to move-on, but if every idea you come up with is instantly dumped then start looking for another job. You shouldn’t feel like you can’t share your ideas and stay quiet at a meeting.

4. Are the outcomes you’re working toward meaningless to you? If you have an upcoming deadline and could give two s**** about the outcome, then why are you even working there? If you don’t care about your clients and what they want then you need to find another job that you are passionate about and care about. It will not only help you from being happier in your career, but your work will also excel.

5. Is your job taking a toll on your health? If you are taking sick days left and right and suddenly get sick more than usual, this could be because of your mental health from your job. If you’re working late nights constantly and don’t have time to work-out, eat right or do activities that mean a lot to you then you need to sit down and evaluate whether your job is worth this pain.

These questions are always something to think about, but your decision should not rely on these. These are just something to take note of and help you make a decision. You need to know yourself and your capabilities to know when you are being pushed or you are being hurt. Work can be stressful at times, but it can also enjoyable and something you look forward to. If you’re being stretched. Stay. If you’re in pain. Leave.