Is it time for you to throw in the towel?
There are many reasons why you should throw in the towel in your current job but generally they fall into one main category – life is too short! Life is too short to go home everyday feeling unfulfilled. Life is too short to work for a horrible boss. Life is too short to go home everyday feeling abused, not taken seriously and feeling taken advantage of. If your friend or partner told you “I hate my job, I’m bored, frustrated, feel like I’m going nowhere” wouldn’t you tell them to find a new job? Here are some reasons why you should be looking for something better – life is too short not to care.
You are laughed at
Everyone has ideas and everyone loves it when their ideas are taken seriously. If your boss laughs at your ideas it’s very demotivating. On top of that it is extremely rude. Everyone has the right to make suggestions on how their job can be made easier or how systems could be improved. Not every idea you have will be implemented but they should be listened to and be taken seriously. If you feel you are being laughed at – it’s time to leave.
You are publicly criticized
No-one is above criticism and constructive criticism can often help you. If you’ve done something wrong, or if you have not completed a set task you need to be told. This should be done privately, it should never be done publicly. The standard of work you produce is between you and your Manager and should not be discussed in front of your colleagues. No-one has the right to name and shame you publicly for something you have done. You also should be allowed to explain yourself and you won’t be able to in a public forum. If you‘re being reprimanded in front of others – it’s time to leave.
You never receive a thanks
Everyone needs praise. It is important that we are told when we have done something well and at the end of the day we all do ‘some’ things well. A good boss will always praise their team, it’s a strong motivational tool and Managers know this, so if you are never thanked there is a good chance your boss is hopeless. Why should you put in the effort if you are not appreciated. “Thanks” is a small, very powerful word and we all want to hear it sometimes. So if this word is not used in your office – it’s time to leave.
Your boss is hopeless
A good boss focuses their time on developing, nurturing and training their staff. A poor boss will spend all day focusing on themselves. A hopeless boss is easy to identify for instance if they have a private office and they are always in it with the door closed they are pretty useless. If you are working for someone who is so stupid they don’t realise that they are only as good as the staff they have working for them – it’s time to leave.
You feel you have no purpose
Everyone likes to feel part of something, we all want to feel we are having an impact in the workplace and you are not just a body in the corner. If you’re work colleagues are unfriendly, if you do not feel there is a team ethos in the Company you are working for or if you feel excluded by your work mates because you have nothing in common with them this can make you unhappy and feel you have no purpose. If you do not feel part of what’s going on at work – it’s time to leave.
You feel like a number
If your boss doesn’t occasionally ask you about your family or has an informal conversation with you then you can feel like a number, just another cog in the wheel. You deserve to be treated like an individual, your boss should be interested in you, they should also want to form a workable relationship with you. No one wants to be ignored or treated like a machine and if this is how you feel it’s not right. You need to feel happy at work and if you don’t – it’s time to leave.
You are bored
Every job should have fun moments or exciting moments. You should look forward to going to work. There is nothing worse than being bored at work. Your job will always be serious but it should contain either exciting moments when you can celebrate success, or fun moments with your colleagues. If you feel like falling to sleep at work or your job makes you depressed – it’s time to leave.
There is no future
Every job should lead to something, maybe promotion or the chance to learn new skills. Tomorrow should have the potential to be different from today. No job should be without potential. You need to be able to see where you are going. What the next step on the career ladder will be or what new responsibilities you could be given. So if you can’t see a future where you are working – it’s time to leave.
You need to be with people like you
Your dreams are your own and whilst no-one has the same dreams and ambitions as you life is too short to spend time working with people you have nothing in common with, you need to be with people who share your interests and passions. Generally in the workplace you will find colleagues you have common interests and goals with, if they do not exist where you are – it’s time to leave.
You are in a rut
You could be in a rut if you have been in your job for a long time, you believe you will never find a better job, you are comfortable in your current role and it feels like an old pair of slippers. Another reason you could be in a rut is because you are frightened of being rejected. Change is something none of us really like but sometimes we have to be brave and bite the bullet. If you feel you are in this situation – it’s time to leave.
Life really is too short to just stay in the role where you are because you are afraid to move on – maybe it’s time to leave
Happy job search!
Angela Burton