“Don’t give up now you’ve worked so hard”, “just ride it out”, “you’re never going to love your job every day”. I’ve had all these phrases swirling in my mind after asking my family and friends if I should walk away from my job.
Whilst I think a partner and other loved ones can help your career, and I’ve discussed it before. I also think that it is one career scenario which only you can help yourself best with. Knowing when you should quit your job is important.
My Mum stayed in one of her first proper jobs in the UK for 20 years for a blue-chip luxury retail company. So it was no surprise that most of her wise words would centre on trying to stay for a little longer. As mentioned in my previous post, nowadays you do not need to stay in a job forever to have a happy and prosperous career.
Feeling overwhelmed at the beginning or at a certain time in your career. But receiving support or knowing that things will get better shouldn’t mean you give up just yet.
However, despising and dreading going to work every single day. Plus on weekends most likely means that it’s the right time to move on in your career path and go somewhere new.
Here are some signs that you should walk away from your job:
1. Your mental and physical health are begging you to leave your job.
2020 was probably my worst year for mental health. The pandemic and being cut off from friends and family. The isolation that comes from working from home without a supportive work network.
Before the pandemic, working at Big 4 was very team-focused and communication heavy. But it seemed that the minute COVID hit this was taken away. You may have seen my previous blog posts about how I struggled with the uncertain elements of doing audits from home. And the feelings I had when I was sharing my ‘Career Journey’ quotes. But I’m here to say that all these feelings are genuine. Don’t ignore them.
Are you working longer hours than usual, in a team that has an odd dynamic and a manager that just doesn’t understand? All these factors contribute to your mental, emotional, and physical health. It has been scientifically shown that working 50-65+ hours consistently causes an increase in strokes, heart disease and death. Whilst I believe that most individuals who work at Big 4 or finance are familiar with these hours. Health should always come first.
Listen to your body and your inner voice. Make a record of how you’ve been feeling over some time concerning your job? Is it something that can be fixed? Or is it an issue that is ingrained heavily in the workplace culture?
Avoid Burnout
The word ‘burnout’ has been tossed around in career advice. But it is a serious problem. One that employers need to treat with the utmost importance. If you’ve been referred to your company’s Occupational Health and things are not improving in terms of working reduced hours or suitable health arrangements are being made. Take it as a sign to go somewhere that will take your health as seriously as you will.
It is a case of putting workplace boundaries down. Say no to excessive demands. Take sick leave when you need it. Have those open and honest conversations about workload. But if you are in a place where you are compromising on your health to do a job, then you will struggle to survive and eventually do the job.
If there is one piece of unsolicited advice I could give my younger self and my friends, it would be that no one ever puts “Employee of the Month or hard worker” on their gravestones.
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If there is one piece of unsolicited advice I could give my younger self and my friends, it would be that no one ever puts “Employee of the Month or hard worker” on their gravestones.”
SOPHIE WINTER
2. Receiving a payslip each month feels excruciatingly slow and hard.
In your 20’s having a job isn’t just about earning money for the first time. It’s also about the learning opportunities that you get that stick with you for the rest of your life. In between the time of doing a job I didn’t enjoy and making my first career move. Each month dragged on. I remember counting down the days to payday (which was on the last day of the month). It felt as if the work I had completed was worth a lot more than the money that was coming into my bank account.
This isn’t to say that I had a pay cut or money dried up during COVID. I was grateful for receiving a paycheck each month. However, I also felt as if I was doing a lot of unpaid overtime. And that this was not appreciated.
A freeze on bonuses and salary, a lack of opportunity for growth within the company. Plus just zero thanks for the effort and grit that you have put in day-in-day-out are all valid reasons to move jobs.
Speak up about your ambitions for wanting to grow within the company. If said company is not willing to provide that chance, another company will.
3. You’re googling ‘signs I hate my job’ or ‘do I hate my job?’ and ‘should I walk away from my job?’
Ah, Google, sometimes it can act like a confidential best friend. It gives exactly what you need to hear. Other times it can make you feel confused and muddled. I am pretty much guilty of doing this, reading articles at midnight or throughout the day to hear other people’s experiences.
There are so many ‘Should I quit my job’ articles out there. But the truth is that a tiny part of you inside asked Google to confirm your suspicions and doubts that you have been having about your job.
4. You’re trying to stay in a job for others, not yourself.
In the end, I truly believe that Ryan, my boyfriend, was trying to push me to stay in my old job for most of 2020 and not make a haste move. I completely understood where he was coming from and was glad that I took his advice. But at the same time, it was one of the hardest things I did.
You may see on Instagram stupid quotes about how you shouldn’t waste a day in a job you hate but unfortunately, life doesn’t work that way. Most people can’t just get up and walk out of a job because bills and financial obligations like rent still exist.
If you can’t think of a reason to stay in your current job. Or the pros of staying in this job except one that involves making other people happier, it’s time to prepare for interviews for other jobs which will make you smile again.
Discuss ways that your family and friends can support you whilst you transition into a new job. Or offer financial support if you decide to leave before having another role lined up.
A good partner will stick with you through the good and bad. I’m immensely grateful for Ryan seeing me through the times of promotions. But also the times of being faced with threats of redundancy and horrible interview experiences.
5. There’s no chance for progression in your career for a long time. (time to walk away and get a more fulfilling job!).
You may have missed a promotion, asked for that much-needed raise or spoken with senior leadership/managers about opportunities for growth within the organisation but to no avail. If these conversations have been unproductive and you’re stuck in the current role, remind yourself that there are bigger and better things out there.
Maybe you already know in your heart that you are destined for more. Find those places where you can learn more and progress.
Don’t hold any regrets about your old job once you leave. The truth is other people will come to their senses and leave too. A bad company will never change their ways until all its workforce is depleted.
6. You have no faith in Senior Management or any type of Management in the company.
It may be new management, a merger of two departments or that a lot of the people you enjoyed working with have now left. At first, I didn’t think about the impact a new Head of Department would have on me and my career. But ultimately this was the person who decided whether I would get promoted and how I would progress.
When Senior Leadership lack transparency, seem dishonest or their actions do not match their words these are red flags that are unfortunately unfixable. It is the higher-ranking members of staff who set the tone for how the rest of the department should behave. If you believe there to be moral or ethical differences between yourself and these individuals there is often a clash. It is best to leave your job and go to a company whose mission aligns with your own. When values are so different I know it’s time to walk away from my job
7. You lost your passion for your job.
In the honeymoon period of this job, you woke up each morning excited to go to work and tackle the day. But it seems that spark has now faded. Having bad days is inevitable in a job. If you are unable to bounce back and find your enthusiasm for the role, it is not going to work in the long term because you’ll forever be unfulfilled.
I read ages ago from James Clear that to enjoy your career it should both excite and challenge you. A warning sign for me and when I knew I should walk away from my job was that I was reaching the stage where I frankly stopped caring about the job and what people thought of my work. I had produced hard, high-quality pieces and these weren’t fully valued or respected so eventually I stopped putting in the same amount of effort.
8.Your skills are not being fully utilised.
I’ve always enjoyed project management, performing audit testing, and managing other individuals. I also really enjoy anything creative – be it creating a set of slides or writing. Unfortunately, a lot of the skills I had when I first applied for a job at Big 4 and displayed during my interviews were not used.
It’s all very well having management and co-workers in your team acknowledging your side hustle or the skills that you have. But if they don’t believe you have more to offer and don’t speak up about this to the people who have the say on promotions, you become stuck.
It could be being taken off from continuity projects or not being invited to key important meetings or members of the team rejecting your ideas. These are all signs to go elsewhere.
9.You’re always unhappy, miserable, stressed about work outside of your job (definitely walk away from your job!)
This might not be something you initially notice about yourself. But others around you will notice a change in your moods. When I disliked my role, I was snappy at Ryan, I was crying nearly every day. I was very vocal about how I was not looking forward to going back to work from holidays and the weekends.
There’s a massive difference between having bad days at work which go wrong. Or where you feel overwhelmed and consistently wanting to avoid your job and work. When emotions start to spiral out of control I knew I had to walk away from my job
10. You have nothing good to say about your job.
Ask your friends and family for an honest opinion on how much you have been venting about your job. The people, the role and if you’ve said nothing positive it means it’s time to take action in your career and leave that job!
Tips for Finding a More Rewarding job
Once you realise it is time to walk away from your job, I highly recommend writing down exactly what you are looking for in your next job and the company that you go to. Make notes of things like culture, responsibilities, salary, benefits, compensation, and your non-negotiables for what your job must-have.
Include your own personal values and mission statement. When you have your values, you can then try and match them with companies that will respect those behaviours and apply them! It’s exactly what I did to move from corporate to a food start-up!
I hope this post assisted in helping you make the right choice, please share this article with anyone who is thinking about quitting their job.
Have you had to walk away from your job? Comment below your experience and how it went!
