How to know when it's time to quit your job

Stephanie Swilley • Apr 05, 2023

9 signs it’s time to quit your job

We’ve all been hearing about the Great Resignation for the last couple of years. The sudden upheaval caused by COVID-19 forced many, especially professionals with young children, to really examine what is essential for their mental health and, as a result, many made changes to their employment situation by either moving to remote work in more remote geographical locations, embracing self-employment/gigs/contracting, or looking for more meaningful work in other ways.

Regardless of the pandemic’s impact on your professional life, staying at a job that is not meeting your essentials for mental health (and hopefully exceeding them) can have serious negative effects on your life and well-being. But how do you know if you’re just being picky or if it’s time to move on?

1. There is no upward mobility

If you are in a position with no growth potential, whether it be responsibilities, new skills/technologies, titles, or salary, you are stagnating. It’s difficult to remain stimulated and engaged professionally when every day is the same and there is nothing to work toward.

Sometimes you can find creative ways to continue growing, but if you’ve exhausted all means in your current role, it might be time to consider moving on.

2. Your case of the Mondays starts on Sunday

If you dread doing your work, do almost anything possible to avoid doing the actual work while you’re there, it’s time for a new job. This may be a temporary change, a change in environment, or a change in the work all together, but at some kind of change has to happen.

A life of having the soul sucked out of you in exchanging for a paycheck is not healthy or sustainable. When you have a job that brings you joy, sparks your curiosity, and that you can lose yourself in, you will contribute so much more to the world.

3. Your job is changing you – and not for the better

Being miserable at work can affect our mental health, physical health, and relationships in serious ways. If you find that you’re fighting with family members more or that you’re suddenly needing more glasses of wine to “unwind” after a day at the office, it’s definitely time to make a change. Whenever your job is taking more than it’s giving, that’s a clear sign it's time to quit.

4. Your workplace has become toxic

Some jobs are more stressful than others, but whenever your stressors are from the (lack of) safety in the workspace or those you work with, it’s time to look for a new job. If you have colleagues – or worse yet, bosses – who verbally abuse you, or you are concerned for your physical health and safety due to your job, it’s definitely time to move on. Even if it’s as “little” as your boss not being interested in your goals, it may be time to find a job elsewhere.

5. Your company or industry is struggling

Sometimes, no matter how much you love a job or workplace, it’s time to look for a new career for other reasons. Make sure look out for yourself and seek a more stable work environment if the company is struggling to make ends meet or the industry is in trouble. It's always better to be able to quit your job while you have it than to look in a panic once the job is gone.

6. Your body is trying to send you a message

Even if you love your job, the cumulative stress can have a serious physical impact on your body. Sometimes the effects creep up very slowly so you don’t notice until it’s getting serious, but if you are experiencing significant back pain, sleep troubles, or an upset stomach, your body might be telling you it needs a change. Take the time to examine your situation, talk to your doctor, and evaluate if it's time to quit your job.

7. When you don’t look up to the people above you

If you look at what your manager and higher-ups are doing and it doesn’t appeal to you, then there’s nowhere for you to grow within the company and it's definitely time to start looking for a new job.

Sometimes the growth opportunities align with your goals, but the leadership at your company is lacking (to put it kindly), then you're not in a good place to learn and grow—especially if you want to shift into a leadership role. So be on the look out for:

No work-life balance in the organization
Frequent turnover
Passive-aggressive, jealous, micromanaging behavior

8. You feel undervalued

Your contributions go unnoticed (or worse yet, claimed by someone else), you're regularly overlooked for promotion (even when you are more qualified), or you are treated in a demeaning way, especially due to discriminatory behavior, it is definitely time to quit and find a new job.

9. When you ask Google if it's time to quit your job

As with any big life decision, you have to listen to your gut. When there's doubt, it's probably time to start exploring your options.

Life is too short to spend 40+ hour a week in a job that is causing you mental or physical distress, allowing your skills to stagnate, or not fulfilling you professionally. As soon as you start to wonder, take advantage of the opportunity for a calm transition and get your application materials up-to-date and find top-notch recruiters to work with. Having the flexibility to wait for the right job rather than just another job will put you in the best position to continue growing your career and finding fulfillment.

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