I am a big believer in the value of hard work. Having a job where we go every day and make a living is one of the biggest contributors to building up self-confidence and dignity overall. Having consistent work also brings about peace of mind in terms of financial prospects and allows us to plan for the future. However, there are times when where we are currently working is not only unhealthy but downright abusive, and it is important that we leave that place. So, when is it a good time for us to leave and seek out something else?
1. We are not being appropriately compensated for our experience or our skill set. A good structure of business is in how they pay their employees for their experience as well as their skill set. There are times, however, when some businesses may not either pay their employees the necessary funds, or at least provide them with benefits that their experience or skill demands. If you find yourself not being compensated appropriately for what you bring as an employee, then it may be time to look for a different job where you will be valued more.
2. Your bosses are abusive. I will be the first to say that there are those that are put in charge that are not always meant to be in charge. There are some bosses that use their positions of authority to make employers stay long hours without being compensated appropriately. There are others who verbally abuse, sexually harass, or discriminate against employees that they don’t like. Finally, there are some bosses that deliberately withhold advancement opportunities, pay raises, or even push their workload on someone else because they do not wish for their power to be “threatened.” If you have a supervisor who treats you in any of the ways that I mentioned, and your company has not done anything to discipline this individual after you’ve made reports, then it is high time to leave.
3. You are not able to advance position wise or pay wise. Our careers are not meant to stay stagnant. We are meant to grow and develop as human beings with our careers. This may mean that you learn an entirely new skill with work, be given more responsibility that challenges your skills, or even be put in an entirely different position within the same field to learn another side of it. If you find that you are not growing, advancing, or even earning more pay in your current job, then that is a sign that you may need to look for another place of employment.
4. The work environment is toxic. Many companies adopt the standard of “you live for us” when it comes to their employees. Other companies adopt the idea of “only the strongest and most manipulative survive.” This can lead to long hours of overtime which cut into a healthy work life balance, or cattiness and toxic behaviors among employees and teammates. If your workplace has this kind of atmosphere, finding a new job is definitely in order.
5. You feel burnt out going to work every day. We shouldn’t have to feel like we are completely exhausted and drained by simply going into work every day, especially if it’s a job that we claim to love. We also shouldn’t have to dread going into the office every day or dread opening up the email inbox. If you are feeling any of those emotions, it might be time to cut back hours or simply find a different job altogether.
The important thing about work is that we need to be able to not only make a reasonable living, but to also feel like we are doing something meaningful with our waking hours. While no company is perfect, it is imperative that we do not work in a job where we are consistently abused or taken for granted. If you find yourself in such a workplace, then value yourself enough to find a different job where you are treated with respect and dignity. Your life is too important for you to sacrifice it for just any old job.
