5 Ways to Tell You are Ready for a New Job
Changing your environment may be just the thing you need to keep a happy, healthy, productive life. Making that decision, however, is the hard part. Seeing the forest among the trees is hard when you are the lumberjack. Staying in a toxic workplace is much worse than the pain of changing where you hang your hat. While not always obvious, saying “good-bye” sometimes is the best choice. Setting the financials aside, here is five ways to tell that you are ready for a change.
Anywhere is Better Than Work
The alarm goes off… snooze. Ring. Snooze. Ring. Snooze. The pattern is all too familiar for those that loathe their workplace. If your morning routine also means a daily pep talk, maybe it is time to find something different. Going into a job that you don’t like is spending a lot of mental energy before you even get there. Once you are finally at work, that mental gas-tank is already low, start opening emails, attend another meeting, daydream that the clock has run out — just the usual work stuff. Suppose the highlight of the day is when it is over, time to fire up the resume.
There is Little Purpose
Humans are naturally drawn to change. Take the smell experiment. Light a candle in your home, wait about an hour, and then go outside and come back in. Notice how the smell seems more intense when coming back where it is. We start to make the constant stimulus numb so that we can function. A business tends to maintain its purpose, product, and business model for a very long time. At some point, you may lose the excitement for the job that you once had. No problem, move on.
Your Compass is Off
A leading reason for burnout is an idea called moral injury. It is the challenge in our mind of doing what we think is right versus the company’s goal. One example of it is working for a bank to push credit applications to people you know can’t afford. Or it is being assigned more patients as a nurse than time allows to provide excellent care. It is called a moral compass for a reason; let it lead you in the right direction.
Active Hostility
Putting up with hostility in the workplace should not be tolerated in any industry. Schedules being moved around without consent, favoritism, one person working while others are on break are all examples of hostility in the workplace. Every attempt should be made with the employer or HR department to remedy the solution. However, it may come a time that it is simply better for all to leave the situation. They will get the idea when employees keep going.
Your Outlook has Changed
Family and friends are the best indicators of noticing behavior changes. Your tribe is there for moral support. If they see that you have been more distant or generally unhappy, listen. Take a moment to take inventory of the daily emotions. Is work indeed the problem, or is it something else? The only thing we have control over in life is how we react. Take control of your life before it controls you.
