Six Signs That You Should Leave Your Job
I have a great job now, but I’ve seen all kinds, and I almost always stayed too long. Here are a few of the warning signs that should send you on your way:
1) Inexplicable rules. If someone tells you there’s a policy to do something but can’t explain why, or if employees are doing lots of things to get ahead internally that help neither the business as a whole, nor the customers they serve, then you’re in a company that has lost its way.
2) Demanding AND indecisive bosses. When your superiors require quick turnarounds on their requests at all hours, and are constantly changing their minds, then you live in a constant state of crisis management, which causes tons of stress.
3) Simple things take a long time. When it’s strangely impossible to get something done that you have easily accomplished before in other environments, then you are in a deeply inefficient workplace, and that will frustrate you. (Thanks for the quote, Fortune!)
4) Bait-and-switch. When your employer makes promises about your job description and doesn’t follow through, you’re in trouble.
5) Culture of blame. Much of corporate life involves covering one’s ass. Corporations that instill a culture of fear and intimidation exacerbate that. When you notice people operating on fear, and working harder to place blame than to solve problems, then you’re not in a place where you will be able to learn and grow, because those involve making mistakes.
6) Unresponsive bosses. Some people end up in management but don’t like to manage people. They tend to neglect their teams. Neglect is a subtle sin, because it doesn’t involve overt wrongdoing — it’s just about letting things slide. If your requests meet with crickets, or empty promises, you should probably start looking to move.
In fact, the biggest factors the determine whether you have a good job or not are the qualities of the people managing your team, the two layers of management above you.
In my next post, I’ll be writing about the 6 signs that you’ve got a great job. I experience them everyday at FutureAdvisor.
