Some say that, by the time you start asking yourself if it’s time to leave your job, a job change is long overdue. I personally don’t subscribe to this philosophy and believe we all should carve out time each year to take stock of our career path, ask ourselves the tough questions, and ensure that we’re still headed in the right direction.
The decision to leave your job is a big one—one that can affect all aspects of your life. Read below to learn about ways to know when it’s time to leave your job.
Health and Safety Risks
Your health and safety should be top priority, so always be on the lookout for conditions that could put your health and safety at risk in the workplace. Whether it’s unsafe machinery, exposure to harmful chemicals, poor ergonomics, or even just insufficient lighting, your physical and mental health can suffer in an unsafe work environment. Make your company aware of any concerns; if your concerns go unaddressed, new employment should be nonnegotiable.
Toxic Work Environment
Another situation that can impact your physical and mental health is a toxic work environment. All of us have probably heard about bosses from hell—managers who take credit for others’ work, set unclear or unrealistic expectations and are even verbally abusive; but leaders aren’t the only ones who can make work unbearable. Colleagues who express microaggressions, gossip, form cliques, and harass or sabotage others can also create a toxic environment. We can try to avoid or ignore these behaviors, but at some point, you might find that the mental energy it takes to deal with workplace toxicity is just not worth it.
Ethical Concerns
If your company is involved in illegal or unethical activities, you need to leave as soon as possible. When you continue to work in an environment where wrongdoing is ignored or normalized, you risk becoming complicit in actions that compromise your integrity. Further, when the company’s shenanigans eventually come to light, you will likely be out of a job anyway. Ask yourself how it will look to prospective employees when they see you’ve come from a company involved in scandal, particularly if you had a long tenure there.
Misalignment of Values
When it comes to the values of an individual and those of a company, it may seem pretty cut and dry: you, as an employee, value getting paid and your company values you doing the work you’re paid to do. But values go far beyond a transactional relationship. Lots of workers want their companies to prioritize the same things that they do, and mismatched values can be a dealbreaker. Take, for example, the growing number of companies that have scaled back their diversity, equity, and inclusive (DEI) efforts. In other cases, organizations have a formed or contributed to super PACs to support particular political candidates or parties. Employees who don’t agree with company action (or inaction) may find themselves becoming less engaged, less productive, and less satisfied at work.
Misalignment of Demands
Some jobs require constant intensity and/or growth (think day trader or emergency room physician), but in most jobs, people shift between phases of growth and phases of steady state or “coast,” where you know how to do the job, you’re doing it well, but you’re not actively seeking out opportunities or leading anything new. If you’re in a phase where you want to fully embrace hustle culture and realize rapid career growth, but circumstances within your department or company require a steady state because of organizational uncertainty or changes, you will likely become increasing frustrated. Conversely, if your life dictates that you take a step back and coast for a bit, but your work demands won’t allow it, you could experience resentment and burnout.
Unresolved Burnout
Burnout can be caused by a number of factors—everything from competing demands that are nearly impossible to keep up with to expectations that you should always be reachable, so you can never really unplug. Sleep problems, reduced ability to focus, extreme fatigue, and irritability are all ways that burnout can manifest. If you start experiencing symptoms of burnout and have taken action to alleviate the issue (e.g., asking your manager to help you reprioritize your work or letting people know that you will no longer be accessible in the evenings and weekends) and your requests and boundaries aren’t being respected, you should probably leave before the burnout become unmanageable and leads to career setbacks and, more importantly, serious health problems.
Life Changes/ Shifting priorities
For better or worse, our lives are constantly changing. We move, get married, get divorced, become empty nesters, become caretakers to aging parents, and more. With life changes come changes in work needs. If you’re growing your family, you will inevitably have more expenses and, thus, need a higher salary. The long commute that you used as an opportunity to catch up on news or audiobooks becomes less desirable when you need to pick up your kids from school. The remote or hybrid schedule that allowed you to get on an exercise regimen or adopt a puppy is now switching to full-time in office. Life can be unpredictable. Be a great employee and your employer may try to accommodate your life changes, but keep in mind that they’re under no obligation to do so and you may just need to find a higher paying or more flexible job.
No Opportunities for Advancement / Boredom
I often joke that I leave a job once I can do it blind folded with one hand tied behind my back. In other words, once I’ve mastered my job, I try to take on new challenges and projects. Once I exhaust that option, I’m out.
If you’re stuck in a position with no chance for promotion or learning new skills, it’s easy to start feeling bored and unmotivated. Staying put in that kind of environment can make it tough to get excited about your work or strive for more achievements. By finding a new role, you have a chance to gain new skills, earn more money, and further progress in your career.
Company Instability
Has your company recently undergone rounds of layoffs? Have there been organizational realignments and personnel changes at the board or executive level? Are they hemorrhaging clients, closing offices, and freezing salaries and hiring? If any of these are a “yes,” then your company may not be around for the long haul. Time to brush up your résumé.
Better Opportunities
People who are truly intentional about taking ownership of their careers know that we should always keep our eyes and ears open for new and better opportunities. I feel that I can spot a job hunter from a mile away because they suddenly become more active on LinkedIn and start attending networking events more than ever. Don’t let this be you. Relationship building and opportunity seeking are actions you should be engaging in all the time. Even if you’re perfectly happy with your job, don’t let the chance for an even better opportunity pass you by.
Side Hustle Take Off
Good for you! Whether you started a side hustle to make a little extra money or went in with the full intention to eventually quit your 9 to 5, once you feel that you can maintain your lifestyle with just the money you earn from your side hustle, or you have clear indicators that you can make good money if you “go all in” and devote full-time hours, go for it!
Recognizing when it’s time to look for a new job is a crucial step toward personal and professional growth. By paying attention to signs like declining motivation, a lack of advancement opportunities, persistent stress, or misalignment with company values, you empower yourself to make informed decisions about your future. Ultimately, prioritizing your well-being and career satisfaction is essential. If you find yourself consistently questioning your current role, trust your instincts, explore your options, and take proactive steps toward a more fulfilling work life.