“You’re still at the same company, right?” your cousin asks as the holiday meal is being cleared away. “How are you liking it?”
Quick, what’s your answer?
As we stand at the cusp of a new year, it’s only natural to look forward to what next year will bring – especially with questions like these coming from those relatives we only see once a year.
How do you like your job? Is it still engaging and rewarding? Is it starting to drag a bit? Be honest: has it actually been dragging for a few years now?
If you’re head over heels for what you do for a living, cheers! But if you’re starting to feel stagnant, read on for six signs that it’s time to call it quits.
1. You hate your job
This should be a no brainer – you complain about work to anyone who will listen, your stomach clenches in anxiety whenever you walk through that door, and you live for the weekends. Whatever the reason, your job makes you feel dead inside and the stress has started to steal the joy out of your evenings and weekends, too.
If you’re starting to rejoice over dentist appointments because they give you an excuse to come in late, it’s time to start looking for something new.
2. You’re not getting a raise (or it’s not enough)
There’s substantial benefit to your personal bottom line if you switch jobs, moving up and increasing your skills (and paycheck) each time. The average raise most employees get is around 3% – which turns out to be just barely keeping its head above the current inflation rate. Money isn’t everything, and you may be in your job as a labor of love more than anything. But if you’ve been denied a real raise even though you’re doing good work, it may be time to start looking for a company who values your skills.
3. You’re not moving up
You’ve been waiting years for a management position to come available, but in the overall pecking order you’re still behind three other candidates with more seniority. If you want a promotion, you may have to look outside the box (of your office) to find it. The hard truth is that many organizations don’t have the infrastructure they need to nurture each employee’s career, meaning that although you’ve earned your stripes and are more than qualified for a promotion, there’s nowhere to promote you to.
Read more: The Pros and Cons of Job Hopping
4. You’re not engaged
Most of us aren’t going to love every minute of our jobs, but if you spend most of your work time bored, frustrated, or totally disengaged then that’s a bad sign. The truth of the matter is that if you’re not engaged, you’re probably not doing good work for the company, which catches you in a downward spiral of apathy, poor performance, lack of opportunities, and more apathy.
Sometimes this can be fixed without moving jobs – you may just need to figure out what it is about your job that’s sapping your engagement, and talk to your boss about ways to fix that. But if you’ve just gotten burned out on the industry, your position, or the organization, it may be time to change things up.
5. You’re not being valued
Maybe you’re the opposite of disengaged – you’re working insane hours, giving your all to every project. You’ve been doing a stellar job at every task you’re assigned, and in any other office you’d be the star…. But for some reason no one at your current job seems to notice. Your missed your kid’s latest recital to fix that crisis your boss threw at you last minute, and you never even got a “thank you!” It’s time to move on.
6. You’re not being challenged
When’s the last time you learned a new skill at work? When did you last take on a new project? If you’ve fallen into the rut of doing the same tasks over and over again with no change, it’s time to challenge yourself. Sometimes you may be able to find that challenge within your current position or organization – but if you’ve reached the borders of what you’ll be able to do at your current job, start looking for opportunities elsewhere. A career, like a shark, needs to keep swimming forward to live!
OMG…I have 5.5 out of 6 of these traits! I work in the graphic design field, and there doesn’t seem to be much support for designers who want to upgrade their skills and positions. Management jobs are few and far between, and the vast majority are “grandfathered in” (given to someone already on staff). I have been qualified to be a manager and been in an “acting” role for several years. I left my old agency because of what I considered to be favoritism. (losing out on 5 supervisor positions within the organization). With my new agency I applied for a position in management that I thought I was well qualified for. Although HR contacted me and told me that my application package was being forwarded to that division, that office simply never responded until months later to tell me that they had filled the position. Finding a mentor for my field has been especially difficult as well, as few actually have expertise in that area. Feeling like I have reached the ceiling with nowhere else to go, I have been a little depressed about it, and it’s been hard to come in to work on some days and stay motivated. I have seriously considered leaving government altogether. I wish I knew what to do.
I hate coming to work, I am so stressed and over worked. Working with the State of OR (ODOT) I have learned that its not what you know its who you know. There is so much unethical and unfairness going on. I am so tried of people getting hired because they know the hiring Manager and you are friends of friends. You can’t get a promotion and advance up with your skills if you’re not in the loop. I would leave but I will be honest I will have to start over and it take me until retire to get the pay I am getting now. 1-6 is so right on I hate this company, I am not getting raises nor moving up, I am not valued, I am not being challenged and I am no way engaged with my work. I pray for an answer I cannot continue to stress at this job. I need an out help me!
I observe the same behaviors in general in my organization, and have for the past 10 years, although it is getting worse. My professional ethics and standards are and continue to be higher than my organization’s. My productivity is same. I plan to take all my good stuff to a commercial setting, and from there demand a higher visibility/accountability on how public money is spent on public employees, and what “we the people” get for our $$$. It is absolutely criminal the time I see stolen and paid for by unproductive and off task activities in a work day. After all this time, I am still amazed at the tolerance for this.
So true Jessie! I think we all experience 1-6 at some point in our careers.
Yes, I fall into one of those categories mentioned above. I use that time at work preparing for something else, this includes training and applying for other jobs. I think about stepping out of the government but have too many years invested. I thought about stepping out and coming back in. Anyone have any suggestions on that? I just recently passed my Security plus test for an IT position.
A break in service will affect your retirement benefits. Research that before you do anything.
This list of six is everyone at every job. Nothing new here. If you fit these 6, the answer is given in the write-up descriptions… look for another job, possibly out of the government. Why spend your whole like doing something if you fit these 6 criteria?
Wow. I also scored a 5.5 out of 6. While there’s no where to move up to, no raise, no challenge, I’m not feeling engaged and I don’t loathe my job, the flex time and telework opportunities are beneficial especially at this time. Having the ability to flex my hours and work from home is a blessing when you have small kids. For the time being, I can grin and bear it. Being able to have maternity leave paid for with SL/AL is a great perk compared to the private sector and the rest of the public sector. I’ll take that any day to LWOP. At least I look forward to my RDO (days off), holidays and TW days.