Wednesday, September 12, 2018

Don't Wait: 8 Reasons to Leave Your Job Now

I've often written about how to get a job. But now, I'm going to write about how to leave a job.

With unemployment below 4%, there's never been a better time to say good-bye to a job that has cost you sleep, sanity and family relationships. It's time to give your two-weeks notice to the boss who is stingy with praise, passive-aggressive with feedback and uses pay raises as a chance to pile on more work.

Say farewell to the colleagues who reheat fish in the microwave, steal your stapler and troll you on Slack.

Not sure whether you should leave your job or not? It can be tough to decide that you've had enough, especially when you learned to put up with so much crap in the crappy job market of the last decade. You may be thinking you'll keep this job while you can start your own company on the side, or perhaps it's better to know the devil you do than the devil you don't.....blah, blah, blah.

But I'm here to tell you that bosses who treat you badly will not see the light one day and start being nice. The company culture that makes a dictatorship look like kiddie daycare doesn't become zen-like anytime soon. The commute that lasts 10 minutes longer each month will not miraculously become shorter (unless you figure out a human pneumonic tube).

So, let's go through a short list of why you should quit your job. If you want a longer list, take your best friends to the nearest pub where they will come up with a much longer list, filled with items like "The carpet smells funny" and "There's no Jacuzzi in the men's bathroom."

Leave your job if:

  • You are back from vacation for two weeks and still cry every day that you have to go into work, or at least feel like punching the wall every single day.
  • The minute your boss opens his/her mouth, you feel like someone just ran over Mr. Boopsie, your childhood bunny. 
  • Every Sunday night you break into hives, develop a migraine, get a stomachache or otherwise feel like the bottom of a garbage disposal at the thought of going to work in less than 12 hours.
  • You don't care about the job or what you do. Whether it's making tin cans or doing brain transplants, you can't summon up even an iota of enthusiasm.
  • The company makes your skin crawl. You don't like the leaders, what the company does or its values. You don't like even telling your Nana where you work, let alone your friends.
  • You hate the sound of your own voice, because all it does is whine about the job, the company, colleagues and your boss. 
  • You could be more productive, but you are not. You might think about why, but it's too much trouble and you'd rather read about what Meghan Markle wore to the latest polo match.
  • You're miserable to be around. You argue with everyone, including the dog. The next time you find yourself sniping at a friend or family member about the best place to put the TV remote, you know it's time to get your resume together.
Face it: You know when it's time to go. Why hang on to a job that someone else can do and may really love? It's time to leave and find something that makes you -- and all the people in your life -- much happier. 

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