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29 March 2024

Your workplace: 5 warning signs that it’s time to quit your job

Published
By Shuchita Kapur

In an ideal situation, one would get up in the morning with gusto, excitement and happily go to work. At work, you would tend to give your 100 per cent, help out colleagues in need, and, when needed, volunteer with extra work to pull up your department’s performance.

If this sounds more of a situation just after an inspirational talk and not a part of the real daily life, that’s because, unfortunately, it is a bit far-fetched from reality.

As the years pass by and reality strikes, the feeling that you are not making nearly as much money as you’d like to, and that your work life balance has gone haywire, slowly sinks in.

You don’t feel like going to work even after the alarm goes off five times. You often find yourself complaining about your work to your friends and, in extreme cases, even to your pet dog. Does it ring a bell?

Top recruitment experts in the country believe you have to pay heed to some stark warning signs that tell you, perhaps, it’s time to find a new job and bid adieu to the current one.

Warning Sign #1: You are there only for money

A majority of the people in this world work because they need a salary at the end of the month to make ends meet. But the problem arises when you are in your job only for money.

“I speak with many people every day who want to quit but are afraid to do so due to loss of earnings and not being able to find a job quick enough,” Krishna Patel, Managing Consultant at Dubai-based recruitment firm Quest Search and Selection, told Emirates 24|7.

“If this is the only reason why you show up at work, you should actively be looking for another job,” Patel suggests.

Agrees Jennifer Campori, Managing Director, Middle East and Europe, Charterhouse Partnership, an executive search firm with regional headquarters in Dubai: “You have no passion and drive to do the job [because] you are [there] only for the money,” she said while talking about the signs that tell you to quit.

Warning Sign #2: You despise going to work every day

There could be days when you are unwell and suffering from lack of sleep, making you sleep extra than usual and therefore arriving late at office, or taking a day off from work. But if this has become habitual and you find yourself looking for an ‘acceptable’ excuse for walking in an hour later than you’re supposed to, day after day, then you might just hate going to work – this is a clear warning sign.

“You dread going into work every day and try and find any excuse not to go in!” says the Charterhouse expert.

“This is very common when people want to stitch jobs. If it has become unpleasant and even the thought of waking up and going to work is dreadful, you should definitely start looking for a new one. This can and will affect your personal life and also lead to depression and illness,” adds Quest’s Patel.

Warning Sign #3: Your career hasn’t budged an inch in years

We work for money but as with each passing year, we need increments, we also need to move forward in our career. “Lack of career progression” can be detrimental, as the Charterhouse expert puts it.

This is a problem that many people are faced with, especially after the recession. Many employees believe they are stuck in the same job and are doing the same monotonous duties over and over again, without even a hint of additional responsibility or job growth.

“If you’ve reached the dead end [of you career] and if it is repetitive and boring, your skills could become dated. Money and promotions aside, most people leave their jobs [because they] are not excited [about their work] and boredom kicks in. Doing the same role, year after year, will leave you feeling jaded,” warns Patel.

Warning Sign #4: Problems at work start taking a toll on your health and personal life

There are instances when the quantum of the work increases substantially and you may have to take work home. But if this becomes the norm, it is bound to affect your health and well-being over the course of the year.

“You are overworked to the point that your health and personal life start suffering,” is another sign that you should be out of the job, says Campori.

“Everyone craves a work-life balance and if your job is not giving you this, you should move on,” adds Patel.

Warning Sign #5: Negativity sets in

If you are faced with all the above signs, negativity will definitely take over you. “Conversations about your colleagues or work [will turn negative],” says Campori.

You will sulk about everything – all office matters, even the smallest details about your colleagues.

And this will not be limited to just coffee breaks in the office. You will take it home to your family and friends and fret about your work life.

Is it the company or is it you?

But all these signs do not necessarily mean that the company you are working for is not good enough. It could simply boil down to a wrong career choice you made in the past.

“It is an important issue when an executive feels he is in the wrong job. This does not mean he is in the wrong company. A job is a career choice, so any dissatisfaction and any change are very serious issues,” Konstantina Sakellariou, Partner, Marketing & Operations Director at premier recruitment consultancy Stanton Chase International, explained to this website.

“When an executive feels dissatisfied by what she/he is doing on a daily basis, does not see a scope of interest to her/him, does not gain any personal advancement and that her/his potential is underutilised, then these are good signs that she/he may need to reconsider the career choices,” she offers.

“Time to quit depends on other factors, like sustainable income from other sources, family responsibilities, etc. So, an executive may delay quitting till she/he has identified what would be the next steps,” Sakellariou suggests.

So, if you realise that it is perhaps time for you to make a move on, do not do it in a hurry. Take all the time to find a job that fits your experience and qualifications better than the current one. After all, you don’t want to end up in the same situation in your new job as well.

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