When It's Time To Go

We are all creatures of habit, to one degree or another. There is comfort in routine and stress in change. At work and in our private lives, we plan to minimize risk and maximize results. We purchase insurance, drive defensively, strive to achieve our goals at work, and carefully chart out our career moves. But what happens when plans don’t pan out? How do you know when it’s time to make a change? When is it time to go? Have you ever been really miserable at work? Perhaps you have unsuccessfully tried to analyze criticism received from a boss, been purposefully excluded from power strongholds, shoved into a virtual corner in an insignificant and boring position, or suffered through the process of selective layoffs. At the best of times, office politics can be brutal. During tough times, it’s a struggle to survive financially and emotionally. There are some bad situations that can’t be fixed and shouldn’t be tolerated. Sometimes you have to do more than complain about work and move on to find a better fit - a work situation where you can be successful and appreciated. The more of these indicators you are experiencing, the more likely it is that you should consider looking for a new job: · You are chronically bored. · You have been assigned a job that doesn’t keep you busy enough and/or isolates you from working as part of a team. · Your boss never has a word of encouragement for you, but has plenty of criticism to share. · You can’t see how what you do contributes anything of value to the company. · Your responsibilities bring you no pleasure or sense of accomplishment. · The goals or actions of management conflict with your personal beliefs or morals. · Your performance is being measured against unreasonable goals that are impossible to achieve. · Your efforts are exhausting you and causing stress that is affecting your health or other aspects of your personal life. If any of these things are happening to you, talk frankly with your supervisor to assess whether anything can be done to change the situation. You may want to explore an internal transfer to a new job and a new team. But if it’s clear you don’t have a future with your current employer, take your career firmly into your own hands. Prepare a professional resume, aggressively establish active professional and personal networks, and start the hunt for a new position.