Some people tell stories of how they are in their dream job and that every morning they wake up excited to go into the office. While this fairytale may come true for a lucky few, the truth is, work is work and there are going to be days where you want to hit snooze for the 5th time and stay in bed forever. And that is the most normal thing ever.
The modern work force isn’t like what it was, where everyone will stay in a job until they are fired or retire. People come and go and are constantly seeking to grow and develop their careers and themselves. In today’s world, it is normal to keep a look out for a new role, but when is it time to take the leap?
There are no opportunities to learn or progress
You have been there for a few years, maybe had a couple of promotions, but as of late, the only opportunities you can see vacant are roles that don’t interest you or you know the person in the role you want will never leave. There may not be another position above yours. You may have been denied opportunities to further develop yourself. If you feel you have outgrown the role or that you are no longer learning anything new, work becomes downright boring. When a role becomes monotonous like this, it is a very clear sign that it is time to find a new job.
Your management is unsupportive
Poor management is one of the biggest driving factors in staff turnover. When you feel your manager no longer cares about your career and instead looks at you like you’re a dollar sign, you know it’s time to bounce. A good manager is someone who you can confide in and will push you and challenge you to improve yourself, not keep you in the same job for 5 years because they can’t be bothered finding someone else to do it.
There is a negative culture
Your teammates hate coming to work. You dread running into them in the lift and having to talk. You don’t want to attend your corporate functions because you dislike the people you work with. There is cliquey nature to the office that just doesn’t sit right with you. We go to work to work, not to socialise is the office mantra. Work is a place of business, yes, however in the modern workplace, company culture is increasingly important in retaining staff. Just like when dating, if your company isn’t treating you right, another company will.
While the recruitment process can be stressful and time consuming, if every day is a struggle to go to work, isn’t change worth it?