1. When you feel like you must be everything to everyone. Life can be stressful enough on its own. We have financial obligations, families, and careers, which all require us to give 100 percent. Some days are 100 percent days, and you feel like you “killed it” in everything you touched. On other days you go through the motions of the day wondering how you are still managing to be on your feet. So, what do you do? For me, I had to listen to my body. I started having unexplained pains, a hard time keeping food down, and trouble sleeping. These signs were most prevalent when I was working. Particularly, when I would be online working at 2 AM, or sitting in the office at 9 AM after commuting an hour in traffic, when I just went to bed at 3 AM. Please know. You are replaceable. No one wants to hear that. But you are. There is never a good reason to sacrifice your mental health, physical health, or quality of life for the job. If you are not here tomorrow, they will still find a way to get the job done. You cannot be everything to everyone. I know it sometimes feels like you must. At work, you have team members that depend on you, even if you are not in a position of authority. There were times when the team depended on me more than the person we all reported to. You have management that has seen the quality of work you provide, so they continue to overwhelm you by giving you more work. That is not a compliment by the way. So, what do you do? First, have that conversation with your manager, and include HR if needed. Be clear about what you need, and set boundaries. Allow the organization to get it right. You will quickly know if your voice was heard. If not, it is time to go!
2. When the organization is no longer what it used to be. You are not the captain. You do not have to “go down with the ship”. While being a loyal employee is commendable. You must consider yourself. When the bosses are making business decisions, they are not putting your obligations into consideration. You must understand that you come first. How do you know when the climate has shifted? When one bad financial quarter has become the norm. When you notice Sales are consistently declining. Even if you are not privy to the financials or aware of what is going on with Sales, you know how you feel when you go to work. Has the employee morale gone down, and the employee-centered activities are no longer a priority? When the All Hands meetings, if you have them, and if not, that is also a problem, become more focused on trying to convince the employees to stay. Unfortunately, it is time to start looking for gainful employment elsewhere.
3. When you are no longer valued. There is nothing worse than having a position with no authority. I was once in a situation where I had the position, but not the power. My team consisted of several individuals that were good friends with my manager and had known him for many years. There was a time when an employee missed the priority I assigned because he was at the baseball game with my manager – in the middle of the workday. Employees would be excused for their subpar performance because they were friends with my manager. There was even one time when an employee was given an increase because of his “like” factor and not because of his contribution to the team or the value he provided. As a matter of fact, the increase was given as an incentive to do his job! While these scenarios, although true, are to the
extreme, it is not uncommon to feel like your voice is not being heard. So how do you know if you are being valued? All your ideas may not be carried out, but they should at least be welcomed. You should know that you have a voice to speak up and you will be heard. If you are in a position of power, there is a certain level of trust and authority that comes with your role, and you should be able to utilize that. Lastly, and most important for some, your work is rewarded through merit increases or promotions.
When did you know it was time to quit?
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