When It Is Time To Leave Your Job?
There are many reasons why you should leave your job even if you have been working for the company for several years already. Many say that you should leave your job when you are unhappy with your job or company. However there would be instances also where even though you enjoy your job or company you should need to leave. Here are a few main reasons:
You are Unhappy with Your Compensation
There are plenty of reasons why a person is unhappy with their job or company. Most jobs, co-employees and companies are tolerable but many people cannot tolerate the low pay they receive from their jobs. The company may be paying you a fair wage but to you it is intolerable. So the deeper issue may not be the company but your life itself in relation to your finances.
Your other co-employees may be receiving the same wage but are happy and contented but you might not be because you have greater financial needs real or imagined. The first thing you should do in such situations is determine if by law the company is paying you fairly for the amount and quality of job you do.
If you have determined that the company is indeed paying you fairly and may be even more according to the law dismiss any negativity you have about your job, co-employees and company if you have one. Focus on the deeper problem why you are unhappy with your compensation.
One of the obvious source of your unhappiness is because you are spending more as compared to your job compensation because of your lifestyle or financial needs. Whatever the reason is the obvious problem is you need more money than what your company can or is willing to provide.
Though requesting that your company pay you more might work most often than not unless you are a very valuable part of the company your company will not oblige. This is because your superiors have to justify your added compensation to much higher superiors and so on. With many people out of jobs these days a company can easily get a replacement for you and pay a lower wage.
You can instead ask your company if they can provide you with additional tasks and be paid higher. For example besides being a clerk you may ask for cleaning jobs after work. You may also ask if you can bring data encoding jobs at home after work for more pay. You can also ask the company for a referral should they know of part-time jobs you can do after work or during the weekends.
Most importantly get a part-time job preferably one that you can do at home. You might be worrying that you are not getting enough pay from your company when the real reason for you to be worried about is whether you would have a job that would pay you tomorrow. Having a part-time job ensures that you can endure when your company suddenly closes without warning and many companies do today.
Lastly, if you have proven thru industry research that your company is paying you less than what you are worth then prepare to leave but not in haste. Plan your departure from the company by ensuring you are immediately hired by a better company both in pay and treatment. Regularly check with industry contacts which are the best companies to work for.
No Career Advancement
This happens when you have advanced to a level in the company where there is no other possibility of you getting higher in terms of career advancement. This could mean that all the positions above you are occupied by people who would not be retiring or are being replaced anytime soon which could mean years or even decades because they are young enough for their positions.
Another reason why there is no other career advancement left for you is when you have nothing else left to learn in your job and have mastered your job to the point that it just became a boring routine. You might be getting regular salary increases even though you are doing the same job over and over again but think that somewhere out there in your industry there is someone who is continually learning as you stagnate.
Then in no time at all you will come into a situation where you are seen more as a cost rather than an asset. This is because you have grown older and paid higher each year without necessarily contributing more or doing something new. The tendency of the company is to replace you with someone younger who can do your job at the same or better rate for lower pay. This mostly happens to people who stay too long in a job without advancing in knowledge.
On the flipside you could be the person who did not get blinded by tenure or regular salary increases and concentrated on learning and developing new skills perhaps thru employment at various companies instead of just one. You may find that you are in the position someday where companies would be competing for your services because of your wide knowledge.
Toxic Co-Employees and Bosses
In my experience you can live with toxic co-employees or ignore them. This is the price you pay for working in a company and much like anywhere else. Just remember that in your younger days you also have to contend with the people in your school, community and so on where you might not like them but you have no choice but to stay in close proximity with them.
This changes when you are talking about your superiors who can make your life miserable because they dictate your work and future advancement in your company. You cannot let people that probably do not like you decide on your work and advancement opportunities. The best thing that you can do is to get an ally which is a superior of much higher rank if you can do this.
The previously mentioned two issues like lack of compensation and career advancement are linked to toxic bosses especially if they are the owner of the company or the highest ranked boss within the company. It is useless to get their good side as people will determine immediately if they like you or not within a short time and it is hard to change people’s opinion once formed.
The best thing that you can do is again to plan for your departure and ensure that you immediately are hired by a better company with a better work environment where you get along with your colleagues and especially with your superiors. Your work life gets a whole lot easier if you have a smooth or even just a neutral relationship with them.
There are many other reasons why a workplace can be hated. From unsafe work conditions, dirty surroundings, dull monotonous work and so on but it can all be traced to the people operating the company. That is why it is important to know the personality of the bosses in the company and their vision towards the future of the company.
You might find thru research that even your bosses are stuck in a dead end position in a dead end company in a dead end industry with no future for career advancement and company growth. That is why you should research not only the future of the company but of the industry most especially its prospects for growth.
Conclusion
These days for most of us it is very difficult to find a job that pays well, have good career advancement opportunities and with co-employees and bosses you can get easily along with. The days of working only for one company your entire life is almost long gone. You must continually train yourself with new skills and gain industry contacts so that when better job and company opportunities come you will have the best chances for them.