8 Surefire Signs That It’s Time to Quit Your Job

Forbes ran a job satisfaction survey last year which yielded not-so-surprising results:

“[Out of the] 411 workers [surveyed] in the U.S. and Canada, only 19% said they were satisfied with their jobs. Another 16% said they were “somewhat satisfied.” But the rest, nearly two-thirds of respondents, said they were not happy at work. Twenty-one percent said they were “somewhat unsatisfied” and 44% said they were “unsatisfied.”

That is an extremely large number of dissatisfied workers, and the problem isn’t just with North American workers. Another survey of 30,000 workers worldwide showed that between 28% and 56% of employees in 17 spots around the globe wanted to leave their jobs.

The truth is that many of us may have thought about quitting our jobs at one point or another because of a lot many reasons, but decided against doing so for, once more, many different reasons. However how does one really know when it’s time to cut your losses, hang up your boots and finally call it quits? Here are 8 surefire reasons when it might finally be time to do so:

1. You’re miserable

Is work making you miserable beyond description? Is getting up in the morning a struggle and a chore? Does the thought of going back to work the next day feel as excruciating as it sounds? Does it seem as if being miserable at work may be affecting your personal life and perhaps even your health? It might be time to take a step back and assess whether it’s all really worth the suffering, pain and misery. Unless you’re really pressed for money or are struggling to make ends meet, your job might not be worth the suffering and the misery that it’s putting your through. It might just not be worth it, and if you think you’ve reached the end of the line – for instance if it starts affecting your personal life, your relationships and especially your health, it might be time to hand in that letter.

2. You don’t see a future

Does it seem that you have reached an impasse at work? Have you been stuck in the same position for a really long time now? Perhaps you were overlooked for a promotion which you though you were not only well qualified for, but deserved as well? Or maybe you feel that you’re overqualified or that you’ve outgrown the potential of your current position and your company. If you feel as if it’s the end of the line, well then you don’t really have a choice do you?

3. It starts to adversely affect your physical and/or mental well-being

No job in the world is worth compromising your physical and/or your mental health and well-being. If, for instance, you simply don’t feel physically well, mentally-fatigued or drained, in a constant state of stress, demotivated and drained, and are just unhappy or unwell, you may need to ask yourself some tough questions – one of the important ones being how long can you continue working like this, if at all.

4. You’re in it for the wrong reasons

Whatever work or career path you decide to take should have a reason behind it. It should be your reason, and something that you can stand by and defend. Something that makes sense to you. And when you don’t have that reason to do what you’re doing, or if you started doing it for the wrong reasons (pressure, because you ‘needed the money,’ or something else), it may be time to move on. While those reasons may have seemed valid before, they aren’t and were never yours.

5. The market, work and/or your priorities have changed

This could be due to a number of reasons: maybe the career path that you thought was best for you actually isn’t, perhaps the market has changed, perhaps the work that you did has been automated and replaced by computers, perhaps you’ve pursued a better qualification that has opened up better opportunities for you. Moreover, your work may not be in alignment with your personal or professional goals. It could be a number of reasons, and if it is, time to quit and move on.

6. You’re being asked to do something illegal or unethical

If at any point in time you’re asked at work to do something that goes against your beliefs and principles, or something that is downright illegal or unethical, time to quit. As simple as that. Because even if you don’t get caught, it might have some psychological repercussions, especially in the long-term. The skeletons in your closet might come back to haunt you in the future, and before that even happens, it may be a good idea to step back and evaluate if doing what you’re about to do, if crossing that line is even worth it.

7. Your boss makes your life a living hell

Self-explanatory. No one wants to work in a hostile working environment, and it is a fact that a large number of employees quit their bosses, not their jobs. If your boss or immediate supervisor makes your life absolutely miserable, you might be able to continue for a while and make things work but the question is for how long?

8. Your company might be on a downward spiral

Financial instability, people being laid-off, offices being closed down, if things are looking increasingly shaky at work and if your company isn’t really on a firm financial footing, and above all, if you get even the slightest hint that your job might not be secure any more, chances are that you may need to quit and start looking for work somewhere else.