Every weekday morning, you show up at work.
You clock in, you sit down at your desk, and you spend the next eight hours helping someone else's company succeed and make money.
The salary might be alright.
And in this economy, you feel thankful to have a job at all.
But what if you're not truly happy?
A lot of people aren't exactly satisfied or fulfilled by their job. The gut reaction to this is to “just stick it out” instead of giving up.
But there comes a point where you've got to ask yourself whether you'll ever be happy in the job that you have.
Sometimes, the answer is no. And that's when it's time to think about moving on.
Bad jobs have real consequences that extend beyond the workplace.
Too much occupational stress damages both your mental health and your physical health.
Leaving could be the best decision you ever made.
In a recent post, Hubspot offers up some legitimate reasons for quitting your job.
1. Your Job is Affecting Your Mood Outside of Work
A recent study found that about three quarters of “the weekend effect” (the increase of your happiness on the weekends) comes from the quality of your workplace.
How happy you are at your job is directly correlated to whether or not you view your boss as a partner and whether you believe you work in a trusting environment, according to the research. If you answer positively to both of those questions, your mid-week mood will more closely match your mood on the weekends.
This is another great area to regularly check in with friends and family about.
Ask them if they notice you talking about work with increasing negativity, or if you’re coming home in a frustrated mood more weeks than not.
Everyone has bad days, and even bad months, but if the majority of your days are ending under a cloud, it’s time to take control of your life and either adjust your attitude or your job.
2. You’ve Been There More Than 5 Years (And Still Aren't Happy)
If you’ve been at your job for more than five years and are still totally happy, don’t panic. Instead, ask yourself if you’re still building skills, feeling challenged, and being rewarded accordingly.
Getting comfortable at a job is one thing, getting complacent is another.
Powerhouse companies like Netflix actually believe job hopping is a good thing. Patty McCord, the former chief talent officer for Netflix, has said, “You build skills faster when changing companies because of the learning curve.”
According to entrepreneur and author Penelope Trunk, the learning curve flattens after about three years.
Trunk believes that job hoppers learn faster, make better first impressions, and improve the bottom line quickly because they know they’ll be moving on within a matter of years.
Regardless of whether you’re pounding the pavement for a new job every five years, it’s important to routinely assess whether you’ve reached a growth ceiling in your current role.
3. You Don’t Align with Team or Company Culture
It happens. Maybe your company was acquired or you have a manager you don’t see eye to eye with.
Regardless of the cause of the shift, it’s important that you align with the new direction. If you don’t, it can be easy to lose faith in your boss and your company, making it much harder to excel at your job.
If your new manager’s strategy includes buying email lists and spamming them like there’s no tomorrow, it may be time to look for a new position.
Talk to your boss and tell them you’re having a difficult time understanding the reasons behind this new direction.
4. It’s Affecting Your Physical Health
Did you develop an ulcer from last year’s Black Friday marketing campaign? Have high blood pressure at 25?
If work is so stressful that it’s having a physical manifestation in you, it’s definitely time to reevaluate whether your job — or even a career in marketing — is right for you.
No job is worth taking a long-term toll on your body.
Start by talking to your boss about the cause of this stress. Ask about lightening your workload, vacation, or even shifting to a less taxing role on the team.
If none of that’s possible, it might be time to look for a job that’s less demanding.
Acknowledge what your body needs. Own it. And never be ashamed of it.
Life's too short to stay in a job you hate. Why not take the plunge and try something different?
You can read more about making the decision to leave your current job over at Hubspot.
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