There’s not many of us who haven’t been through some sort of career turmoil over the past couple of years. It may have been time spent on furlough, an experience of redundancy (be it yourself or your colleagues), or seeking out a new opportunity with a renewed perspective. Regardless of what your own personal experience may have been, and whether that incorporated a new job or a new position; as the workplace adapts to the current environment, a more settled world and a relatively new financial year, many have reevaluated their own professional position.
The million dollar question is – does this include staying or leaving a role? Handing in your notice can be a scary prospect – whether you have a new position lined up or not. Doing this requires assurance, finality and most importantly a plan. However, before that it’s necessary to consider whether this is a situation to be welcomed. While this is ultimately a personal decision, there’s a few warning signs to consider that this might be the right choice for you. Here are the ten reasons we’ve considered when it comes to making a decision about your future:
- Your job is affecting your mental health – First of all, it’s important for us to stress that your health is the most important currency of all – more than any physical pay check. The moment your work begins to impinge on your personal health and happiness, be it stress, fatigue or something that takes a more physical toll, it’s time to relook at whether it’s something that is truly serving you. Of course the first port of call is to speak to HR, but if things have gone past that, then it’s really important to consider if you’re in the right place.
- You aren’t progressing in your role – Progression in every role and every company is a completely individual thing, and it’s important to not constantly be comparing yourself to other colleagues. However, if you’re feeling as if you’re stuck in a stagnant position, and after multiple conversations and considerations that your role cannot support your current career aspirations, it may be time to move on.
- You’re working in an uncomfortable environment – Be it the company culture after a mass exodus, a change of space or simply an uncomfortable feeling that you just can’t shift, consider whether your environment is serving your happiness. If not, again, it’s time to have a reassessment.
- Your position no longer works with your routine – It seems that most offices have made a decision of how their post-covid office regulations now look. This could be hybrid or flexible, or even fully remote. Regardless, unfortunately not every office’s choice is going to suit everyone, so there’s no surprise if any employee seeks out something that better benefits them.
- You struggle to get motivated each day – Many of us are guilty of the ‘Sunday Scaries’ and may feel reluctant to turn off our alarms each morning. Whilst some sense of this is normal, when it gets to a point of constant dread – something needs to change, especially if…
- You’re no longer excited about your work – A combination of this and the above are not a good sign, and once you’ve started to ‘check out’, it can be hard to reset your mind.
- The company has no boundaries – Contacted outside of your working hours for things that aren’t necessarily an emergency, and even on your annual leave? These two things are a major red flag. If this is a regular habit in the company and seems to be accepted, then it could be cause to be something else.
- Your role has expanded, but you aren’t being remunerated for it – Whether someone my have left their role and you’ve naturally taken on some of their responsibilities in the interim, or you’ve been entrusted with more in your own position, an expansion of your role can be a really exciting thing. However, an increase of power should go hand in hand with an increased remuneration in title and salary, and if this isn’t case it again presents a red flag.
- Your long-term plans have changed – Our career paths are far from a steady line, and what we once may have thought was for us could have changed into something else.
- There are better opportunities available elsewhere – Sometimes there is no logical rhyme or reason in leaving a job, except that there’s simply other, better opportunities available. In a rapidly growing and competitive market where salaries are on the up, this is prevalent now more than ever.
With plenty of opportunities available on our site, your next job could be closer than you think. If any of these are of interest to you, or you’d simply like a confidential conversation, get in touch with our team.