Signs It's Time to Switch Jobs
Are you feeling miserable, unfulfilled, and/or burned out in your current position? Is it hard to make yourself start the workday and even harder to make it all the way through? You certainly aren’t alone. Or, perhaps you love your job, but you’re not moving up the ranks as quickly as you’d like to achieve your career goals. Whatever the case may be, here are some signs it’s really time to switch jobs.
1. You are not compensated appropriately
Salary transparency is a hot topic—one TikToker created an anonymous salary tracker on a Google spreadsheet that’s gathered over 61,000 posts between December 5, 2021 and the end of January 2022. You should know what a fair salary is for the work you do, and rest assured, there are companies that pay. If you know you’re not being paid appropriately for the work you do, and the company has no plans to raise your salary, it’s time to leave. Don’t waste time hoping they’re going to come to their senses. They won’t.
2. There are no growth opportunities
Any company you work for should have a clear path to growth. Growth is more than a new title or promotion (although those are very important)—your company should show you in additional ways they support you as an employee, whether that’s tuition reimbursement, skills development initiatives, or mentoring, you should be able to see clearly if your company is investing in you and your future. It doesn’t just help you—in the end it helps them retain talent. If they don’t see that, time to go.
3. You’re overwhelmed and have no work-life balance
You’ve tried all the tricks, but it’s no use, your boundaries aren’t respected, and the workday doesn’t ever end. Two coworkers left, and instead of working to fill the positions, the company has had you doing their jobs and yours for the last year. Even when you take time off, you somehow get sucked back in. If you’ve done all you can to create a healthy work-life balance, but your workload is overwhelming, and there’s no change on the horizon, it’s time to think about new opportunities.
4. Your company is not providing flexible work arrangements
One thing a huge number of us have learned during the pandemic is that many of our jobs can be done from anywhere with internet access. That freedom has allowed people to find better living situations, opened opportunities for fulfilling experiences with certain kinds of travel, and given people more and better time with their families. What used to be the exception is now the rule, and if you want flexible work arrangements but your company is not offering them, it’s time to find one that does.
5. You do not agree with your company’s values
When you first start at a company it’s important you learn what their mission and values are. But you’ll sometimes find their mission and stated values do not match the reality. Or you might find you just can’t reconcile something you thought you’d be ok with. Sometimes you will have an opportunity to impact your company’s values, but listen to your gut—if there’s no solving this issue, there’s not much you can do but leave.
With an estimated 10.9 million job openings in the US alone, finding an employer that meets most, if not all, of your wants/needs isn’t an impossible task. In fact, it’s arguably easier than ever given the aforementioned opportunity to work remotely. That said, if you’re feeling unappreciated, under-compensated, and/or unable to grow within your company, it’s time to move on. While the notion of leaving a job you’ve grown accustomed to and are comfortable with might seem daunting at first, in the end, you’ll be glad you seized on a new opportunity instead of remaining in an unsatisfactory situation.