(Akiit.com) Leaving a job is no easy decision. Many of us have bills to pay, which means getting another job lined up, which means sacrificing precious free time to trawl online job boards and fill out applications. Having a job, no matter how bad it is, offers a certain financial security. However, this alone is no reason to stay.
We spend the majority of our waking lives at work. Your job doesn’t necessarily have to be something you love with a passion, but it shouldn’t be something you have to suffer through either. We all have aspects of our job that we dislike, but some aspects may be asking too much from us. Here are 7 clear signs that you should leave your job.
You don’t find the work rewarding
A job should always carry a sense of reward. Good pay can be enough for some people, but others may find that they need other forms of reward to keep them motivated. Many people like to feel as if they’re making a difference, whether it’s bringing joy to 
customers’ lives or helping a company to grow. It’s good to also have goals to work towards such as a promotion, the chance to improve your reputation in your field or simply the chance to complete an exciting project. If your job doesn’t give you any sense of reward and you feel bored (or worse, you feel like your job is forcing you to go against your personal morals), it could be time to walk out the door. Having a sense of reward could make you happier not just in your job but outside your job too.
Your job is damaging your physical/mental health
No job is worth your health. The most common way a job can harm us physically and mentally is through stress. It can lead to depression, anxiety, weight problems and heart disease. If you’re battling stress every day and you’re noticing the side effects, it could be time to quit.
There could also be issues of health and safety, which are a definite reason to quit a job. You may have had an accident such as a forklift accident as the result of faulty equipment or poor training, in which case you should not just leave but consider the option of a lawsuit. In other cases, slow exposure to a chemical or a repetitive strain motion could be causing an injury to take place – if no health and safety measures are in place to prevent this injury getting worse, you may want to quit to prevent further physical harm.
Toxic personalities in your workplace are holding you back
It’s rare you’ll get on with everyone in your workplace. In most cases, it’s possible to deal with these people and still get the job done without too much stress. However, in other scenario a bad boss or colleagues may be creating a toxic environment that’s impossible to work in. There could be bullying going on, colleagues may be refusing to take responsibility of mistakes or a boss may be deliberately overlooking your efforts and unfairly favoriting others. Moving to a workplace where you don’t have to deal with this toxicity could help you to feel a lot happier.
Your skills aren’t being put to good use
If you’ve got a skill and your job isn’t offering you the opportunity to use that skill, this could also be a good reason to leave. This doesn’t have to be a license or a degree but simply a talent that you think you possess. This could be anything from being able to code a website to being able to style hair. There may even be personal qualities that you feel you’re not getting to use such as creativity, leadership or communication skills. Consider whether you’d be better off finding a job that uses your talents – it could help make the job more rewarding.
You find even the smallest tasks overwhelming
It’s possible you may feel completely out of your depth in your job and that every task may feel like too much for you to handle. The job may be better suited to certain personalities or people with certain skills – or the role may be simply too much for any one person to take on. If you’re getting stressed and struggling to do the job correctly, consider looking elsewhere for a job more suited to your skills and interests. There’s a job out there for everyone and it’s a case of realising your strengths and weaknesses and not letting employers force roles upon you that are simply not within your means.
Your job is having a serious negative impact on your personal life
This can sometimes be a difficult one to weigh up – you may love your job, but it could be resulting in long or irregular hours that could be having an impact on your personal life. You may have little time to spend with your friends and family or may simply have no time for your own interests outside of work. In some cases, you may be able to come to an arrangement with an employer allowing you to work hours around your other commitments. However, if the nature of the work doesn’t permit this, you may have to consider whether your job is worth the strain. There may be a similar job that you can get that doesn’t affect your personal life as much due to more sociable hours or a more flexible schedule – this could be worthwhile pursuing if it saves a relationship.
The company is a sinking ship
If the company is failing and there’s little hope of it coming back to life, this too could be a good reason to leave before you too end up going down with the ship. Major cutbacks can be a warning sign, particularly cutbacks to staffing. Most employers will try to hide the fact that their business is failing, but there are usually tell tale signs that this isn’t working.
Staff Writer; Terry Hall