BY CHRIS CAREY
Time to leave?
We’ve all been there, the moment you wake up and dread the day ahead. Dread going back to the place of work, dread being bullied by the boss, dread working with people who can quite frankly drive you up the wall.
So, we ask ourselves, is it the right time to make a move?
More times than not, we let that question run through our minds, ignore it and then carry on with our day. And this is okay! You’re allowed to have negative thoughts on occasion, feeling the bad makes the good feel great.
However, when it’s not okay, is when you have these thoughts over and over and, after exploring different avenues, you come to realise that work, or your place of work, is the issue. So, when should you leave?
I’ve spent the best part of a decade speaking to professionals about new opportunities. Some people don’t want to move and are genuinely happy in their current positions. Some people are content and may be open to hearing about opportunities, whilst others are in the mindset I described above. When speaking to these people, it’s paramount to explore the reasons why they dread their job.
Once you have realised what the main issues are, I believe that it is in your best interest to attack these, head-on. It may feel like an uncomfortable conversation or something you would never normally do, however, these conversations do not need to be confrontational. Remember, it is about you looking out for yourself and making sure you can perform to the very best of your ability, which in turn, improves output – it’s in the company’s interest too!
That will always be my first question and recommendation. If you can fix these issues, and you’re happy in other areas, then maybe your career and welfare will blossom in your current place of work?
If, however, this is not the case, and your concerns are not taken seriously, or you are not given the chance to discuss these, then I would recommend you look at other opportunities. Of course, there are other examples of times it may be worth looking at new roles, such as lack of progression, being told you’re un-investible, being overlooked due to favouritism, childish behaviour in the workplace as well as the personal pros of moving job, such as better progression, increased work-life balance, exploring new career opportunities and even better recognition.
Right now, we are in a candidate short market, and you have more and more choices for what your next move is. So, when should you leave? Focus on your reasons and work out what you want. That way, no Monday will be a blue Monday!