5 signs it *might* be time to look for a new role

1) You get the Sunday Scaries

A mild form of back-to-work blues this time of year is to be expected, but if the return to work after summer has left you filled with dread this year, you might be ready to start thinking about a change.

Perhaps you find yourself living for the weekend each week? If worrying about Mondays has become your default, it could also signal that it’s time to look for a new role.

If either of these scenarios resonates, it’s important to take some time to reflect and get clear on what it is that is at the root of the problem. Is your job really the problem? Or have you just lost a bit of your mojo? If so, is there something you can change to get it back again? 

Perhaps you have stopped learning or growing? Is there an opportunity to get involved in a new project, take a course or find a mentor to expand your perspective?

Or perhaps you are simply working in a toxic culture, and just generally find everyone working around you pretty miserable? If so, a change in job could be exactly what you need.

2) Something feels out of sync

Company culture, values, clashes with colleagues or even your boss - any sense of misalignment at work can seriously impact our happiness. 

I’ve worked in places where I’ve felt I can be 100% authentically me - and flourished. And others where I’ve left like I’ve had to act/behave in a certain way to fit in - and that’s just plain exhausting tbh.

I’ve also worked in companies that I once loved - but over time fell out of love with. Perhaps there have been some commercial or strategic decisions that don’t sit well with you, restructures that land badly, new leadership that changes everything - or something that just makes it feel different.

Work-life balance conflicts are also included here - perhaps you are being ‘encouraged’ back to the office 3 days a week at the detriment of your family life, fitness regime or similar?

In these cases, it’s important to be super clear on what your values are and gain awareness of how closely your job allows you to be in alignment with them. For instance, if honesty or integrity are among your core values but there are multiple times when your company (or boss) displays opposing values, you will likely have more than a few frustrations working there. 

If this is you, use your values as your ‘north star’ to guide you. Don’t feel too disheartened if you find yourself in this situation - whilst there can be lots of similarities between companies, each one has its own unique culture (and often departmental sub-cultures) which may or not reflect the ones you’ve been sold at the interview!

3) You feel stagnant

Perhaps you feel like you could be achieving so much more. Maybe you feel a bit frustrated as you are under-utilised or overlooked?

A lot of us gain great satisfaction from learning and developing. You might be fortunate enough to work with a boss who champions you, but usually, the best course of action is to be your own cheerleader and take ownership of your development. 

Perhaps you’ve done this already - you’ve made your boss aware of your ambitions, put yourself forward for stretch assignments,  shadowed more senior colleagues, been on a course to upskill but the progression opportunities are still not forthcoming - or simply just aren’t available?

Or perhaps you aren’t deeply unhappy at work - you are happy-ish, but often find yourself wondering ‘what if’. 

In these scenarios, it’s important to think about what you want and what your priorities are. 

Weighing up the pros/cons of staying v’s leaving is a good place to start - it may be that progression has had to be put on a back-burner due to other priorities or personal circumstances for a period, and that’s ok - what’s important is to gain awareness of what you truly want, what’s getting in your way, and go from there. 

Perhaps financial stability makes you doubt whether a move would be wise and you should just stick with the status quo? If the only thing keeping you at your job is the salary, it could be a sign that you're potentially sacrificing your happiness for the moolah. I know that, especially in the current economic climate, a lot of people don’t have a choice about this, but if you’re fortunate enough to be in a position where you do have a choice, then it’s worth thinking about how you can go from just ‘meh’ to ‘hell yeah’.

4) Your well-being is compromised

In times of reduced budgets, headcount and roles there is always the risk that those remaining are expected to pick up the slack and (seemingly the most popular recent trend I’ve seen) to ‘DO MORE WITH LESS’

The consequence for many of these people sooner or later? Yep, you guessed it: burnout.

If a never-ending workload or unrealistic deadlines are causing you to feel constantly overwhelmed and you find yourself neglecting your own needs, or if you are finding yourself feeling constantly exhausted or skipping the gym for another after-work drinks sesh to (temporarily) relieve the stress -  it may be time for a re-think. 

Setting clear boundaries, blocking out time in our diaries for a run or lunchtime walk and making sure we leave at a reasonable time are all good places to start. If however the company or colleagues are consistently overstepping your boundaries (constant emails/texts while you are on holiday or nursery pick-ups perhaps…) then, for your wellbeing, it could be time to move on.

5) The Devil wears Prada

Does your boss undermine you? Criticise you? Confuse the hell out of you? 

The phrase “people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad bosses is a common one - not one I 100% agree with (see reasons 1-4 above) but it IS still a biggie.

Or perhaps you have the opposite problem - your boss makes you feel important, perhaps even so much so that they couldn’t cope if you left (they’d prefer that you stay put and not move into another department for that promotion so actively discourage it). That sounds awful right, but I’ve seen this exact scenario more than once.

If your boss isn’t supportive or doesn’t have your best interests at heart, it could be time to switch things up.

In my experience, these are some of the most common reasons for a change in role but of course, this list is not exhaustive and there are many other valid reasons for considering a job switch (e.g. geographical relocation, downsizing or a change in circumstances). 

Whatever the cause, most of us spend the majority of our weeks working - isn’t life too short to be so unhappy at work that you wish most of your life away?

If you need help working out your next move, please get in touch to book a free confidential 30-minute discovery call today.