It’s late Sunday night, the end of your weekend. And you’re getting a sick, anxious feeling in your stomach again … because in less than 10 hours, you’ve got to wake up, get out of bed, get ready for the day, and head into work.
Into the office … a place where you feel increasingly frustrated and even resentful. Maybe it’s your boss, or your co-workers, or your projects, or your customers, or the monotony of your responsibilities. Either way, you are just miserable at work.
Before you walk into your manager’s office and impulsively quit — and potentially trade out one set of problems for a new set of problems — you should perform an objective review of your work situation:
- 1. Is it a temporary problem? Is the stress and poor situation a temporary departure from what had been an otherwise enjoyable job and work environment? Will the situation improve with the passage of time? Can you see a light at the end of the misery tunnel, or is this feeling at work a chronic pain that will not go away with time?
- 2. Is there still upside? Is the situation simply one driven by monotony and boredom, because the business itself is in a permanent and downward spiral or you’ve learned all that you can and there’s no further upside left? Can you have a heart-to-heart conversation with your boss where you can discuss your career goals and possibly negotiate new areas of extended responsibility or access to new challenges within the organization? Would those types of changes move you forward in your career by introducing new skill sets, experiences and competencies?
- 3. Can the situation be changed? Do you generally like the people you interact with at work? If you’ve proven you are a valuable contributor to the workplace team, are there other positions within the organization that you aspire to, where you can move into and address your areas of discontent? Have you had that discussion with your manager or your mentor?
- 4. Have you taken a break? If you are feeling burned out, are there ways that you can decompress? Can you take a break — a vacation or even just an extended weekend — where you can get away from it all and gain some rest and some perspective? If you did, were you still feeling depressed or stressed?
And after that clear-headed review, if you still feel like it’s getting close to a day when you will get up and quit, make sure you’ve got a solid plan and, even better, a new job lined up.
To get expert and objective help in making your next move, contact us to share your interests and confidentially submit your resume by following this link: Share My Resume and Interests.
(written by: Nelson)
