5 signs you need to quit your job today

Work is a fact of life – we all have to work, make money and build things. We get so few precious years of freedom. Where I live (in Sydney, Australia) the deal is that you work from age 18 to age 70 (our retirement age is currently set at 68 and is going up!). We work a standard 38 hours per week, with 4 weeks’ annual leave – that means 1824 hours per year, or just shy of 95 thousand hours in a lifetime.

We have all done lousy jobs

I have done some stinkers of jobs in my career path. What makes a job lousy? Inevitably it is the conditions and the people. Have you ever worked in a workplace where everyone simply hates being there? I have – not for long, mercifully.

One job I had, I worked in a surf shop, enormously popular in Australia. It was run by a farther/daughter team who simply hated each other’s guts. They would get into huge screaming matches while all the other team members ducked for cover.

Then there was a company I worked for that ran a bunch of clothing stores (yup, I’ve done a lot of retail in my youth) where every store was fitted out with multiple cameras. Rather than using them primarily to stop thieving customers, these were more often than not trained on the staff who were constantly busted for non-sackable offences such as leaning on counter tops or unpacking boxes in the wrong part of the store.

So, I have done some research and here is what the experts are saying about whether you are in the wrong job or not. Here are 5 signs that you should consider handing in your notice today.

A terrible boss, direct report or manager

We all have to work with difficult people, but there are some behaviours that we simply shouldn’t have to put up with. If your boss is overly critical, if they yell, use offensive language or are a bully, then it might be a sign that it’s time to say good bye.

Awful conditions

Some employers really do not have their employees’ best interests at heart. I worked for a place where the boss made the casual staff go home for extended lunch breaks and return later in the shift when things got busier, effectively not paying them for their time. If you workplace is breaching the rules, consider taking your talents elsewhere.

Dishonesty and bad business practices

As an honest person (OK, I am no saint) it really irks me when people fail to do the right thing. If the company you work at has questionable business practices, cut your losses and move onto a place that shares your personal and professional vision.

A company in decline

Yep, been in one of these too and it’s no fun. When the company you work at or the industry they operate in is in peril, you are unlikely to have a positive working experience. If you find yourself in this space then think carefully about your options and plan to move on.

You don’t believe in what you’re doing

No matter your job, it’s important that we feel worthwhile and validated as human beings. Even if you’re just working in a bakery (as I have!) or are the manager of hundreds of people, you need to understand why you’re doing what you’re doing and have some sort of passion for it.

“Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit.”

George Carlin