Tag: bad job
Lots of people are quitting their jobs. How about you?
Lately there have been a lot of news stories about “the great resignation.” Some employees are quitting because they do not want to return to the office after experiencing the benefits of working from home. Others are reevaluating their priorities in life, and want to make changes that help them enjoy more of their working hours.
There are some similarities to how employees felt during and after the housing recession around 2007 – 2012. During the recession, there were mass layoffs and some employers cut benefits. Yet workloads did not change. The remaining employees struggled to fill the gaps and do more work with fewer resources. Employer attitudes were that staff should be grateful to have jobs when many did not.
When businesses started growing again and hiring in greater numbers, employees who were burned out and fed up had more new opportunities to choose from. And they chose them!
This time around, workers seem to feel even more empowered to leave their jobs for something better. A quick internet search for “negotiating working from home” pulls up several pages of results from the past year. And it is not only people seeking remote work who are quitting. Workers are looking for employers who will treat them well. Employees are less likely to put up with bad managers, brutal workloads, or inflexible workplace policies when there are other options.
If you are tempted to leave a bad job but need a little nudge, I’ve got a few nudges in the “quitting” category on my blog Quitting : Truth and Details.
A step towards a better job
Many people who spoke to me about quitting bad jobs told me it took two years for them to recover from the stress and negativity they had left behind. They came from different industries and their workplaces were toxic for different reasons. What they had in common was that they all moved on to better roles, and they were all happier because of it.
It can take time to find better work and recover from bad experiences. Starting small and starting now is a great way to stop feeling stuck and begin feeling empowered. Updating a resume or looking at job postings are actions within our control. A small step is still forward progress.
There is nothing virtuous about tolerating a toxic workplace
Coping with a bad job while you search for something better? Great. Doing what you need to do to pay the bills until you can move on? Sometimes necessary.
But there is nothing virtuous about staying in a toxic work environment just because you think you should be able to handle it. Tolerating bad treatment on the job doesn’t earn you a badge of honor.
Struggling at work
If you’re struggling to succeed at work and are constantly getting feedback about the ways that you are underperforming, it doesn’t mean that you’re incompetent. It could mean:
- Your workload or deadlines are unrealistic
- Your manager has different priorities or expectations for the job than you do
- There is a gap between your skills and the job requirements
These issues are solvable. Workloads and deadlines are negotiable. Priorities can be discussed and agreed upon. Training or mentoring can be provided to raise skill levels.
If your manager is unwilling to discuss and implement changes that would improve your performance, then the job is a bad fit. It doesn’t mean you’re a bad worker if you don’t have the characteristics needed for a particular job. It just means that it isn’t the right job for you.
Your next job doesn’t have to be your forever job
If you feel stuck in a bad job it can be easy to lose sight of the bigger picture. You’re probably stressed, frustrated and tired. Your work conditions and how you feel can make it difficult to spend energy on anything but coping.
Wouldn’t it be nice if a letter came down your chimney containing a job offer that is perfectly suited to your interests and abilities and paid enough money that you didn’t have to worry about bills, like Harry Potter’s invitation to go to school at Hogwarts?
Many of us would be thrilled just to know what type of job would make us happy so we could start pursuing it. But if you’re depleted from your current job, you’re not in an ideal frame of mind to think of realistic possibilities. It is easier to dream about a job that you think you would love and ignore the part about needing to make a living wage and have healthcare benefits.
You don’t have to stay in your miserable job until you figure out what type of work is best for you. Your best course of action might be to just start looking for similar work somewhere else. Take your existing skills and experience and apply for jobs you’re qualified for.
Getting hired by a new employer may provide a boost of confidence along with a new setting and new coworkers. It’s a change that could give you a fresh perspective about what you like and don’t like about the work you’re doing. These insights will help you consider what it would take to have a job that makes you happy.
Your next job doesn’t have to be the perfect job that you want to stay in until you retire. It can be the next job on your journey to a fulfilling career.
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