Is It Time to Quit Your Job, or Get Fired? Marching into your boss’s office and announcing your resignation might be tempting, but it also might be a less-than-prudent action… Quitting a job is big deal, so you should only quit when it suits you, which means: Not out of spite, not for revenge, not out of fear… but, it should be a smooth and rational transition to a better career… According to Joseph Terach; if you think that change will improve your career opportunities, or provide a better work environment, or resolve sensitive management-boss issues… then it’s almost always a good idea to change, but if the prime reason is to make more money, in the short-term, then that’s a bad reason and it could backfire… Since the job market and economy have improved slightly, more people in the workforce are quitting their jobs, than are being fired… According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; about 2.4 million people quit their jobs in November 2013– the most since the recession officially ended. In December the number slipped a little to 2.37 million, but the trend seems to be increasing. Also, ‘job leavers’ represent about 12% of the total unemployed… ‘job quitters’ account for about 0.6% of the total civilian labor force… According to Laurie D. Battaglia; don’t change jobs willy-nilly… don’t hop from employer to employer… the reason most people stay is because they have– good boss, great colleagues, they like the job… in fact, most people leave-quit their ‘boss’ more than they leave-quit the company… If you’re not thrilled with your job, you’re not alone. In fact, you’re in majority. A survey in ‘Quality Digest’ magazine of 5,000 U.S. households found that fewer than half (less than 50%) of all U.S. workers are satisfied with their jobs. So, how do you know when your level of unhappiness has reached ‘point of no return’ and you’re better off leaving-quitting a job rather than sticking it out? Quiz: Is It Time to Quit Your Job? by Debra Auerbach writes: If you’re unhappy at your job and you have thoughts of shouting; I quit! Stop and think; such a drastic decision isn’t easy and shouldn’t be made in haste… So, how do you know when you’re just having a bad day or if you’re truly ready to resign? Or are you on the other end of the spectrum, and love your job a little too much for your own good? Take this quiz to find out where you fall: 1. It’s Sunday night. What’s your mindset? (A.) I’m glad the weekend is over — time to get back to work, use my brain again. (B.) I had a good weekend, but now it’s time to focus on the week ahead. (C.) It’s Sunday already? Back to the daily grind. (D.) I have a pit in my stomach and feel physically ill about the idea of going to work. 2. What is it about your job you don’t like? (A.) Nothing — it’s perfect. (B.) I have to work overtime every once in a while, and I wish for more vacation days. (C.) I feel bored and unchallenged. (D.) Everything– boss, colleagues, job… way the company is run. 3. It’s performance review time, and you’re about to find out whether you got a promotion. What’s running through your mind? (A.) I’m very excited, confident: I got the promotion. I’ll be running the company one day. (B.) I’m have mixed emotions, nervous, excited. I hope I got it and interested in boss’s feedback. (C.) I’m indifferent: If I get it, great; if not, whatever. (D.) I’m hoping I didn’t get a promotion. I have no desire for more responsibility and committed to this company much longer. 4. When you have a bad day at work, you: (A.) Wouldn’t know the feeling: All my days are good (B.) Find ways to relieve stress, such as exercise, shopping, going out with friends… (C.) Go home, turn off the phone, pour a glass of wine and watch TV. (D.) Pick a fight with my spouse, partner… 5. How would you describe your health? (A.) Overall pretty good: But don’t get to exercise that much, because that’s precious time I could be working, proving to the boss that I’m totally committed to the job. (B.) Healthy: I have good work/life balance and find time to eat well and exercise. (C.) So-so: I try to work out every once in a while but don’t always feel motivated. (D.) Not great: I’m not sleeping well, constantly having headaches, often agitated. 6. In five years, you see yourself: (A.) Being in a leadership role within the company. There’s no other option. (B.) In a managerial role, assuming it’s the right fit. (C.) I’m not sure: Maybe I’ll still be working at this company or maybe I won’t. (D.) No longer at this company, and no longer doing what I’m doing. 7. When you have to talk to your boss about a tough or sensitive topic, how do you typically feel? (A.) Good: I have a great relationship with my boss. In fact, she’s my best friend. (B.) Fine: Tough conversations are never fun, but they’re part of life. I know, I and the boss will work through it together. (C.) Annoyed: I avoid talking to the boss or anyone, for that matter, as much as possible. (D.) Scared: I’m afraid the boss will start berating me, making me feel like I failed. That’s usually how these conversations go. 8. When a friend asks you how things are going at work, you respond: (A.)Perfect! I love work and wish it were seven days a week. (B.) Work is good: I’m working on an interesting project right now. (C.) Same old; nothing new to report. Although yesterday I did win a game of Facebook Scrabble that I played with my cube mate. (D.) I don’t want to talk about it. 9. How would you describe your company? (A.) The best place to work in the world. (B.) Good culture, good benefits, smart people. (C.) It’s fine: It’s a place to work. (D.) A terrible place to work. All leadership cares about is making money, no matter how overworked, underpaid and miserable their employees are. 10. You have a client meeting. How are you feeling? (A.) I can’t wait: I’ve been up all night preparing. (B.) I feel prepared and think it’s going to be a good meeting. (C.) Ugh: Another meeting with same client, talking about same things. (D.) Sick to my stomach: It’s not that I’m not prepared but how do I convince a client when I don’t even believe myself, what I’m talking about? Results: ▪ Mostly (A.)’s: You love the job — maybe too much. There’s nothing wrong with loving what you do. But if work is taking over your life — because you choose for it to, not because you’re forced to make it that way — you may be making sacrifices in other areas, such as relationships and health: Having a work/life balance is very important… ▪ Mostly (B.)’s: Congratulations! You have a job that you enjoy and you have achieved healthy work/life balance. You’re motivated and work hard, but you’re pretty good about not taking work home with you. ▪ Mostly (C.)’s: You likely have a general attitude of indifference toward your job. Your work doesn’t really challenge you anymore, and you may feel as if your career is stalled. You go to work every day and do what you need to do to get the work done, but you don’t care enough to go above and beyond. To get out of this work rut, it may be time to explore other opportunities… ▪ Mostly (D.)’s: If you fall into this category, you may want to consider whether it’s time to make a change. While it’s normal to not want a weekend to end, it’s not normal to feel an overwhelming sense of dread, anxiety. Constantly feeling stressed, miserable, overwhelmed… will eventually harm your health. When you’ve gotten to a point where work makes you physically ill, you need to re-evaluate your situation. Perhaps surprisingly, but economists generally believe that when more people begin quitting their jobs that’s usually a sign that the job market is improving… According to Steven Davis; we have lots of evidence that shows that higher ‘quits’ is associated with a better labor market… The reason is that people tend to quit when they are confident they will get another job… But like much else during this recovery, rising quits could be indicating something different this time around… According to Heather Boushey; be cautious not to reading too much into the rise in the number of people quitting… Recent studies have shown that workers satisfaction has dropped dramatically, in the past two years, and people are quitting because they have a new job, or they at the point where they are just feed-up and are willing to take their chances…..According to a recent survey by job-search site ‘Snagajob’; 44% of respondents who quit in the past year did so believing they would find a better opportunity elsewhere, up from 31% the year before… More people are leaving-quitting their jobs, according to Janet Yellen; because it indicates strengthening economy… Presumably the quitters have, or hoped to have, a new job lined up, but are they making the right choice? In recent years, we’ve heard, in the news, some pretty creative–’Take This Job and Shove It’ stories, for example; Joey quit his job with the support of a marching band and posted it on YouTube… A Jetblue flight attendant quit his job, grabbed a beer and then slid down the emergency chute of the plane he was on… In case of Greg Smith, former Goldman Sachs vice president, he wrote detailed personal manifesto of the company’s faults… It landed in the New York Times, garnering national attention and even online parodies… According to Tony Morrison; a resignation for any reason; whether for general dissatisfaction, genuine cause… is serious career decision… Publicly bad-mouthing an employer is one of the worst things you can ever do even if you think it’s justified… So, ‘if you want to quit’ — just quit…
Posted on: Mon, 14 Jul 2014 14:46:42 +0000
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