“Should I stay or should I go?” is a question that many people find themselves asking at one point or another about their jobs. But is the feeling of wanting to fly the coop a passing phase that a weeklong vacation might solve, or are you really ready to quit and move on? Your answers to the seven questions below will help you determine if the time is right for a job change, or if sticking it out is a better decision:
Are you being bullied? If you’re aggressively managed by your boss, cut out of important discussions by co-workers or receive unfair criticism instead of credit for your work, it’s a good time to consider new options. Unless you have an advocate on the management team or in human resources who is looking out for your best interests and addressing these cultural problems within the company to hold people accountable for their bullying behavior, it’s a strong sign that you’re being belittled and undervalued in your current role and at the company.
[See: How to Quit Your Job.]
Have you maxed out your potential? If you took on your current position because of the opportunity to face specific challenges but have mastered those now, think about whether you may have plateaued where you are. Unless you and your supervisor have actively tried to find new ways that you can grow and expand your responsibilities within the job, you may end up feeling stuck and stagnant if there’s no clear path to learning and developing.
Do you feel sick on Sunday nights? Sure, it can be hard for anyone to let go of the freedom of the weekend and get ready to transition back to the workweek. But if you’ve found that you never look forward to Mondays — and in fact that the mere prospect of going to work the next day brings on physical symptoms of illness such as stomachaches, nausea and the discomfort of anxiety or even panic attacks — then something has to give. You don’t have to live like this when you could be in a job, role or company that is a better match for you than your current one.
[See: 25 Best Business Jobs for 2017.]
Are you making too little money? A low salary in and of itself isn’t necessarily a reason to leave your job. But if you’ve already tried unsuccessfully to negotiate for higher pay in conjunction with your performance reviews — pointing out the ways that you add value and sharing competitive benchmark data on salaries in your industry and region — then preparing to jump ship may be the best way to make more money. Sometimes all it takes is a competitive offer from a different organization to convince your employer to up the ante.
Do you have a major disconnect with your boss? Not everyone is lucky enough to have a stress-free relationship with their supervisor, but it’s important to feel like your boss is on your side rather than against you. If you don’t have the support you need from your manager and have already tried to address the issues with her but have seen no tangible results or changes, consider whether you really want to spend the next years of your life with a difficult boss.
[See: 10 Reasons to Quit Your Job Already.]
Do you feel like a cultural outsider? It’s not just your specific role at the company that affects how you feel about your daily work life — it’s also the corporate culture. If your values are a serious mismatch with the culture in which you are working, it can make you want to get out even if you like the job that you’re doing. For example, if having flexibility for family and other priorities outside of work is important to you but your office has a strict policy of nine-to-five face time, then you may find that this cultural demand doesn’t work for your lifestyle.
Are you obsessed with doing something else? Perhaps when you joined the company, you loved your work and your job felt like the perfect fit. Today, though, your interests have taken a wide swing in a different direction. Whether you’ve noticed yourself fantasizing about being a stay-at-home parent, launching your own business or switching industries or roles completely, these are all signs that your passion is no longer there for what you’re doing at work — and if your heart isn’t in it, it will be hard to succeed where you are.
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Is It Time for a Job Change? originally appeared on usnews.com
