Should I go or should I stay? How to make the call when you’re not loving your job

When a client tells me they’ve quit their job, it makes my day!  

But that’s usually because it’s come about after they’d been stuck in an untenable situation that was never going to change, and they’d finally built up the courage and confidence to leave. 

That’s not to say, however, that leaving is always the answer when you’re unhappy at work.  

Sometimes, there are things that can change that might help you fall back in love with the job.  

What it comes down to is working out what’s not going well, and whether or not the things that need to change are within your control.  

For example, if you are fed up and exhausted because there is always more work to do than there are hours in the day – is it within your control to reduce the workload?  

Are you somehow contributing to the overwhelm by putting your hand up when there’s additional work to do or by agreeing to help colleagues when you don’t actually have capacity?  

If so, ask yourself where that’s coming from. Could it be a fear of being judged if you don’t help or agree to the extra work? Perhaps you’re worried people might think you can’t cope if you push back? Perhaps your identity at work has always been the helpful one that everyone else can rely on?  

If you could change your behaviour and responses, for instance through developing skills to deal with the unhelpful thoughts and fears, and to assertively push back on the work requests and demands, are you in a safe environment to do so? If so, it’s worth trying. You might learn to love your job again.  

However, if the lack of resources is at a system level (an education or health system, for instance, that’s had years of under funding and requires a complete overhaul to fix what’s broken), then no amount of individual behaviour change or good intentions from a supportive manager will address that. If that’s the case, you might decide it’s time to look elsewhere.  

Point being, if you are unhappy at work, try to figure out if the things that are making you miserable are within your control to change. If so, make some changes. If not, therein lies your answer to the question – should I go or should I stay.  

I hope this useful. If you need further help to figure out your situation, get in touch.