When is it Okay to Quit my Job?
How many times have you wanted to throw your hands up in the air and say, “I’ve had enough of this job, I quit?”. You feel you’ve done more or put up with more than any good employee should need to yet you are scared to quit one job before you have another lined up. Sound familiar?
There probably isn’t one person that holds down a job that hasn’t thought to themselves how badly they wish they worked somewhere else. The one thing your parents preached to you about work is never to quit a job before you have the prospect of another, yet now you are in a predicament they lectured about your entire life.
But what if you are mentally and/or physically pushed beyond your boundaries of what you can handle from a job or co-workers? Are there justifiable reasons to leave a job before knowing for sure you have another employer lined up?
Is it easier to find a job while unemployed?
There are situations where it is unhealthy to stay with an employer before finding a different job. Working at a job you despise so much that you’ve become ill is a prime example. You need to look carefully at your mentality and ask yourself, “Do I have what it takes to seek a new job at this point in my life?”
If you find that you feel discouraged and too depleted to seek new employment actively,then you may want to reevaluate your current employment situation. Sometimes it takes walking away from a bad situation to find a better position.
For some, it is harder to remain productive while finding the time and the energy to devote themselves to search for a different job. There are also those that find it simpler to hunt full-time work than it is to hunt for part-time employment to free themselves from their current employer.
When your job becomes searching for a job, you have the time and energy to research and approach potential employers. Networking with old and new friends while aggressively devoting all your time to the needs you have as an employee is easier to do when you aren’t mentally bogged down from staying at a job that you find distasteful.
Even if you do find it harder becoming gainfully employed while being unemployed, you may have reached the point where returning to your daily grind has become too unhealthy for you.
When is it the right choice to quit my job without another lined up?
- 1). You feel threatened: If you have reached the point where your current employment is physically and/or emotionally dangerous, it’s time to walk away. If you are mistreated and can prove it, there is a chance you can search for a new job while receiving unemployment from the job you left behind.
When you are forced from a job due to poor conduct and treatment from others, you are what is known as “constructively discharged.” If you feel unsafe, whether you can collect compensation or not, it’s time to walk away.
- 2). You feel ill: I am sure at one point you’ve said, “My job makes me sick.” This situation does happen. If you feel your current job is making you physically and/or mentally ill due to stress, consider taking a leave of absence or medical leave to pull yourself back together.
When it comes down to your health versus a job, it may be time that you evaluate your situation and walk away if you feel you are no longer well enough to perform your duties at your job in a healthy environment.
- 3). Take what you can get: Feeling overwhelmed to the point where you have made yourself sick is when you need to leave and take what you can find until the right job comes along.
Check with friends and relatives to see if there is any work you can do for income while you actively seek full-time employment. Working a job that isn’t your ideal career may not be what you had in mind, but, you will have a steady income and somewhere to go while you search for the perfect job.
- 4). Do consult work: If your line of work is one that you can pick up a few consulting jobs or freelance work, now is the time to go for it. For the time being, any income is better than now income whatsoever.
If you have the means to pick up work through a temp agency or by searching contract/freelance jobs, do it. By doing this, you can leave the toxic job you are at, pick up an income and have more experience to put on a resume. Having clarity and structure in your workload while you figure out your next step is a move in the right direction.
- 5). Regain focus: If you feel you won’t have the time or the peace of mind to concentrate on finding a new job, you need to leave. Even having to cut your expenses down to the bare minimum is better than being stuck in a dead-end job that is driving you crazy.
Saying this goes back to the previously mentioned scenarios, one- being you can’t find a job while you are emotionally spent with your current employer. You may need to take a small job to get you through your financial obligations, do it anyways. You will need your newly found focus and peace of mind that will come with leaving a toxic environment when starting a new career.
- 6). Too much sick time used: If you find that you are using your sick days, holidays and vacation days to avoid going to your job, it’s time to leave. Once you’ve reached this point, there is no turning back without taking time off to regroup or leaving altogether, the latter being the wisest choice.
Arriving at this point doesn’t happen overnight, but once it does, it’s time to make some changes. Using every avenue possible to avoid going to your job is not only cost effective, but it is also mentally exhausting.
As you can see, there are many reasons why staying employed just for the sake of being employed not always the best choice. You have to weigh out the pros and cons along with all your options and make the best decision for your health and your sanity.
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