Considering Leaving Your Job?

Bad patch or bad job? If you’re miserable at work, how do you know if you can fix things, or whether you should consider leaving your job?

We all have bad days at work. But if that bad day is every day, it might be time to consider leaving your job. Some causes of job dissatisfaction are impossible to alter, and in this case employees may well be better off making a fast exit. However, workplace discontentment may be improved without leaving your job – and in some situations, improving your current job may achieve a better outcome than looking for a new one.

Happy employees tend to have both a good work/life balance and an interest in what they do for a living. If employees lack one of these crucial elements of job satisfaction, they may well end up as one of them UK workers who are considering leaving their job.

Good work/life balance is currently a key government agenda, and having plenty of time to enjoy your social life and family is essential for enjoying your work. If you love what you do, but often feel stressed and overworked, there are steps you can take to improve things before you consider leaving your job.

Making sure work uses no more of your time than it should requires active steps, because it won’t just happen on its own. Take a good look at your life and make a clear decision to claim more of it back for activities other than work. The first thing you can do is have a good look at the way you’re living now.

Start by sitting down and working out how many hours a week are taken up by work. That doesn’t just mean the hours you’re at the workplace, but also any time you spend working at home and all the time on top of that you spend thinking and worrying about work, and even the times when you’re too tired from work to do anything else. You might be surprised by how much it adds up.

Then look at the other side. Make a list of all the things you really enjoy doing but haven’t had the time or energy to do for a long while. It can be something as simple as reading a book at bedtime, gardening or meeting an old friend for a drink. Again, you might be surprised by how long your list is. By making these lists, you’re recognising that there’s a problem, and by spelling out what it is you’re setting yourself on the road to solving it and putting your life back into a healthier balance.

Employees may also have poor work/life balance if they have no flexibility with their working hours. If you find your work rewarding, but hate the regimented hours and nine-to-five routine, it may be worth talking to your employer about flexible working – which includes condensing hours on certain days, some part-time working and occasionally working from home. Staff who are offered flexible hours claim to enjoy their work more, so if you’re not enjoying your job consider whether flexible working would help.

If you don’t have workplace flexibility and you think it’s making you enjoy your job less, how do you go about changing things? Broadly speaking, you’re legally entitled to request flexible working if you’ve had more than 26-weeks continuous employment, aren’t an agency worker and care for a child or relative in some capacity. In this case, you can submit a request in writing (although employers can refuse on a number of very general grounds). If you’re not a primary carer you don’t have any specific legal rights to request flexible working, but that doesn’t mean you can’t ask. After all, making changes for existing staff is often more cost-effective for employers than going through the recruitment process.

Improved work/life balance may help some employees stay put, but what about those who aren’t interested in the work they do? Should they consider leaving their job?

If you’re not interested in the organisation you work for, it could be time to consider leaving your job for something you’re really passionate about.