Break up or make up....with your job

Should you break up or make up?

If you’re one of those people who glide to work each day on your happiness cloud because you’re soooo in love with your job– well done you! DON’T READ ON!

However, if you’re the person that on Sunday night/afternoon, starts stressing out and having disastrous thoughts about what you’ll face at work on Monday morning…. then this is definitely a sign you need to read on ..….

If you’re feeling this way don’t automatically think it’s time to chuck in your job. It could mean you just need to tweak a few details at work to get you back on that cloud of joy OR you’ve exhausted every possibility and yes, it’s time to break up and walk away.

Here’s some signs to help you figure it out – break up or make up!

Take a good hard look at yourself

Have you already mentally prepared your breakup speech and it starts with…..it’s not you, it’s me! This most likely relates to culture. The fit may not be right for you anymore or if you’ve just started, it’s not what HR or the Recruiter promised. Culture is tough to change as an individual unless you’re in a position of influence, so it’s probably best to move on and find “your people”.

You’re a clock watcher

In my experience, a lot of clock watchers are like this because they have a pretty long or difficult commute to get to and from work. The idea of missing a train, bus, tram makes them break out in a cold sweat! If this is you, is there a way your work can give you some more flexibility i.e. work from home or commute in non peak hour times. It’s worth exploring in a conversation but If it’s a hard no – then yes, time to find a job closer to home.

You bring your work stress home with you…and it’s not going down well!

This is a no brainer. Ask yourself, would you rather break up with your current partner/family or break up with your job? When you’re more interested in checking your emails and work texts than being present and spending time with your loved ones, then alarm bells should be ringing!! Now is the time to look at what is stressing you out and if it can be changed/managed better. If this isn’t an option, then it’s best to explore your next move instead of your next family!

You’ve lost that loving feeling

Think back to the last time you got excited about doing your job. Do you love the tasks you do every day? Are you clear on your purpose and why you are an accountant/fireman/receptionist? We all hate one or two elements of what we do, but if you’ve reached the point where majority of your tasks make you unhappy than perhaps it’s time for a career change. What are your passions? Look in your bookshelf – what are most of the book topics about? How do you spend your spare time? This will tell you what motivates you and perhaps what your next career should be. Take the time to explore upskilling or study options and remember, your skills will most likely be transferable.

I’ve spoken to thousands of candidates in my career, and in my experience it’s usually a combination of reasons they're unhappy. Majority of the time however, they always know in their gut it’s time to break up and jump back into the dating pool of job searching for the “right” one. So, get swiping and get hopefully soon you’ll see “it’s a match!”

Be fabulous

Lisa xx