Considering 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. With job vacancies increasing by around 1% in May 2008, according to the Office of National Statistics, now could be just the time to look for work. 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.
According to leading organisational psychologist, Cary Cooper, who analysed the 2007 City & Guilds Happiness Index, happy employees 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 be one of the 20% of 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, according to Cooper, 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.
TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, suggests that unless employees take charge of their time, they’re likely to find themselves overworking. “Making sure work uses no more of your time than it should requires active steps, because it won’t just happen on its own,” says Barber. “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.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.
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. “When you follow your passion life becomes easier,” says Hambleton-Jones. “By this I don’t mean all your problems disappear, but at least you feel as though you’re swimming with the tide rather than against it.”
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According to leading organisational psychologist, Cary Cooper, who analysed the 2007 City & Guilds Happiness Index, happy employees 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 be one of the 20% of 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, according to Cooper, 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.
TUC General Secretary, Brendan Barber, suggests that unless employees take charge of their time, they’re likely to find themselves overworking. “Making sure work uses no more of your time than it should requires active steps, because it won’t just happen on its own,” says Barber. “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.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.
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. “When you follow your passion life becomes easier,” says Hambleton-Jones. “By this I don’t mean all your problems disappear, but at least you feel as though you’re swimming with the tide rather than against it.”
