5 signs that you don’t need to resign

Reading top trending blogs on LinkedIn it is a theme that stands out ‘if you hate your job quit it’! A quick Google will give you 50 ‘quit your job’ blogs to 1 ‘try and work it out’ blog in its search engine…it would be a magical world for employees and a nightmare for employers if we all followed this advice. Most of us have a mortgage to pay, dependants and a reputation to maintain – quitting your job left, right and centre puts all of the above and more at risk; so before you throw your resignation letter at your boss try and work out why you are so unhappy you want to resign – because if it’s your attitude then you are only going to take that with you to a new job.

Here are 5 reasons you don’t need to resign:

1. Your company is growing

Companies that are in growth are likely to have opportunities opening elsewhere in the business, if your current job isn’t working for you then perhaps another one will? A fast growing company will be opening new departments or investing in exciting projects; there is no reason why you can’t work towards a completely new role, and the growth may offer you progression into management. Jumping ship to a company that isn’t growing or worse, declining, isn’t a great career tip and you should do your research on the companies that are really doing well.

2. You haven’t got a development plan

The more we learn, the more we want to grow and develop our skills and if your job holds you back and makes you feel stuck then you may automatically feel like you want to leave the company that doesn’t advance you. However no one is going to do this for you and you should remember you are in charge of your own career development. Do you want to be a manager? Work for a slightly different industry? Well make a plan on how you are going to get there, do you need to do a course, get a mentor or just change your personal brand? Ask peer opinions and of course your managers who will like to be involved in your development.

3. You don’t relax enough

There is strong research that claims that most people don’t use all of their holiday; some companies will carry over days into the new-year, however most go under the saying “use them or loose them”. When was the last time you went on holiday and truly relaxed? Working endless stretches of 40 hour weeks, heavy workloads, always on your mobile, never switching off and loosing your work life balance can make you feel like you’ve tipped over the edge and just want to walk away. Take some time to relax, treat yourself and re-evaluate what you enjoy about your job and why you liked it in the first place.

4. Misery loves company

So you don’t like your boss, co-workers, projects, workload, responsibilities, your commute, <insert problem here>? To make you feel better about them do you offload your problems onto others who join in the misery, relating their own gripes? Fun for one lunchtime perhaps to blow off steam, but it can snowball into living surrounded by negativity; this can happen really quickly – it sucks you in and it is hard to escape. It may be hard but stop focusing on complaining and gossiping but research tactics on positive thinking and start practising it every day, end friendships with those that bring you down and focus on an exciting project to keep you happy.

5. Your boss doesn’t know

As much as we think (or they want us to think) our bosses don’t know everything that is happening with their team at any one second. You may be completely overwhelmed but if you sit in your catch-ups and tell them everything is okay – they will think everything is okay. You may see it as a weakness to ask for help, but let me tell you it is not; sometimes we all need some help to overcome something that is hindering us – you are human and your boss is there to offer strategies to help. Simply vocalising your problems will help and you both will have a better understanding of what is happening within your working life.

So before you start updating your CV and proofing countless cover letters take time to put the above tips into practise. Let me know how you get on…