By Lloyd Harris | May 25, 2020.
Research has shown that job performance has a strong correlation with employee and customer satisfaction. There are those who argue that life’s sustenance requires sacrifices in the pursuit of eventual happiness. Therefore, having a job that aligns with personal preference is immaterial to what matters most.
To be clear, I fully agree and respect such an argument. This argument becomes even more relevant when it comes to the big picture of making ends meet. My objective in this article is not to stop you from quitting your job, but to give you an opportunity to review the following 4-options, prior to quitting your job, ( if you must), without regrets!
When you find that your job has turned out to be a nightmare, has the worst co-workers, bosses, and is a constant reminder of what you dread most, it’s definitely time to review your options and avoid damage to your career.
I am going to try and keep this simple and practical. When you find yourself in any of the aforementioned situations, it’s probably the best time to choose between your happiness and a paycheck. Huge as the decision might seem, you are going to have to make the call sooner, than later. But before you do, you will want to consider asking and having answers to the following question: When do I call it quits? This, plus many questions come to mind when you find yourself in a dire job situation and your livelihood, like the rest of us (the middle class), depends on living paycheck-to-paycheck. Notwithstanding the circumstances, there are few choices you can make to avoid a catastrophic ending at your place of work.
Option 1: Conduct a self-evaluation
This is perhaps the first and most important option you will want to consider before making a decision to quit. It is human, typical, and always easier to see everyone’s fault but yours. It takes integrity to acknowledge one’s fault or weakness. A self-introspection on your behavior, values, interaction, body and tonal language, and overall disposition (… you fill in the blank…), towards your job might just be your Achilles’s heel on why you are unhappy at work. Simple performance concerns like competence, respect for others, and team-playing attitude should take the forefront in your evaluation.
Needless to mention, no one but you can fix you. If you are able to overcome your personal biases and be objective when it comes to your work-life happiness, you may have already solved every other obstacle. Assuming you’ve done your self-evaluation and have come out clean, the situation may still be salvageable through direct but friendly engagement.
Option 2: Keep your Work Frenemies Closer
Just to be clear, I do not consider people at my job I share differentiating options with as enemies. “ Work frenemies”, is the best label I could find. I’d like to put them in the middle of a friend-and-enemy zone. I have seen this tactic work quite well with a decent success rate. Sometimes, just having a responsible adult conversation and voicing out your opinion and personal feelings on how badly you feel you are being treated goes a long way in turning the tide. You’d be surprised at the results of asking someone out for a simple lunch and ice-breaking your feelings. Most misunderstandings are resolved over a simple meal. But again, there is always that situation that transcends something like a “simple lunch”. This brings us to option-3.
Option 3: Request a transfer
This is an option that precedes the usual formal standard operating procedure for engaging the Human Resources team with work-related complaints, and one a human resource personnel may recommend to struggling employees. Although not always a viable option (considering the proximity of locations within the same office building, or cost of relocation), I’d go with this option if and only if there’s a lot more to gain in keeping the job then walking away. Keep in mind, this is an option that would require a substantial amount of proof and corroborating evidence to justify your transfer. Needless to mention you’ll need to have some documentation to provide, should you decide to proceed.
your happiness and personal wellbeing should never be sacrificed. There will always be another opportunity with a different employer
Option 4: Take a Hike. Don’t Burn The Bridge!
Finally, if all of the above fails, perhaps this is not the gig for you. Rather than stay and burn bridges by creating an interesting reputation. Simply walk away and be sure to state the reasons you’re walking away in your exit interview. And oh, did I mention that your walking away means quitting? Yes, but before you go, you will want to make sure you have a new job lined up, or have a financial safety nest to ride the tide that comes with being temporarily unemployed.
In the end, it’s up to you to make the best decision regardless of the paycheck that comes with a job. Your happiness and personal wellbeing should never be sacrificed.
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