Should you break up with your job?

Four signs that it may be time to quit an unfulfilling job and move on to greener pastures.

WORDS BY: Yolisa Mkele

Like meat, all relationships have an expiry date. For some lucky lovers, that date is when one of you dies but what about work? Given the times we are living in, when is it time to break up with your job? Well, here are four red flags to look out for when contemplating quitting your job.

Waking up is getting harder to do

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to love your job. In fact, most of us don’t. We wake up and do it every day because we have decided to trade our time and labour for a monthly SMS from our bank. The problem arises when the thought of participating in your work environment begins to increasingly feel like you are being dragged to the gallows. If getting yourself out of bed to go to work feels more and more like torture, then you definitely should think about jumping out of the proverbial nearest exit, as that kind of thing can wreak havoc on your mental health.

Self-Medication

Work can often be stressful. How are you managing that stress? If the answer is a healthy diet, regular exercise, meditation and regular trips to a mental health specialist then congratulations, you’re a liar. None of us are perfect and many of us have small vices we indulge in to take the edge off. That is perfectly fine. The problem arises when your small vices start to grow. A glass or two of wine after work is normal, a whole bottle is worrisome. This is nothing to feel ashamed of, we are all doing what we can to survive but if work is fuelling an increased reliance on self-medication then it may be a good idea to pack your bags and leave.

Valuation

We do jobs because they give us money. It is the equation that underpins the entire capitalist system. Without the money we get from our jobs we can’t eat, sleep on comfortable beds or pay for the data which with we will later use to post thirst traps. The thing is that many companies are fond of paying you just as much as they need to rather than what you are worth. So do some research, find out how much other people (especially the men #GenderWageGap) are being paid for the same work as you and if those numbers don’t match then it may be time to go.

SEE ALSO: How long should you stay in your first job

Burnout

Just like Covid-19, burnout is real. You know that saying about how you can’t squeeze blood from a stone? Well, most employers will try it. There is nothing wrong with working hard but if you are finding that the demands made upon you are unreasonable and leave you no time or space to replenish yourself (and you have mentioned this to the relevant parties) then that may be a sign to look for greener pastures.

With all that said, remember that we are in a recession and a pandemic. Quitting your job is not a decision to be taken lightly and you should absolutely think very carefully about it because as terrible as capitalism is, it is the system we live in and there is a very direct link between joblessness and poverty.

SEE ALSO: How to quit your job