10 Bad Reasons To Quit Your Job
Everyone dreams of it from time to time - the winning lottery
ticket, a cascade of champagne, a rather curt letter of resignation
and that expression on your boss's face. Is it envy, anger,
disappointment or fear? Or all four?
Right, it's time to climb down from cloud nine. Here you are
still sitting at your desk, the neon light is flickering, the
photocopier is groaning and the phone is ringing non-stop. The
secretary still reminds you of a haddock and your boss's nervous
twitch is going at full tilt.
And yet you dream of freedom. The open road, wind in your hair
and nowhere you should be before nightfall. But before you write
that letter of resignation, make sure that you are not quitting
your job for the wrong reasons.
1. Get-rich-quick schemes. If "Earning $5000 per month
in the comfort of your own home" sounds too good to be
true, it is precisely because it is. If this were really true,
why isn't everyone doing it? Pyramid schemes, multi-level marketing
schemes - call them what you will, but the bottom line is, very
few people actually make money from these. Yes, there are some
that do, but those are usually the people who start it off,
not the ones who come in at the end. Proceed with great caution
and keep what you have.
2. Transport problems. If the hour you spend in the traffic
is getting to you, don't consider chucking it in entirely. Work
around it creatively. Try and change your working hours, so
you can miss the traffic both ways. Or if you can't, get books
on tape to listen to in the traffic. If public transport is
proving to be a trial, join a lift club. Make a plan, because
it is easier to sort this out than it is to get another job.
3. Salary woes. If you feel you are not earning enough, you
might well be right. But before you type your resignation letter,
just find out what others are earning in the industry - you
might get an unpleasant surprise if you leave without checking
on this. Discuss your salary package with the powers-that-be
- remember if you just keep quiet, people will assume you are
satisfied.
4. Buckling under the workload. If you have too much to do,
it is possibly because you have not learnt to say no. By all
means work as hard as you can, but don't allow yourself to be
abused. If you are finding yourself putting in many extra hours,
something is wrong. Discuss your workload with your boss. Changing
jobs may not sort out the problem of overload - it might be
part of who you are.
5. Personality clashes. This is a difficult one. Having to
spend eight hours a day with someone whose very existence offends
your moral principles could be trying indeed. Chances are you
are not the only who feels this way. If this person's staggering
array of personality disorders gets in the way of general production,
he/she won't last long anyway. If this person is the boss, see
if it is possible to minimise contact. If not, either look for
another job or find a way to switch off. Just don't let them
get to you and don't take their mood swings personally. What
helps is to imagine that there is a high, solid wall between
you with barbed wire on top.
6. Other possible job prospects. Never leave your current job
for the mere possibility of another one. In fact, you should
not resign unless you have a letter of appointment in your hand.
You don't want to be in the situation where you've left one
job and the other one peters out and leaves you high and dry.
7. Following a lover around. Make sure how serious this relationship
is before you up and follow someone else around the country.
You might resign, pack up all your stuff, arrive in Hamilton,
only to find out that the other person saw you as a holiday
fling - nothing more.
8. Resigning out of spite. This is tempting, especially if
you have been very unhappy. You don't have a contract, even
though you've been asking for one for more than a year, and
two days before the financial year end, you walk out. Problem
is, if you are looking for a new job, they are going to phone
your old employer - and imagine what sort of recommendation
they're going to give you.
9. Starting a new business. This can work, but only if you
know what you're doing and are prepared to put in long, hard
hours. Face it, if you've been a teacher for 17 years, you know
lots of things, but how to run a hamburger franchise may not
be one of them. Do some courses, or get a partner with experience.
Don't learn the hard way.
10. Bored to tears. Jobs are often boring. That's why they're
called jobs, not entertainment. Other people are prepared to
pay you to do something they don't feel like doing or don't
have the time or the inclination to do. If a job were all fun
and games, you would be paying your employer, not the other
way around. If there's no work, though, this could be soul-destroying.
Having nothing to do makes the average working day feel about
400 years long.
Susan Erasmus
Health24
March 03
