It might seem like “the next cool thing” to do right now, but there’s a reason we’re seeing so many people quit their jobs all over the country. Let’s break down a few reasons why this is happening, and why you should do the same if you’re being negatively affected. If you’re looking for a sign, here it is.
3 Reasons To Quit Your Job Right Now
1. Extreme Stress Isn’t Worth It, Or Normal–At Least It Shouldn’t Be
Stress is a common occurrence throughout the day for most Americans simply based on the lives we live. And, unfortunately, workplace-related stress has become a widely accepted part of the job and one of those “that’s just how it is” happenings.
But should it be?
Research has found that over 8 in 10 workers in the United States suffer from work-related stress on a regular basis. Almost 40% of U.S. workers report that their job is “very or extremely stressful.”
Why is this considered normal?
You don’t need a doctor to tell you how damaging stress is on both your body and your mind. Yet we, as Americans, have become conditioned to think that if we’re not overly stressed out from our job that we’re not working hard enough (thanks for that, Boomers).
2. Your Job Doesn’t Care About You
I’m not trying to sound overly negative here or anything, but the truth is that the vast majority of employers don’t care about you–they care about money, and your ability to make them more of it. Take, for example, a company’s mission statement: typically those say nothing about the people that keep the engine going, but focus solely on how the organization keeps that engine going no matter what it takes.
If you dropped dead tomorrow, your employer would send some flowers and their condolences, maybe take a moment of silence in the morning, and some of your coworkers may show up to the funeral (if they had any extra PTO of course!). From there, the company would immediately start searching for your replacement and it’d be business as usual.
Stop sacrificing yourself for an organization that couldn’t care less if you weren’t here tomorrow.
3. Options, New Paths, & Negotiations
In July of this year, there were an all-time high amount of job openings in the United States (over 11 million). That number has since decreased a bit, but the point still remains: there are plenty of jobs available to choose from, and with how desperate many companies are to hire more workers (or claim to be…), it shouldn’t be too difficult to find a position available that is a great fit for you.
Additionally, now is the time to try out something new. With the “worker shortage,” companies are being forced to be even more lenient with qualifications for open positions, which, again, puts the power back into the hands of the workers. Ever thought about entering into a different field than what you’ve worked in for the last eight years? There’s no better time than now to try, especially with more and more data suggesting that hiring purely based on experience isn’t particularly the best strategy for organizations.
Finally, with more power now in your hands as a worker, that gives you additional leverage to negotiate and truly get what you’re worth out of a job. That could be a higher salary. Maybe it’s the ability to work from home. Now is the time to demand–yes, demand, not ask–for the perks you really want, because guess what? If Company A doesn’t give you them, I can guarantee another organization close by will be more than willing to fill those needs.
In closing, no job is worth killing yourself over. No job is worth sacrificing your mental or physical health over. No job is worth staying miserable with. We get one life, and let me tell you, it doesn’t last as long as you think it does. Take the risk. Try something new. Just be happy. It’ll all be worth it in the long run if you can look back and say, “I’m damn sure glad I put myself first,” because that’s the only thing that’s truly important here.
