9 Questions To Ask Yourself Before You Quit Your Job

According to a nationwide survey conducted by Talentcells, a staggering 94 percent want some type of flexible working arrangement, such as working one to two days a week from a different location (like a home office); coming in early and leaving early, or coming in late and leaving late; or working more hours on some days and less hours on other days to maintain the total number of required working hours per week.

Given a choice, 64 percent would rather have flexible working arrangements than a five percent pay rise.

And, when it comes to the question of the “right time” to leave the office, 66 percent say they’d rather take off when the work is done, while 27 percent prefer to clock out at the end of the official work day.

So, are you happy at your current job? These nine questions can help you determine if you’re just having a few bad weeks at the office, or if it really is time to clock out for good.

1. Do you feel embarrassed when people ask you what you do for a living?

2. Do you feel like you have not learnt anything new in the past year or so?

3. Do you feel like you don’t meet any new and interesting people in your daily life?

4. Do you have feelings of panic or depression on the way to work?

5. It is a real struggle making ends meet on your current income?

6. Is it difficult for you to visualise where you could move to next within the company?

7. Are the skills you’re using now only useful at your current company?

8. Do you know of other people doing a similar job elsewhere, who are getting more job satisfaction and a higher salary than you?

9. Do you feel tired and dispirited all the time during office hours?

If you answered yes to all or most of the questions above, perhaps it’s time to consider a job switch. But if you’re still unsure, make a list of pros and cons of your current job. And in that list, include the following:

Reasons for staying
The company is a leader in its field
There are good training opportunities
Your boss is sympathetic about time-off for family commitments

Reasons for leaving
Your immediate supervisor has been in the job for years and shows no signs of leaving
The company is selling to a competitor
Your work has become totally routine

Focus your mind on these additional questions:
Which aspects of your job would you like to carry on doing?
Which aspects of your job would you prefer not to do anymore?
What are you not doing now that you would like to do?

Remember: there could be many reasons why you are feeling frustrated at work. And the answer may not necessarily be a job switch.

It could be that you’ve been stuck in the same position for too long and are hungry for a new challenge within the company. If so, do not be afraid to talk to your boss about changing or developing your role. Employers are becoming more open to the idea of sabbaticals, job sharing, career breaks and flexi-time work – especially as good employees are hard to find, difficult to train and even harder to retain!