Are you fantasizing about quitting your job? It can be difficult to stay focused and productive if you’re in a negative or toxic work environment.
Are you fantasizing about quitting your job? It can be difficult to stay focused and productive if you’re in a negative or toxic work environment. Just when you start to feel content with how things are going, people or situations can change and you feel like you’re on an emotional roller coaster. First, it’s important to understand, what’s really the problem at work? Sincerely think about any issues you have and determine if you are the cause, or if it is your workplace.
Many life science professionals are overly stressed, which can be at the root of the desire to quit a job. In fact, 79% of Americans feel stress sometimes or frequently during the day.* Only if you have your stress levels under control, can you clearly consider your career options. Quitting your job is a serious decision that has a direct effect on your finances, family, and relationships. Here are some simple steps you can take to find out if quitting is your best option.
Get an outside opinion
How many people do you have in your life that are completely objective and unbiased? Most professionals vent to their family, friends, and social acquaintances about their job, and then are surprised when they don’t receive any productive answers. Your family and friends can be great to talk to but the majority of the time, they are biased towards you and have their own beliefs about what’s best for you. Very rarely can you get an unbiased opinion from those close to you.
Consider discussing your current situation with a mentor, career coach, or colleague who is removed from your organization. This can also be thought of as a career support system. Talking about your internal and external challenges in the workplace with objective people can provide new viewpoints and opportunities. Explore every angle for you to be successful where you are, before deciding to quit.
List out what you can change
Create a comprehensive list of any internal challenges or problems you have at work. Internal problems could include personal issues you have with how things are done or communicated, not liking a co-worker, or not achieving your performance goals. Now think about what you can actually do to solve each problem. Brainstorm different ideas to address each challenge and choose which solution would be best.
If you find yourself stuck, not able to come up with any possible solutions, run your challenges by those in your career support system. Does a mentor or career coach have a suggestion on how to solve some of these internal problems? Doing research online can also help you come up with productive changes you can make.
Take positive action
Now, it’s time for you to get into action! Review the different solutions you wrote down and plan out how to implement them on the job. Start with the most important challenges first and gradually work your way down the list. For example, not reaching the average milestones for your position would take priority over having an issue with the efficiency of laboratory operations. The key here is not to try to implement all of the solutions at once! This process could take some weeks or months before you complete it and see positive results.
Talk to your boss
If you’ve tried everything we mentioned previously and are still unhappy at work, then it’s time to talk to your boss. This is strategically positioned as the last option. We live in a time where over-sharing online and in person is the norm, but when it comes to your career this is not what you want to do. Many employees run to their manager every time they have a minor issue. Doing that subtly (or not so subtly) tells your boss that you are not an effective problem solver and not a leader.
Having a private conversation after you’ve exhausted everything within your control, is the best way to go. Discussing your external challenges and the negative work environment with your manager can be helpful if they are completely unaware. Be sure to mention some possible solutions or suggestions for how to make things better in the workplace. Finally, you want to listen to all of the feedback your boss provides. Have they thought of something else that could turn things around?
Most people in negative working environments have had the dramatic daydream of quitting their job. It seems so easy and satisfying on the surface, but quitting your job is not a decision to be taken lightly. Getting an outside opinion and understanding what you can personally change are good places to start. Taking positive action to improve your experience at work is another factor that could have a major impact. If it doesn’t seem like anything has changed, having a one on one conversation with your boss might help. What is one solution you could try before quitting your job?
Reference: Is it you or them? What’s really the problem at work?
Source 1: http://news.gallup.com/poll/224336/eight-americans-afflicted-stress.aspx
Porschia Parker is a Certified Coach, Professional Resume Writer, and Founder of Fly High Coaching. She empowers ambitious professionals and motivated executives to add $10K on average to their salaries.
