I spoke with a lady a few days ago at the mall. She was on the phone when I overheard her nagging about her boss. She was actually talking to her husband from the tone of the conversation.
She said she felt unfulfilled and sick of the job. It really caught my attention and I went to her politely after she hung up the phone. ”Hello, I overheard you complaining about your job and I feel I can share some tips that could be of help to you.”
She gladly responded. We find a place at the mall and had a great conversation. She let out so many things about her job. Honestly, I could reason along with her. People have different reasons they want to quit their jobs. Some reasons include:
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- The leadership of the company
- Salary scale
- Colleagues
- Office politics
- Nature of the work
- Boredom
- New challenge
However, quitting sometimes is not always the answer. You might perhaps, need to find the reason why you are not happy with the job. Problem discovered and shared is half solved.
Are you unhappy at work?
There are two answers to this question:
- Quit – Yes, I mean leaving the job could be the best answer for both parties. If you feel unproductive or unfulfilled, it would be nice to say goodbye. It makes no sense to stay where you are not making progress. Perhaps, you might need to go and reevaluate your options.
- Grow in – This remains the best solution when you have no options available for you to explore. Perhaps, the bills are there for you to pay. This simply means that you can not leave irrespective of the situation in your workplace.
To grow in, you will have to consider doing some things in the company. Since the situation has become – the hard way is the only way.
Here are a few things you can do to fall in love with the toxic work environment:
- Make new friends. Sometimes, making friends within the work environment helps to overcome the boredom. Keeping contact with positive people within the organization will bring motivation, encouragement and positive energy.
- Change your role if possible. You can talk to the management and see if you can change your role. Sometimes, doing the same thing over and over again could lead to boredom.
- Study your toxic boss. Often times, we are too quick to judge others because we have no idea of what they are going through. Some bosses don’t actually want to hurt their workers, they are just a reflection of what’s going on in the inside.
- Let go of all the stress and worries when you get home. Try to disconnect from everything. Spend time with your family and friends. It helps you stay refreshed and recharged.
Sometimes, the workplace can be frustrating but being unemployed is worse. Let’s be logical before making any decision concerning our workplace.
We don’t need to threaten anyone with payment of bills, just to make the person remain in a job that could shorten his/her life by ten years; it’s even more stupid to cling on there. It is either you like what you do or you don’t, no middle ground.
The problem most times is that a lot of people don’t even know why they have to work in the first place, so the purpose is what drives fulfilment, if you lack purpose, you will remain miserable, irrespective of amalgam of counselling you receive.
If your sole aim of getting a job is to make money and pay bills, then focus just on the money and pay no attention to the environment or people there; you are simply there for the money.
If your sole aim is to be treated warmly or nicely, then never complain about the pay grade, as long as you are well treated, you are fulfilled!
All the hysteria we hear is largely because you want huge pay, sweetest boss, wonderful colleagues, and above all – less work. Unfortunately you have not gone to heaven yet, you are still here on earth…
Have a purpose, and focus on it, anything else is just a distraction.
Happiness is always the end goal in our undertakings, so if being jobless makes you happier, kindly go for it.
I love you take on this. We are not in heaven yet. Go for what makes you happy. I used to have a very low pay but I loved the people I worked with. My family thought i was jinxed because they gave me “better” opportunities even to study abroad which I turned down. My unit was changed and my employment grade “rectified” with a toxic boss and political colleagues. That was the beginning of my lamentation to friends and family!
I started thinking alternative income and change of job. For over 10years I did not have a C.V
Great article. But sometimes, just as pointed out, it might be best to leave. Could remember working in a ‘one man’ establishment. Many moments in those times were literally the worse days of my life, especially for the fact that i’d always worked in big coporations- both locally and internationally- prior to that.
I was always bored in the office, there was an unhidden politics and so many other things. In the wake of me not gaining any form of value, especially since value was my aim, I had to resign after almost a year of working there, for sanity sake.
So, yes, sometimes it might be wise to take a longer breath before one resigns, other times (like you said), it might be best to jump right out. I did and have no single regret till today. Yes, I’ve not gotten any corporate job since then, but I have my peace of mind, fulfilment, and my self esteem intact as opposed to when I was there.
Staying or leaving remains a tough one, but through it all, we must always rely on our guts to make the best decision which sometimes may defy norms.
Sure – good points. The key is “BEST” decision. Arriving at that is never easy.
The period I worked with a power distribution company was a low point for me.
There was nothing motivating about the company. From the dilapidated buildings to the old chairs that are supposed to be used as firewood.
The only thing that kept me there for up to 8 months were the wonderful colleagues. But there is a limit to which one can endure.
One day my MD woke and decided to bond us… I resigned and stayed in unpaid employment for 6 wonderful months..
So you can give Chinedu’s tips a try and if it’s not working, resign. Ife oma di n’iru
Nice write up. From my experience however, if you decide to stay on a job you feel is toxic to you and your health, eventually you will either be sacked (because your dissatisfaction with the job will become evident to everyone except you) or you will eventually resign (if the cause of your job dis-satisfaction still obtains at work) or as has happened in some extreme cases, die on the job (I had a not too good experience of this Dec 2017, when a high-profile colleague collapsed and died on duty, few days to Xmas).
I have had instances where I walked away from a job, and till today, every time I look back on that decision, I always feel a warm glow and thank God for the courage to take that decision. Also, I have had to leave another one, because of a manager (foreign) that was hell bent on treating me as an option that he can dispense with at any time.
The secret is to always have a buffer plan – an amount set aside WHILE you are still employed that can take you and your family over the next 6 months to 1 year, in case something happens to your job.
When you put this plan in place, the whole equation changes and you have enough room to maneuver your career.