10 Signs You're Secretly Unfulfilled By Your Job But Keep Telling Yourself It's 'Fine'
Teodora Popa Photographer | Unsplash In this environment, with companies making difficult workforce decisions, it’s no surprise that many people are thinking about quitting before the decision is made for them. But is quitting your job a good idea? Is now even a good time? Do you wonder if you will find anything better?
It can be a challenging decision, and you might think that you have no business leaving because you have a good job while other people are out of work entirely. The truth is, if you’re unhappy getting up each morning to go to work and dread Sundays because Monday is right around the corner, you might be justified in thinking of quitting.
By the same token, if you realize that you’re living someone else’s dream, working at it for one more day could send you over the edge. So, maybe now is the time to make a move. Taking a realistic assessment of your situation will help you weigh your options and come to a decision that feels right for you at this point in your life. What is it about your job? What do you like and don’t like?
Here are 10 signs you're secretly unfulfilled by your job but keep telling yourself it's fine:
1. You feel undervalued
You may be in a situation where you’re good at what you do, and your company sees that. So, they reward you with more work and no appreciation. An analysis by Gallup shows that 79% of employees who quit their jobs say lack of appreciation was a major reason they left.
When your hard work goes completely unnoticed, and nobody seems to care about what you're doing, you naturally start looking around for a job where people will actually appreciate you and recognize what you bring to the table.
2. You are overqualified
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With reorganizations and downsizings, you might be offered a downgraded position just to keep your job and job security. But that may put you back in an entry-level position, far below what you did before or what you’re capable of doing.
Studies on overqualification reveal that when you feel like your skills are way beyond what your job needs, your satisfaction tanks, and you start thinking about leaving. It's super-frustrating when you know you're capable of doing so much more, but your current job just keeps you stuck doing work that doesn't challenge you or let you actually use what you're good at.
3. You're at a salary cap for your position
You may have been with the same company in the same job for several years. Consequently, you reach the top of the pay grade for that position. This is an excellent reason to start thinking about quitting.
An article by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce explained that 74% of HR professionals say inadequate pay is the number one reason people quit. When you've maxed out what you can earn in your current role, and there's literally no way to make more money without leaving, you start feeling trapped and realize the only way to get a raise is to take your experience somewhere else.
4. You feel like you need a new challenge
If you’ve done the same thing for a while and you’ve held several jobs within the department or even the company, you might have tapped out the opportunity for continued growth in your field.
Research from The Society for Human Resource Management found that a lack of career growth opportunities is one of the biggest reasons companies lose good people. When you've been doing the same thing forever and can't see any way to move up or learn something new, you get bored out of your mind and start fantasizing about finding a company that'll actually give you room to grow.
5. Your work environment makes you uncomfortable
Are there many situations within the workplace that you find unpleasant, even toxic? These may be very personal and need to be evaluated as such. What makes you uneasy or feel awkward may be perfectly fine for someone else. That doesn’t mean you have to tolerate it. Quitting because of an uncomfortable, toxic work environment is entirely reasonable.
Toxic workplace culture matters ten times more than salary when people decide to quit, a study by MIT Sloan revealed. When you're dealing with awful communication, zero support from leadership, and people treating each other badly, it drains every bit of satisfaction out of your job and leaves you stressed and desperate to get out.
6. You feel your soul being sucked out of you
There's something wrong if you feel this regularly. You may have loved the job when it started, but now you hate getting up in the morning. Plus, you're unmotivated, uninterested, and indifferent.
Research on burnout by Gallup found that burned-out workers are 2.6 times more likely to be looking for a new job. When you're completely drained, have zero motivation left, and feel totally cynical about everything work-related, it creates this awful feeling that makes staying feel impossible and leaving feel like the only way to save yourself.
7. You have personal obligations that make it difficult for you to work
Your parenting responsibilities may have changed, your parents or a loved one may need caregiving, or health concerns for yourself may have developed. These are all good reasons to think about quitting and making a change.
Research from Harvard Business School found that half of younger workers say taking care of family members has hurt their career. When juggling work with caregiving or other personal responsibilities starts derailing your career path, your satisfaction plummets, and you're way more likely to bail for a job that actually fits with your real life.
8. Your work-life balance is suffering
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The workload and hours required to get it done have exceeded your limit to meet all your other obligations — and there's no end in sight. Terrible work-life balance pushes people to quit even more than bad bosses or low pay, researchers have concluded. When work is eating up every minute of your life, and you have no time for family or even just relaxing, the stress becomes unbearable, and leaving starts looking like the only way to reclaim your sanity.
9. Too many things have changed at work, and it’s not the same
As companies grow, people come and go, and management styles shift — many things can change. On the other hand, companies may downsize, and that’s a change of a different kind. The culture, values, and mission may no longer align with who you are and what you want for yourself.
Research suggests that when company culture stops matching what employees value, people check out mentally and quit at much higher rates. When everything about your workplace changes through growth or new leadership, and suddenly nothing feels like the place you signed up for, you feel totally disconnected and start hunting for somewhere that actually aligns with who you are.
10. You found a great new opportunity
Once this happens, the "thinking about quitting" can stop. Now, planning your graceful exit with dignity can begin. You've found a new role that is in total alignment with your goals, values, passions, and purpose. Bravo! It’s the most satisfying reason to quit your job.
If one or more of these reasons to quit resonate highly with you, it might be time to give some thought to what resources you need to put in place to facilitate your move into a new adventure.
Before you leap to writing that resignation letter, get your ducks in a row, have a plan, research your options, and know what you’re leaping to, so you land on solid ground. Thinking about quitting is just the beginning of this journey; understanding why you want to leave is the next leg, and finding the best opportunity that feeds your soul is the destination you seek.
María Tomás-Keegan is a certified career and life coach for women and the founder of Transition & Thrive with María.
