When Should You Leave?

That is difficult to answer without knowing a lot more about what is wrong, why you took the job in the first place, what your other options are, how much saving you have, your personal goals, living/family situation, etc. Not to mention the most basic of questions - if you could fix any problems with your work, would you want to do so and stay?

I will say that people tend to either leave too soon without giving a reasonable attempt to resolve concerns, as well as do the opposite and stay too long when there is no way the concerns can be fixed. A healthy middle ground can be difficult to navigate.

Try to look at facts, not emotions. That is sometimes easy, but other times negative emotions are the problem. In those cases, try to re-structure them into objective statements, like: "This work environment includes {behavior A}, which makes me feel {emotion B}, resulting in {negative impact C}". Going through such an exercise may seem contrived (and it is), but it still is likely to bring you a more clear answer of whether or not to stay, and maybe even a better understanding of why you are even asking the questions, and some actions you could take to improve the situation.

Here are some of my red flags:

- I'm no longer learning new things regularly

- I wake up with a sense of dread, not excitement, for the day ahead

- Every meeting feels like an uphill battle

- Multiple good ideas are shut down without very good reasons

- Paychecks are delayed for no good reason

- What executives say doesn't match what they're doing

There’s alot to consider.

In my opinion there’s two options:

1. Leave very soon: any sort of bullying from your manager, toxic team environment, illegal activities, burnout from work hrs or stress, or politics against you. Search for a new job asap.

2. Leave at some point for the right next step: boredom, feeling of accomplishment in your current role, curiosity of what else is out there, lack of progression in company, feeling used (like the company is getting a great deal - you think you should be paid more, work less, are too relied on etc) - look around, update your CV, apply if a job ad looks right, build your knowledge of the best next step

My personal rule is simple, but may not work for anyone who isn't me: when I find myself fantasizing/considering leaving on a regular basis, it's time for me to find another position elsewhere.

Experience has taught me that my gut is almost always right with this sort of thing.

typically one has a reason for leaving. more money, less stress, more agency, less oversight.

more or less.

if you’re restless, are you dissatisfied? might be worth evaluating your current situation and just ruminating a bit.

When you have a signed offer for a new role.