8 signs it’s time to change jobs

This is good advice for all. My ex husband would not allow me to work, went back to school and received an AA in Criminal Justice, was going for a BA but because of divorce, could not complete all four years. I remarried a boy from Pine Bluff, Ar and could not find work in the criminal Justice field, became a bank teller for 3 miserable years. I kept trying to get off the teller line and find something within the bank that was more conducive for me and my skills but they only hired Pine Bluff people for those positions, my blood pressure rose sky high and I had a TIA, doc told me to quit or go part time, I went part time and was moved from branch to branch as a floater. I had to quit or spend big money on my health. Looking for an employer who appreciates my dedication and organization, hopefully, not as a bank teller again.

teaching jobs
Most positions begin with the opening of the academic year. So you need to be available as of August 1 or thereabouts. That means you must begin your search no later than the previous November. Arrange to attend regional and national conferences where interviews are held. It will allow you to look much further afield without incurring the initial travel expense.

Started a new job, thought it was going to be nice, but everything about the job just really irritates me, makes my blood BOIL. The boss has been talking behind my back how un-happy he is hiring me. Talking to hr people saying he should have never hired me….and yet they want to keep me. Worst job ever.

my opinion of the company I work for, what a waste of time.

My boss simply made my skin crawl.

For nine months I worked for a person who slept with most of the administrative staff for sport(most of them lived in his house). He once planned and conducted a meeting where he belittled and cursed at our department for hours infront of the executive team as well as visiting employees from another location. He would repremand us if we did not hire illeagal aliens. I had daily and nightly anxiety. What made matters worse, was he totally ignored a dire need for security at the facility. A few months after my office was broken into, I witnessed the severe beating of a patient, by a trespasser. The beating resulted in her death. I went into work one saturday cleaned out my office and never looked back.

I was miserable in my first job out of college. I dreaded going to work, cried daily, and even developed a serious anxiety disorder, complete with panic attacks. I stayed for several awful months, not realizing that no job should make you this unhappy, and that it didn’t mean that I would hate every job in my industry. Taking the risk to find something else is infinitely better that playing scared.

I quit my long-time job with a large company after 15 years. I had transferred into a new department where we were overworked, and I was given so many tasks that were out of my realm of knowledge that I went to work daily with migrains. Finally I said to my husband that I wanted to quit and he was supportive. I waited until my annual review and went in with tears in my eyes because I wasn’t used to “being defeated” but I gave in and left the company. My migrains are gone and I am so happy now!

When you take a new job then you find out that you’re the sixth person in the position in five years - don’t plan on sticking around. I lasted nine months. Much happier now!

Ms. Fisher, wow has your article hit right at home. I worked for a company for over 9 years and had to leave after I was transferred to another state. The company is wonderful for the boss at my new location made it so I dreaded coming to work for 2 1/2 years. I finally left my job in search for a new one and hopefully be happy going to work again. After many months of searching and finding very little, I took a job that seemed to be tailor made for me even though the money was less, I figured that as long as I am happy, that would be fine. Well, it was like jumping from the pot to the frying pan. I just turned 50 this year and I feel that my age is keeping me from getting hired. What does a person do after they get to be a certain age about a good job? I saw 60 minutes last night about how companies now have training for employers and management as to how to treat the younger generation with kid gloves because they will loose their staff. Oh My God, I almost can’t believe that employers would sink that low to hire young people when they have older citizens willing to put it all out there for their job but they ignore them because they are older. We as older citizens have a lot to offer and believe me I am as up to date with technology as any youngster. What can we do?

I worked at a place for over a year. In that year I was given more and more work to do. A lot of it was not what I was hired for, but I consider myself a team player and was more then happy to help out. Plus I figured when my year came I would get a review and would be compensated accordingly- Boy was I wrong! I was angry at myself for thinking that a family business would value their workers more. For over a year I dealt with the owners severe mood swings and verbal abuse when something did not go his way. I dealt with sexual harrasment on a daily basis from other co-workers and customers. The company would lie or at least alter the truth to fit their needs and not what they promised to the public or their customers - but they were VERY sucssesful anyway. I watched people who were considered “above me” get what they wanted because they were family and not because of their work, or lack there of I should say. I always ignore the office politics and just go in to do my job and go home. But after my year came and went without so much as an acknowledge meant I decided to see what was up and listen in in the office gossip (keep in mind that And 1/2 of the people who worked there were related in some way. One girl that worked for “the family” moved up because she slept with Dad (the founder),the General Manager, one of the car detailers, and a couple of the customers (It was a really messed up-borderline disgusting situation!). The more I listened the more revolted I became. I knew that I was in a no win situation and I had to get out as soon as possible. The grass is not always greener but at least it’s not always tainted yellow. Only you have the power to change something you do not like.

I absolutely despise my job. I sit at a cubicle, answer complaining customer’s, and watch a computer screen all day long. Not to mention, my management has now made it a requirement to do the job of our sales department without the increase in commission compensation. This article has helped me realize that I’m not acting irresponsibly. I miss work because of the anxiety attacks that overwhelm me just by getting dressed in the mornings. Thank you for the 8 signs. I must act now before I destroy my working repitation.

I just found this web page and haven’t read down far yet but have to make a comment.In response to “Jamie” and Unhappy employees I wouldn’t bet on anything. I just quit from a job here in NC. I’m from NY so that means I’m a yankee which true southern people hate with a passion. I’ve had people tell me they would rather see illegal mexicans here than yankees. On my interview my soon to be boss told me he needed to hire me for the skilled position to “light a fire” under there butts because they sat around all the time. I took the job and soon after started getting hit with nuts, metal pins and all kinds of stuff. Later they started shooting a air nail gun at me. Not to mention harassment of all kind. Eventually myself and another employee ended up talking with a VP and the guys got 3 days off and the only thing that stopped was the throwing of things. After trying to contact numerous lawyers who never return your call after interviewing on the phone, and after trying to reach numerous state run agency’s on what employee rights are, and ending up at the state capital in Raleigh,NC and hearing the guy tell me it’s an “At will” state and “I would just get another job if I was you” I finally quit! The company president is golfing buddy’s with the guys and knows of everything. The VP later told me his hands were tied because the president didn’t want to take it farther. I’ve been slugged with a board as I walked by trying to be adult about everything and ignoring it but it would have never stopped. There are no harassment laws here or anyone who is ambitious enough to do anything including the company when I tell them people are driving by my house. Even with proof don’t hold your breathe. Hostile work environments are still around and nothing is being done at some places.

I knew it was time to leave when I found that all my motivation for my work, which I loved doing, was gone. Another sign was I didn’t want and found it difficult to get up every morning knowing I had to go to that job. I was late every day and didn’t care. None of these things fit the person I am, so I knew I had to leave

Boy, I hope the author of this letter did go ahead and start job hunting. I toughed out a similar scenario where every day I went in and dreaded what other infraction of my supervisors personal rule book I was supposedly breaking. I did end up getting discharged and just like a felony conviction, I now have to explain why I was let go when I interview.

I have worked in an office with seven men and I was never told anything that was going on by my group leader. If I scheduled a week ahead for a day of leave, he would schuled for a meeting with the “big” bosses without my knowledge. Needless to say, they always wondered why I wasn’t there. They were never told. The team leader has moved on to his second job in two years and isn’t liked where he goes now because they can see him for the trouble maker that he is. I also have moved on and am the happiest that I have been in years. I don’t know why I put up with him for eight years.

I work for a division of a well-known Fortune 500 company. 7-1/2 years ago when I started as a secretary, the director of marketing communications quit. I picked up the ball. I became “marketing communications administrator” a title non-existant in the marcom industry. Now, 7-1/2 years later, and after an annual review in August stating I was to continue “managing” the various areas of marcom, they have hired a young man, 22 years my junior, with a life’s total of 7 years of work experience to be the new marcom manager. I have turned my management responsibilities over to him, and am now his secretary. I have had stellar reviews each year, above average increases, and the “due for promotion” box marked with 30 days to 1 year each time. I have been taken down the path and this is where I landed after doing a manager’s job duties with a secretary’s title and pay. Had I even been titled marcom specialist, I have lost $75,000 in wages over the last five years. Manager would add $100K to that loss. Based on mid-range salaries on Salary.com for my city.
I am a 55 year old female, and this reeks of discrimination. This is what you get for “pitching in” and “helping” a bad company.

I worked at a position for 2 years that was a nightmare. It was a customer service position. We had 6 people who were to provide service to customers. Another lady and I were the only ones who would work. The other 4 workers stayed in the office talking and laughing with the supervisor. She would never make them work. I needed to work at this time, so I stayed until I found another position. The other lady found another job, too. In my position now, I do not have to worry about having to do other peoples’ jobs for them. The day I left I had a good feeling knowing that they would finally have to start working instead of staying in the supervisor’s office. This supervisor is losing her job. What goes around comes around.

Unhappy employees: You may have some obvious legal issues against the company re discrimination, sex or age or otherwise so be astute! I know of someone who has had quite a career and now, is constantly bullied by her two bosses. They want her out and are exercising some nasty methods, which are very discriminatory, excluding her, speaking down to her,etc.. She has a case and is documenting her experience in this company while she is looking for another position. The interesting thing is these buffoons are realizing new business via her contacts and she will be in a posiiton to take them away once she is gone; she is not prevented from doing this contractually or otherwise, so these bosses have little foresight and are burning an important bridge.

I agree with Annie’s article and all of the bloggers. I worked for an agency for three years. The first two were great (great boss, flexible hours, benefits, etc.,). While working for the agency, I obtained an MBA degree. Everything went down-hill when I took a position as a supervisor. My boss told me that the position was manageable and that she would “help me” because the last person who held the position left a heap of backed up work behind. When I accepted the position, my boss did not help me, I could not catch up with the back work, which prevented me from catching up with my work. I developed migraines, anxiety and high blood pressure. My boss left the agency and the Assistant Executive Director tried to develop a working relationship with me because she knew that I had the MBA degree and that I was struggling with the position. She was trying to keep the staff that she had left because we had such a high turnover rate over the past eight months. She praised my work and dedication to the job and asked me what could she offer me to stay. I told her that an increase would help but I ultimately needed for her to restructure my position (for some reason, my position as a supervisor held three times the responsibility as the other supervisors). I was very reasonable with my suggestion on restructuring the position. I was still willing to go above and beyond my duties because I cared about the reputation of the department and about the people who we serviced. She told me that she realized that I was struggling and that I seemed very anxious and that I should “take it easy”, “relax”, and stop trying to do everything, things will get done when they got done. I took her advice and eased up on trying to do everything. She nevery lightened my workload and never gave me the increase. My co-workers who all complained and told me how sorry they were about my health problems and how much work I had and told me that I should quit before I had a heart attack or ended up in the hospital They took every opportunity to go back to the Assistant Executive Director and tell her how much I changed, how worried they were about my health,and how much I complained about the job. She then started telling me that my personality changed, I was not forfilling my job duties and that if I continued, she would put me on probation. She also said that if I was unhappy or if the job was making me sick, then I should resign. She talked about me leaving so much that I finally took her advice, I put in my resignation one day when my doctor told me to go to the emergency room if I felt chest pains on the day that I went to see her because my pressure was elevated so high. Two physicians told me that I should change jobs because the nature of the work was affecting my health.

I know that I made the right decision to leave, the pay was bad and I became physically ill. But now with a MBA, I am having such a hard time getting a job, I dont know what to do with myself. I applied for unemployment but I dont think they will approve it. So now I stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Might I add yet another sign to the list : you’re bored senseless at work. Don’t confuse this with having nothing to do; you have a lengthy to-do list but every item on that list is ‘grunt work’ and worse, just plain meaningless.
“All that you have to do is do the job and make as much money as possible.”
Posted By Yadgyu, Harkeyville, TX
Hope that money will help you feel better when you’ve spent it on the car loan that you service, in order to keep the car that you drive right back to work everyday.
Or when you’re paying it to the doctors and nursing aids who are caring for you when you’ve lost your mental and physical health.
Or when you realize that not one cent of that money will buy back the time you spent or the family you may have lost, all because you were doing something you couldn’t stand.

“I say give me the money and let the others live on praise and lunch with the boss.” - Posted By Hershel Brown Pine Bluff, Ar

This is genius!

Too many workers worry about being special and feeling important. But work is not about feeling important or making friends or gaining popularity. Too many workers are looking to be the “it” guy/girl at work.

The truth is that you are a number at work. You have no real worth as a person. You are there to do a job. All that you have to do is do the job and make as much money as possible. Making friends and being popular isn’t going to get you anywhere if you aren’t bringing in big bucks. People need to get over their own egos and come to the realization that they are disposable. Recognition and praise does not pay the bills.

The Golden Rule Of Work says: “The money made from the job is more important than the job itself” – © Yadgyu

Wow..great article! I was at my job for six years, and the past 3 of them were literally killing me. I would cry myself to sleep on Sunday nights knowing that I had to get up Monday morning and go to work. They were becoming a revolving door of employees and the politics were so deep you could barely walk through the door. I was bogged down with more and more work every day because I was always picking up the slack for the other who did nothing on a daily basis. I expressed this to the management but they were more concerned about having a body than having no body. Well, sometimes somebody is worse than nobody, if you know what I mean. I couldn’t take the backstabbing and the bickering, and the overload of work with no help any longer. I was making myself physically ill, and I looked awful in the meantime. My life felt like a huge dissappointment. You hate to give up seniority and vacation and everything you earn over the years, but there comes a point when none of that matters anymore. I told myself when it didn’t matter, it was time to move on. Well, guess what, I came to that point. I finally decided to search for something that was going to make me happy, and found it. It was the best move I could have made in my life, and I am truely happy that I made the switch. Making career changes is scarey, and very hard to do, but for all of those who are fearing it, DONT! It will do wonders for you health!

I say why not be a maverick and make the whole lot miserable.I am of the belief contrary to Hershburger money is the greatest motivator,after all,that is the product of work.I say give me the money and let the others live on praise and lunch with the boss.

Boy do I wish I had read that article back in May 2007. I too had a similar problem at my job that I reported and after that everything seemed to get worse. Unfortunately I tried to stay for insurance reasons and ended up really sick. Now I am unemployed and desperately seeking work. It is so hard for me to get my foot in the door.
What advice can you give me in finding another job. It seems like you have to know somebody these days.

Dear Anne Fisher,

I just read the article of Dr. Bayer regarding “The 8 Signs When Your Job Is In Jeopardy”. Well, just to blow off a little steam, and also to let you know that the relating story was almost identical to my work experiences. For 45 years I worked under all 8 signs. besides the lower paying jobs in the early years of my life, I have been working for the past 21 years as a medical assistant. After 10 years with one medical clinical (with those “signs”), I updated my resume and went to another medical clinical. I soon found out that this was like jumping from the red hot skillet into the fire. I have worked at this company for almost 12 years, up until my retirement this year at age 66. I have a theory of went wrong in my work life; my theory is that I opened my self up to vulnerability. I believe that I was over anxious to please, and to be accepted, due to my insecure nature. And this was obviously detected to all, especially the bosses. I can recall on many occassions, while I was doing patient care, I would encounter a meeting with the entire staff, except me. And later when I asked my boss why wasn’t I notified of the meeting, she would simply say something like: “Well, it was nothing that major to discuss, and someone had to stay on the floor with the patients.” That someone would always be me. Sometimes there would be staff educational training, computer update training and seminars; everyone attened except me. And to top it off, a few days later, one of my co-workers would appear just when I was about to process the standard test on the patient (the way we always did), they would inform me: “Thats not what we are doing now.” Embarrassing and unprofessional, don’t you agree? Even though, on occassions, my boss would hand me a personal appreciation card which commented that she “appreciates my hard work and dedication,” and I always got good work reviews,I still felt confused and worthless. I also relized that even if I quit this job and go to another I would be placed into the same catergorized work status.

I believed that is not always that the company wants to get rid of you, but I believe that most managers/adminstrators are given a considerably heavy load of work which they must see to it that it gets done. So this manager seeks out to prey on whomever they can find who is vulnerable, and that person will be the victim to take on the heaviest, and most unfair work load.

In summary, I feel as though I have been a prisoner all my work life, confined away from moral and equal freedom, and I have finally been released to society. The problem is I am not ready to adapt to society because of my emotional and physical exhaustion at work.

If I had to relive my work life, on my initial job placement interview, these would be some of my priority questions: Does your compnay execute equal opprotunity to EACH, INDIVIDUAL employee?; regarding time off work for all employee staff meetings, company sponsored, educatioanl training programs, etc? And if this information is not in the bylaws and agreements of the company, I would ask for a written and signed agreement on this issue and keep this on file in case I needed it for reference. I would certainly not be the prey that I allowed myself to be those 45 years. In essence, I am now working on my social identity, as I rely on my spiritual being to guide me. And I started a membership at the health club today!

Sincerly Signed,
Victim of Work Circumstances

I saw the signs and as the only woman on the executive team, and the only one with c-suite expereince, the men (including the owner) made sure I got the message to move on. My replacement, by the way, is a man. Not all male colleagues operate this way, but this company sure did . . .

I don’t work in a office, but I do in a kitchen. The 8 signs it’s time to change jobs hit home with me. I just need the job I have right now until I find a new job.

I had a job that I loved and management changed. I guess the new manager wanted to make a sweep and hire her own staff. I was miserable. I am an elected official in local politics and finding another job was hardly an option. I tried. Meanwhile she took away all my decision making and humiliated me in front of ‘her’ staff and the customers. To top it all off I was convinced she was stealing from the company. Finally she moved on and yes I was right. She had stolen the company blind. I am convinced she was intimidating me because I was the one person who could eventually find enough evidence to blow the whistle. But I felt unprotected, vulnerable and angry with the owners. The job was spoiled for me. I did leave the first opportunity I got. I have a great job now and wish it had come while I was working with her.

Annie, sorry, I have to be anonymous, because of blacklisting concerns. Maybe after you read this, you’ll understand why.

The dot com crash was not that, it was the H-1B crash. Today, I’m training people from overseas in basic computer science, while the corporate stooges in congress loudly debate affirmative action. I have a good job, but after being laid off twice to make room for H-1B Visa holders, my attitude has gone into a major shift. I do what I can to survive, but I’m no longer loyal. No more weekends. No more late nights. Make the right friendships, but the core loyalty is gone. The companies bought my representatives in congress, I’ll never trust them again. I’ll do my job, but my focus is my own business. Need I say more?

gosh, i love my work. everyone is so nice, the hours are great, and the coffee smells so good when i come into the office in the morning. this is a really a swell place. now, if they would only pay me. oh well, i guess (3) out of (4) ain’t bad

Jenna from Miami has a good question: How do you explain in an interview why you left an employer…

I usually say I was laid off due to cutbacks. If they ask why me, I say I think it was because of my higher pay rate.

(this has been true, but even if not, I think it’s a legal quagmire for the employer to badmouth you when someone calls to verify employment. Usually they can just verify your title there, and your dates of employment.)

Or you can say you took time off to go to school, raise children, or whatever.

Or you can say it turned out to not be a good fit (HR loves this term) because of the long commute, or some other non-blame reason.

Just try to never badmouth that company, as it makes YOU look bad.

My previous job started out well enough. As the months rolled by, my supervisors started acting strange.

I always got assignments that played to my weaknesses and my immediate supervisor kept all the good projects to herself. The main supervisor always tried to belittle me; asking me to fetch her something from the cafeteria, telling me I have no power, don’t act clueless, etc.

I must have been reprimanded for something every day. One day I was so annoyed that I decided to comfront the problem. I asked for a meeting between the three of us and asked them if I was doing a poor job and how could I improve it. Silence. They said I was doing a good job. But the abuse continued.

I was never included in any decisions, I had lunch by myself everyday, I had no friends, and I felt like I did nothing all day.

Finally, I decided to look for another job but by then I was already seeing a therapist because I didn’t want to believe I was being abused in the workplace.

I found a higher position within the organization, did part of the training and they decided not to hire me because I was so affected by my previous job. I was working and training at the same time and my employer made me take my vacation time to do the training.

Suprisingly, when I left-my supervisors were annoyed and angry that I would want to leave them.

A week before leaving, ironically, the director of the organization sent a mass email saying that he knew about the workplace abuses and hostile work environment complaints that went univestigated by Human Resources. And further they were setting up committees to solve the issues. Good grief!

My problem now is that I don’t dare use them as a reference. This is hard to do. So, I interned somewhere else in another field of interest to me and am now working freelance- just to get enough distance between jobs so I don’t have to use them. I feel like I’m getting back to my old self. It’s a shame though- it was my first job out of graduate school and I worked really hard at it.

So, if you are working someplace and you see it’s not going well— get out before you can’t use them for a reference anymore. Get out before you have to see a therapist. And get out before you are so discouraged that you can’t smile during your interviews while you discuss your previous job.

I’ve been on my job for almost 25 years. I have had 4 bosses including one that I hired onto my team. What I am seeing is that a lot of old timmers (50 and over) are being shoved out. They are being replaced by people who don’t have the experience and are trained by the people they are replacing. My new boss did some shady things to get the job, and now, I’m helping her because she isn’t really qualified for her new position. I have my resume out there now and I know that I’ve made the right decision. But one thing I did will crack you up, I DYED ALL MY GRAY HAIRS because there still is discrimination out there.

I am working in a office for last 3 years, as a manager. I hate my boss’s policy of changing his stands. there is no policy or procedures to follow. whatever the boss say is the policy, which results in great unequality. Last year when he told me that “whatever i say has to be done” that was the limit. I am a fighter so i survived so long. i am sure it would be hard for most people to work in such conditions.

Just a few more signs of disaster:
1.Your peers with no particular faults are “let go.”
It’s not just THEIR problem, it can be yours!
2.Your boss bad-mouths about his or her people behind their backs.
Yes, you are the target, too, of his dirty criticism when you are not around.

I am leaving my job of three years. I get along with pretty much everyone in the company but my boss, and my job is secure (he immediately hired my replacement), so this was a tough decision. Once I made my mind, though, I realize how badly stressed I have been and wonder how I could last this long. In fact, I find it extremely hard to complete the final two weeks because he has become increasingly hostile since I submitted my resignation.

Ultimately, job change is the result of inner growth. When you grow beyond the job’s capacity and your boss’ expectation, you just have to find new clothes that fits better.

I wrote a short article about “The Real Reason Your Employees Leave” at my site http://www.gratitude-magic.com. Please check it out.

Annie,

Darn! I wish that I had read this article a year or two ago.

After working 2 1/3 years for the same boss, I was let go for the simple reason that my boss’s style and mine were completely at opposite ends of the spectrum (he is anal; I’m quite easygoing). The part that killed me was that my efficacy was called into question even though my current performance AND near-term (next year or two) forecasts were way “up and to the right.” This guy’s last words to me were that I was perhaps too nice of a guy and that the business sector we worked in (electronics) sometimes called for someone who was a son of a bitch - and that wasn’t me.

Right on with your source’s observations!

I’ll be a devoted reader of your blog from now on.

Regards,

“I outta here” — Detroit, Michigan

WOW! Wish I would have read this article about 3wks ago. As of 2007, I just had started with what seem to be a career building job with a new and rising company. My first thought about leaving was in February, when my new boss set my goals for the year, retroactive in January; of course he set them higher than the sales that I brought in in January. We I questioned this, his comment was vebatum,”Well, do you think you could’ve done more?” I should’ve left them. Instead I lined their pockets; more or less his (only four employees) and set them up to cruise for 2008. Sales customers went from 100 to the 1500 that I contacted and sales, well I increased it some 250%. Previous year sales were $103K, I was fired in late September with sales of $255K!
Yes, you should look at warning signs and sadly, over your pride and willingness to try and make the good bad; should jump ship if the tide rises.

I don’t speak about it much, but I had a similar experience. I worked in a county office at the local courthouse for eight years. When my boss lost an election, the incoming office-holder asked me to stay on and work for her. The first two years under her were a good experience, providing expanding responsibilities and opportunities. That particular office operates under the supervision of a state agency. The field rep for that agency got along famously with everyone in the office. The head of that agency was advanced to another position, and our friendly field rep was chosen to replace him.

The replacement field rep came in with a chip on her shoulder from day one. She announced she didn’t like men and told us of past experiences with men in a decidedly unprofessional manner, and proclaimed herself a “trophy-wife”. She was inclined to dress like someone in a wildwest show, complete with fringed leather jackets, jeans tucked into knee high boots, and cowboy hats. She could also heal people by an aura emanating from her hands, and kept doing a Monk-like hand thing at peoples aching joints and aching heads.

She began spending more than normal time in our office changing operations into her vision of how the office should be run, even though we had been in compliance with guidelines every year. After a few months I noticed a change in how I was being treated. The boss started asking questions about how my job was done, then she began doing the most enjoyable aspects of my job herself, while the State rep stayed in the office doing the extensive paperwork my boss was required to submit to the state. Eventually, I was given the assignment of pulling over a hundred files to make changes needed because of a flood in the county. Each file required changes that took several hours of focused attention and record keeping updates; as well as reconciliation with file changes for surrounding properties.

I’ll never forget the date January 13th 1997. I arrived at work to find a cubicle wall erected in front of my desk to cut me off from contact with the other people in the office, and the remainder of the files re-filed in the cabinets so they would have to be pulled a second time. Handwriting seemed to be appearing on the wall next to me, so I went directly to the County Commission and handed them a note of resignation, effective immediately. I simply don’t believe in giving two weeks notice when employers fire people on the spot every day.

I didn’t have a job lined up, but my training allowed me to start working immediately as a consultant, and eventually as a State Certified Professional in my field, making a little over 3 times what I made at the courthouse.

A couple of months after my departure, someone at the office anonymously sent me copies of reports filed by the “trophy-wife” that showed to what extent she had backstabbed and sabotaged me. I shredded them.

But, Karma smiled for me. The state finally tired of the antics of their rep and fired her. The last time I saw her she was standing at the entrance to Wal-Mart in her now tattered fringy leather jacket handing out leaflets for some company. I just said hello and walked away.

My advice to the person mentioned in the article is to get away quickly.

I do not work in the business sector. I worked in education. I left my job after 18 years because the stress and my desire to meet the demands was at an all time low. I felt that remaining had requirements that I was no longer interested in meeting. I have been home for the past four months working on making a career upgrade and change. I feel better mentally and physically.

I started a job working for a small, family-owned company in late 2003. I took a job working in the warehouse, and knew right off that I wasn’t going to fit in. Everybody there seemed to have a bad attitude or a chip on their shoulder. I felt like if I were to look at them wrong I would have been beat down, but learned to hang with it nonetheless. They seemed to give me an espescially hard time whenever I made a mistake, but we’re all human, we all make mistakes so I kind of shrugged it off and I did try to do better but it seemed that nothing was working. After about a year, I made my way into a customer service position, hoping to improve my odds. They loved me at first, but eventually that would fade. Department management changed hands to one of the family members. She was known for being tough, but she was apparently liked well enough, so I stuck it out. after about 8 months or so, she called me into her office and told me that my performance was not up to par, and that she was going to deny me my raise. I knew then that my time was limited. My attitude started to decline over the next few months, and I found myself being very cynical and negative. I also took note of the politics there. I noticed that I had been overlooked for projects that would have been right up my alley. I hated my job and I knew that I sould have quit then, but I didn’t have enough savings to cover rent and bills, so I felt trapped. My job searches weren’t yielding positive results and I fell into a deeper depression. Eventually they had no choice but to let me go, and my boss was less than thrilled, but once she handed me my walking papers and my final paycheck, I felt a certain weight drop off of me. I cleared out my stuff, and I was gone!
The following months sucked with no income(especially it being the holidays and all), and my wife almost left me, but I decided to go back to school so as to increase my prospects for well-paying jobs, and I found a job in the meantime that will keep me afloat, and help me build my savings up. I never want to be in that position of feeling helpless again. I want to know that I have the ability to quit a job without worrying about my bills being paid. I enjoy the company that I am with now, and seem to be making a favorable impression on them as well. I hope to be able to stay on with them for as long as possible, but only time will tell.

Anyway, thanks for this article. I wish I had seen it back then. I may have reconsidered leaving sooner.

As I’m working through college, I try to find jobs that are accommodating to my school schedule. For three years I worked as a server at a popular restaurant.
I set up my schedule to work Friday, Saturday and Sunday and school Monday through Thursday. I was making really good money for a part time job but I was miserable. I couldn’t attend social events with friends, I didn’t have time for errands and I was going nuts.
Additionally, serving is a VERY stressful job and you need support from the people around you to keep you going. Most of my friends had left and I didn’t click with the other people. I would drive home from work crying at times. I was miserable just thinking about work. I wasn’t doing my best because I was so unhappy and I wasn’t getting put in the better stations, which made me more upset because I’m normally an over-achiever.
Finally I decided I was done. I found a paid internship doing something that I enjoy. I love my co-workers and I enjoy going into work. I do get paid about half what I was making at the restaurant but I think my sanity is worth much more!
I agree with Annie, if your unhappy, get out!

I was quite interested in the article regarding signs that it is time to leave your job. Recently I just quit a job that I have been at for over 9 years. I used to love my job and steadily moved up in the company over the years. My work was always praised and people seemed to like me. Everything changed when I came back from a 12 week maternity leave. On my first day back to work, I was told that a subordinate whom I trainned to be an assistant to my own assistant was now my supervisor. I felt completly demoralized, but I stuck with it because I needed a job and the pay was good. Also with a new baby and working full time, I did not have time to look for a new job. While working under this “newbie” he gave me work that any entry level person could do, and never included me in decision making. Over the year that I put up with him, he piled more and more responsibilities on me. He never gave me a thank you, or any other type of recognition for my work. I was also written up on a few occasions over petty matters. While talking to a colleage of mine, she confided with me that while I was out on maternity, he complained about the work that I did, and also my personal character. I then realized, that this was how he got my position. I then found out that he was bad mouthing me to others in the company. I felt that people who once respected me, no longer did. Because I needed a job, I stuck with it. The confidence I used to have, was shattered. I began to have trouble sleeping at night due to the stress at work. My mind was constantly racing at work and at home. It got so bad that I felt my heart racing. One day while at work, I felt that something was terribly wrong with me. I walked out of the office and set up an emergency appointment with my doctor for that afternoon. My blood pressure was skyrocted. Due to being concerned for my health, he recomended that I take a month off from work. I then gave my employer the excuse for time off, and tried to feel relieved. As I thought about it, I could never feel completely relieved until I knew that I was never going back to that job. Even though I did not have another job lined up, I wrote my resignation letter. After I sent that letter a wave of relief came over me. I now feel like a competant worthy person. No job, no matter what the pay should effect your health, or personal life. Right now I am staying at home with my child and loving every minute. My husband and I are living more frugally to make this happen. On the side, I am looking here and there for employment opportunities, but not stressing about it. Thank you Annie for posting that article about when it is time to leave a job. Now I know that I am not the only one who has been through this experience. Your article affirmed again with me that I made the right decision.

I JUST quit a job I was at for 2 years and the morals or lack thereof of the environment are what made me do it. My father always said, and I quote, “Don’t let no one hold you back.” My coworker would keep her mouth shut for fear of being fired but I knew it would hurt them more to fire me than it would to keep me. Some of the things they did to their employees made me question humanity. For example, they fired a lady who’d worked there 16 years saying she swore at a patient but get this, I sat right next to her and heard everything she ever said! And they questioned everyone in the office but me! She sued them and won! Then, there were 6 women fired IN A ROW and each one of them were black. Of an office staff of over 50, there are 3 people of color…and I was one of them. They fired my supervisor when she turned 65 and said she misappropriated money. She had been there for 8 years. I found out it was because she was now on Medicare and it cost the office too much. They hire their friends, their friends friends, and do not care if they have experience or not. Had I wanted to go BACK to highschool, I would have. To see grown adults mistreat people like this made me sick and I had to leave. I will NEVER put myself in a position where I am mistreated or am mistreating people like that even if it means losing my job. In the long run, it’s just not worth it.

I’ve been in the same job for almost 9 yrs now. It’s a very narrow feild and to change jobs I would need to relocate or find a new career that pays as well. Some of the better paying jobs are in the DC metro area. However, the cost of living there is too high even with the bump in pay. I don’t dread going to work, but I constantly feel like I could be let go in the near future and I’m stagnating. Plus, I haven’t been given a raise in several years now and my budget keeps getting tighter. I have 2 kids in school [15 and 11] and I don’t want to uproot them. I’m also not sure that what I do translates very well to other available local jobs. My situations not dire, but I’ve tried very hard to find something better for years now without luck.

I have had alot of jobs in my life and felt like a “job hopper” too, but then there was a point where I just couldn’t settle for less anymore. I worked at Round Table Pizza as an assistant manager for two years and I would warn my boss of how I dreaded coming to work and I felt more and more apart of the family. Low and behold, it was just my time to go. He didn’t like that, but my current job pays way better and it’s much more relaxing. Anyone feeling those signs, follow your gut!! Your health is way more important than money.

Those warning signs descripbe me a few weeks ago. I had been working an entry-level job straight out of college for close to a year, but I finally realized it was going absolutely nowhere. I was still doing the same mundane tasks that I had done when I first started, there was no sign of promotion or change in sight. Didn’t help that my hours were repeatedly getting cut, I could barely afford to pay my rent (I had to borrow a lot of money from my parents for about 4 months). I also felt really out of place; I was the youngest person at the company, and I always felt like “the little intern that could”. It wasn’t until I finally put in my two weeks notice that I had a real opportunity open up: a new postition at the company! I agree with the warning signs about leaving your job, but as I learned, sometimes you will be missed the minute you’re gone. I feel that if I hadn’t thrown down the gauntlet and told my boss I had to find something else, then I wouldn’t have found my new job, which I absolutely love!

If the person whose story was posted has had past success and has invested tme and effort in a company, I would at least let my feeling be known in a professional manner. There may be misunderstanding which clouds many of the issues. What do you have to lose? Approach your boss and be honest about your misgivings and the things which are bothering you. Ask him/her if you are about to be fired instead of sitting there worrying about it. You’d be surprised how honesty brings things to the surface. At least, you will know after this kind of conversation. If indeed the situation is wrong for you, quit wasting time and move on. Time, after all, is our most valuable resource.

From 1998 through June 2006, I worked in various compliance roles for a subprime mortgage lender after 20 years of zigzagging my way through the financial services sector in numerous operations jobs. By 2005 I held the “venerable” title of AVP, but I knew it was as far as I would go, and each of the 8 questions on this blog were screaming at me. So, in the fall of 2005 I made plans to give it 6 months, reallocate some assets and threw my hat in the ring as a free lance writer. Left in June of 2006, one year before the the subprime contagion (some dreaded new disease?), hit. It’s been slow going dollarwise, but slowly I am establishing professional writing credentials, and the mortgage biz has tanked. Many former colleagues got fired, and chances are good the same fate awaited me. Not sure what the future holds, and will need better income soon, but picking the right career, and the right life partner are two of the most important choices we make in life. In the end, listen to your gut, keep working hard, and hope that your choices are the right ones.

Stress is the nation’s #1 killer! Don’t do it to yourself. No job, no amount of money, nothing is worth ruining your health over. I have quit several jobs over the past 30 years due to company politics. I’ve been subject to working with someone who got her way because she was “intimate” with the boss! I do have longevity on two jobs but two others were only 3 or 5 years long. I am currently interviewing for a sales position and I have been completely honest about my work experience. My potential future employer is not a bit concerned. Most employers are intelligent people and they realize that workplace politics exist. You can’t escape it. We all need to find our niche and sometimes that isn’t easy. Don’t give up. Be honest/candid when you interview. Let your new employer know just how you feel about office politics. Don’t whine, complain, or be negative but let them know you are above the “he said/she said” high school mentality and that you expect to be recognized and rewarded for your efforts. Keep moving on until you find your niche. Don’t worry about your resume. You’d be better off job hopping and telling your next employer that you took some personal time off from work to help a family member in need. No job is worth killing yourself over. NO JOB!

I wish I would’ve read this article a year ago! I was absolutely miserable at my old job. Only I waited too long and ended up getting fired. My principles and theirs were very different. I became too vocal about my thoughts and the rest is history.

About three years ago I got a job with a major U.S. car manufacturer’s financial center. There were approximately 500 workers at the time, including 50 temps who worked only with the mail and titles. Every Christmas, the whole building, including the temps, would have a holiday party together. The company would also have various games and competitions to “boost morale”. That ended about over a year ago when major layoffs were announced. The layoffs were only applied to one department; where most of the temps were. The company decided to outsource their jobs to another company. Every week, it seemed, someone was being “let go”, even some of the best workers. Temps were no longer allowed to participate in any company activities and were made to work during their holiday party. With dwindling employee numbers, the work load was doubled for the remaining workers, as well as an increase in customer and employee dissatisfaction. Temps and employees were forced to take on new tasks with no training. People were shifted to new desks every month. Workers were being told the day of that it would be their last day; no benefits, no severance, nothing. The last of the temps were replaced by interns; college students available for summer internships who would be compensated by college credit, not money. Not once did I ever feel valued or appreciated as an employee, not too mention being the witness of sexist and prejudiced accounts. I was let go an hour before leaving my desk at the end of the day. No severance, nothing. I regret not quitting sooner; the warning signs were there. The only thing I don’t regret is vowing never to work in an office environment again.

03 October 2007 –Interesting after four years and too many volatile arguments with former colleagues here recently and on the cusp of a heart attack [i am in the 50 plus club], I walked for my health. While I can say I was extremely proficient to the point of uncovering others mistakes at times due to gender and age gap differences I was well socializing with colleagues. I mean what does a 50 something male have in common with a 40s something male and/or 20-30 something females in today’s office environment? Ask a 30 something about the composition of a mutual fund they have selected and invested in with a firm’s 401K and what the reported percentage gain means..really? They look at you and say well it was up X percent for the quarter that’s good right? Wrong. And here’s the problem, the US office job market is flooded with a lot of US college or high school graduates who do not possess critical thinking nor analytic skills. When presented with a problem that is non template fill-in they become stymied and attempt to hide the problem or past the buck. No good since such problems tend to acculumate by their very nature. Investing, if those 20-30s somethings cannot comprehend the basics, what happens markets wise when the boomers today and those of tomorrow commence the draw down of their market investments?

I suppose that mine was the most obvious example of the writing on the wall: I was asked by my boss (who, let it be noted, was born in one of the Soviet Union’s ex-republics and went through college on a CIA scholarship!) to write my own procedures manual–a step-by-step book telling somebody else how to do my job. Then she compiled a list of every minor infraction I’d committed in the past year and used it to leverage me into a 3-day suspension. I figured it was time…

Eight yrs ago was at a job, family owned small business. The people were wonderful, was highly respected. Was in the accounting dept, when I discovered their financial situation. After 2 yrs, when I left, I was having sever anxiety attacks, was really a basket case. Now have a wonderful job, again very respected. Sometimes we have to do the best for our health.

Hi Annie,

I agree with other posts, your signs are right on the spot! Good job. I wish I had the internet sooner when I was in corporate america. I knew by getting a new job and starting at an entry level position, that it would be tough to move up, but doable. I wanted to work for a company that rewarded hard work. I have had some of that. In the end, I realized that the sign to get out of a company was a sign to get a new career for me. I didn’t want to get out of bed and I couldn’t relate to most people in the accounting department where I was. My personality was changing. I was becomming more people oriented and most people that I encountered, where I used to live, didn’t seem outgoing or people oriented in the accounting departments. I didn’t mind the entry level work I expected it, but I never really felt appreciated. I was scared, but I thought it through and I had to change my career to suit my new personality. Everyone grows, and it’s not so bad. I don’t have a desk job at all now, and I love the spa world. I understand that work life can be hard from experience, and I like the career that I am so I can help others feel better.

I left a job in Hollywood many people would have thought was a dream opportunity, but after only three weeks of verbal abuse, I took off my headphones in the middle of a phone conversation with the man I was working with and said, “I’m done.” The other assistant, who cried almost daily from the mistreatment, jumped to continue with the call. While waiting for the company Controller to get back from lunch so I could formally quit and say goodbye, two employees said that if I knew the guy’s wife, I’d understand. They said his wife is abusive to him. My response? That wasn’t an excuse. He was nice to his business partners, friends, and other people in the office, therefore, he chose to mistreat us. He thought he could do so because we worked with (for) him and he ruled. Well, that’s probably why the Controller (and a client who joked on the phone, “What number are you?” told me he had 20+ assistants in the two years prior to my being there. No one has a right to behave that way and no one ought to stick around for it. And, if he ever reads this (not likely), here’s a tip of my own: You catch more bees with honey. Great article and tips! Thanks Annie.

I worked as a cashier in a bagel shop where the owner’s daughter, as well as at least two other people, worked as cashiers. The owner had been telling me for weeks that everyday she counted the cash she found that the rigister was always short. All the cashiers had their own code to get into the cash register, and one day I arrived at work to find that my code was no longer valid. I finished the day and never went back there again, knowing that I would be the next one to be blamed for the stolen money.

Last year I got fired from a company which I had grown to hate. I fell into the trap of “If I quit I won’t have any income and therefore can’t pay my bills or rent.” I had been working there for 2 years and had busted my ass off for them but still felt like I was getting beat down and under-appreciated. I knew something was wrong a few months in, when I was working in the warehouse, they told me I was wasting time by going to the bathroom (Yes they actually said this!). After a year I was offered a position in Customer Service, and I took it hoping to improve my situation, but department management quickly changed hands and the new manager was tough, but she was still liked enough for people to keep kissing up to her. Eventually my processing speed fell behind and I got the sinking feeling that I wasn’t fitting in. I knew so many people around me that hed been given projects that I could have easily handled, and more to the point, would have enjoyed as it would have been a welcome distraction from my dull daily tasks. As 2006 dragged on, I got called in to my manager’s office only to be told that I wasn’t performing up to par, and they had noticed that I was unhappy. My raise was denied and I knew then that my time was limited. I knew that I needed to quit and look for another job, but I was too afraid of not having the income. My mood gradually declined over the next few months, and my boss even suggested that I quit. I felt trapped. Eventually they did let me go, and my boss used a few choice words in the process, but I felt free all of a sudden. So I took my final paycheck, my paperwork, and cleared out my desk and drove home as quickly as possible.
The next few months did indeed suck, (beign broke over the holidays is incredibly depressing) but it motivated me to go back to school. It also motivated me to start saving money, because I never want to be in a position of feeling trapped at a job again, and I want to get into a field that caters to my strengths. I have since found a company that I enjoy working for, and as soon as I graduate I hope to be able to move into another position within that company.

Last October I was very frustrated with my boss. The company was growing very rapidly and we were starting to lose some of the customer service we were becoming noted for. A front house full time manager was needed to help facilitate the growth. I was not interested in full time employment and had requesting he hire someone to do the job. For over six months no intiative was taken. I finally turned in my notice to quit. Two weeks after my last day he wanted to meet with me. After three weeks I agreed to meet and discuss the situation. After a two hour meeting, he agreed to find someone for full time management and also agreed to the condition I would only work 20 hours a week. After I returned to work I lasted seven months and then turned in my notice for good. I really believed things would change but found out that was not the case. I learned it is difficult for people to change. Even though I really liked what I did I realized management would not change.

I am a Registered Professional Nurse.I was working at a smaller community hospital the pay was great. I chose to return to the big city hopsital. My reasons were for the professionalism and caring for all patients–not dependent on thier socioeconomic background. My experiences were similar to all of these. I have alot of experience and was always given the grunt work, knowledge wasted is a sin. Thanks for the sound off!!

I had a very similar situation with my last boss…he was literally allowed to sleep on the job. Nobody knew for sure if it was an actual disability or not, management wouldn’t ever comment on it. This guy would fall asleep during quarterly meetings (who wouldn’t), trainings, meetings with constituents, one on one evaluations, you name it! The funny thing is he would try and play it off as if you didn’t notice. I soon lost complete respect for not only the boss but the management that supported it and continually allowed it to occur. I ended up quitting the job and I’m still fighting unemployment for benefits as I feel I had a very good reason to leave and find something else. I’m really thinking of releasing my story to the media as well to let others know how this can get really uncomfortable for all those actually working and covering for the boss.

Run and do not walk to the nearest exit. I worked for an organization that was so unfair in their dealings with employees. There were three people that got all the perks and the best salaries. I was offered a promotion with a large salary increase; shortly thereafter I was told by one of the lower level managers that I would not be promoted because there was no money in the budget. However, I would be required to do the same work that the new position required at my same pay. There was no budget shortage; it was a lie to keep me in the same position, with the same salary, with more responsibilities. It was the most dishonest, deceitful, and unethical people I ever worked for. I left after one year and I don’t regret it.

I started my engineering career at a major aerospace company, and I enjoyed working there very much. After 8 years I left that company to return to my hometown where I worked for two different electronics corporations, both of which were professional and reasonable work environments.

I then came across an opportunity at a small avionics company in town that showed interest in my experience. I took a job there since the work was exciting and interesting to me. Things started out fine. I did have some odd experiences dealing with one of the partners of the company, but my boss, another partner, was a good guy to work for, so I didn’t think much of it at the time.

About 8 months into the job, my boss and two of my co-workers were involved in a small airplane accident. My boss survived with serious injuries and the two co-workers were killed. One of the co-workers was the pilot flying the plane.

Just two weeks later, my boss was called in to the office from his home where he had been recovering from his injuries and pushed out of the company. At the time, the official explanation was that he has simply resigned, but I found out otherwise later.

The partner that took over as my boss was the one I had received some odd, negative emails from previously. He promptly began to make my life hell, and belittled me at every turn. I later found out that one of the guys working for him had been back-stabbing me by talking trash about me.

I had been working very hard, producing a brand new product with no help from anyone else in the company. The way that I was being treated was demoralizing, and shocking considering that I had never experience such unprofessional behavior from a manager before.

I called my former boss and had lunch with him to seek his advice. He told me what had really happened with regard to his dismissal, and counseled me to leave the company as soon as I could. I had already reached this conclusion, but his advice solidified my resolve.

It took another 8 months of misery, but I finally landed a position back at my former employer. I never felt so much pleasure leaving a job or giving notice as I did when I left that place.

My former boss filed a breach of contract lawsuit against the company, and I testified in court on his behalf. After a two week trial, he was awarded a sizable settlement by the jury.

It still amazes me that there are people that would run a company in such a shameless fashion, or treat their partners and employees so callously. Unfortunately, I see from the other posts that this happens far too often…

Five months ago I joined a nonprofit organization. The job was advertised at a high salary and it was a management position so I was very excited when I was called in for an interview. However, I was eventually offered a different position at a much lower salary (the old bait and switch routine). I accepted the job because I believed in the goals of the organization. The first few months were great and then things started to go down hill fast. It turns out that this organization had absolutly no money and when I submited a budget for my program it was totally ignored. Then the designer became impossible to work with because every time I asked him to design something for my program it would take several months for the designer to do the work when it should only take a few days (he claimed he had too much work on his plate already). Another designer could not be hired because of the old stand-by “budget constraints.” Then I was asked to use my car to travel all over the city and use up hundreds of dollars in gas. I had to literally beg to get it reimbursed. I was also expected to work many weekends and evenings with no extra pay. The last straw came when they changed bosses on me. I went from a patient, friendly boss who understood my program and gave excellent advice to a person (originally hired on the same day as myself and only a couple years older) who told me my program was “unimportant” and “not a priority.” Shortly after he was promoted, he came to me and told me, due to budget constraints, I could work on my program only one day a week and the rest of the time I would be his administrative assistant. He was an emotionally abusive person who loved to tell you what you had done wrong but never what you had done right. Then I was told my “attitude had changed” as if that was some surprise. Needless to say, I had to walk a way from the job. I will never work for a nonprofit again.

Annie, this article is great! Three years ago, the company that I worked for 11 years had several rounds of layoffs due to company downsizing. Each time, the moral around the company was horrible. Imagine a company of over 300+ depressed people. After the first round of layoff, I knew it was coming - I felt and saw majority of the signs that you mentioned in your article. However, I started to prepare myself to begin my own company. Finally, it hit my department of 5 people (I was the only one let go). Then the request for a “private” meeting came from management and I was laid-off (fired) because “my position has been eliminated”. Thankfully, the company had an awesome severance package… perfect for the launch of my new business! I was finally “freed” from the company (I couldn’t stop smiling!).

Now, I use my management and creative skills gaining and maintaining new accounts, working directly with customers and running the company the way I see fit. A little more work, but the peace of mind is fantastic.

Sometimes, its good to stay at a job when you know there is a benefit in the end, but be sure you have your backup plan set and ready to roll.

I had a great job with an international company. I was hired in as a very low-level IT staffer, but with some hard work, training the company paid for, and a supportive boss, I excelled. Two years into the the job, my boss left for a bigger opportunity within the company to another city. A new boss was hired and it was trouble from day 1. He was arrogant, loud, and loved the sound of his own voice. He brought no value to the organization and needed constant ego validation. His idea of having a meeting was to call it at 5pm, close the doors, chain smoke, and refer constantly to his “glory days” as either “almost an olympic athlete” or the survivor of dangerous adventures and surgeries. He would often stop an important business discussion mid-stream to how all in attendance his scars from various accidents and surgeries. The day he started talking about his hemeroid surgery I didn’t think I could take it!!! This is not a joke, he really did these things.

My biggest problem with him was homophobia. He knew I was gay and treated me cordially to my face, but often shot me down in meetings where I didn’t attend. Also, he was hiring people with far less responsibility or technical capability for more $$ than I was making.

I’ve learned over the years to keep an open mind when things we perceive as bad happen. I prefer the philosophy that we choose our responses to things and that if we decide they happen to help us move forward, then indeed they will.

So, I called a recruiter, had a job interview a few days later, and a job offer the day after that, at 10K more than I was making at the old place. 10k was a lot of money to me back then. If my boss had not been a self-centered blow hard, I would have probably stayed at my old job. My new job was exciting and with it I moved to California, had a wonderful 15 year adventure in Silicon Valley, made lots of money, and grew to become a pretty darn good manager myself. One that values the talents of all his folks and remembers that my first responsibility is to the humanity of the people I work with. I guess you could say I owe a lot to that blow-hard. I got a new life and a new career out of it because I chose to take it as a sign to leave and I believe in myself enough to know that I can make anything work, if its something I’m interested in and I work with good people.

These 8 signs are very true. I have spent more than 20 years in professional Human Resources positions, and left many of them because of negative actions or non-verbal posturing made by my employers. From being in a position where you are required to make ethical business decisions (that are not supported by the company) to being in a position for which you are overqualified can definitely affect your overall health and well-being. Since there are no “permanent” positions anymore, anywhere, loyalty does not count for much, either from the company to you or vice versa. There are so many people who have been laid-off over the years by companies, and some laid off several times. Make “balanced lifestyle” the driver of your quest for a postition (one with lower-stress and general overall satisfaction) rather than competing with others to see who can make more money. And, if you think you can’t identify the “writing on the wall”, look a little harder at the day-to-day situations you encounter/observe in the workplace to determine if they match your values, or if something else is amiss.

I worked as a registered nurse at a job that made me miserable. I loved the work, but the administration was completely driven by negativity and punitive policy decisions.

In Spring 2002 I saw an ad for a nursing recruitment open house at a hospital in another city. It fell on on a day I was scheduled to work. It is the ONLY time I have EVER lied about being sick. I called in sick on a Thursday and went to the open house. Had appointments for interviews the following Monday, a job offer on Tuesday and I submitted my resignation Friday.

I do not do change well and I was terrified. It was a completely different style of nursing. I was going from a small town nursing home to a large city hospital doing acute care. But I just knew that I couldn’t stay where I was. It has turned out to be the best decision I ever made. My work is valued, people say thank you, overtime is appreciated but not punished for refusal to work it and the pay is quite a bit better.

I have never looked back, except to say “Yippee!!!” I actually felt like I got let out of jail. To those in similar situations (whatever the line of work) I would say, “Push yourself to do more and learn more. You can only move forward.” Everyday when I go to work I say a quiet thank you for the job I now have.

When the only thing scarier than changing is the thought of not changing, it is TIME TO CHANGE.

I totally agree with the 8 signs,. This is my currently situtation. The job is fine. My boss is insecure and my co workers are afraid to approach me since I stood my ground on how they will treat me as an employee.I don’t fit in. I am use to the corparate environment. It is definitly time to go. The job is minimal and I get bored easily.

Most people have had atleast one job which made them miserable and have stayed alot longer then they should have. Never the less it is foolish to quit a job if you don’t have one lined up.
If you quit a job, you forfeit the severance package the company offered & if finances become dire because you have yet to find a job, you can’t file for unemployment.
You may have savings, but I can tell you from experience you can easy burn through your savings much quicker then you would have estimated.
So even if the present employment is horrid, unless you have another job or another source of income don’t quit even if termination is a small stain on your resume, it is not as bad as being without a job because you left on your own terms, prematurely.

I had several of these warning signs, but I hung on. It had a happy ended, because they let me go — but I got a sweet severance package that allowed me to not work for several years. Plus unemployment too. If I had quit, I’d have had to go to another job right away. Its not always best to quit when you see these warning signs!

I have had 2 very bad experiences. The first experience I had was after changing from my first job after college. I had a boss who could not stand. She sneered at me whenever I said good morning to her. Whever I showed up in her office even is it was to take a completed assignement she would yell ” I dont have the time now” as soon as she saw my face through the door. The last stroke that broke the camels back was when files that I was assigned to started to dissappear misteriously and she blamed me for incompetence and deleting the files. I couldnt sleep, eat or talk. Soo horrific. Now when I look back I think I should have left sooner. Staying beyond the 3 wks was the biggest mistake I have ever done. It wasnt worth the pain. With the second experience my only regret was that I shouldnt have left my comfortable job to get to one that did not fully utilize my qualifications. Working under an unqualified boss can be a nightmare, now I know that its not alwasy about the money.

It was a sudden jolt as I woke up and jumped out of bed like the house was on fire. I was already in the shower before I realized that it was Sunday and I wasn’t actually late for work. The sense of relief that washed over me was my final red flag. I had been unhappy even after my promotion (maybe moreso because of it). Next day I told my boss that I was dreading every day coming in and I was leaving to pursue other interests. The weight that lifted off me made up for the uncertainty of where my next job would actually come from. I took a 6 month sabbatical and worked a mindless mall job for some play money (along with some contract employment from home). It was a great period of self-discovery and freedom and it wouldn’t have been possible if my awful job hadn’t been so unbearable.

I had a job where the requirements changed after I was hired. It did not best utilize my experience. They also had me working on scanners which I was not trained on.

The Supervisor was not true management material.

So I called after a week and said I would not be back.

I know I should have waited at least a couple of weeks , but best sometimes to cut your losses and run

I recently left a job for another and this action has breathed new life into a career that I was seriously thinking about changing. Of the ‘8 Signs’, I could pick out at least 5 that applied to the situation I faced at my old job. In my first three months of employment, I misinterpreted my Manager’s instructions and communicated plans for new procedures that he had intended to do himself. Although I was praised by others for how well I constructed a message that needed to be heard, I felt like I never recovered from that misstep, and my relationship with my Manager suffered. In fact, more than two years, a voluntary demotion, and one panic attack after this incident, the exact day I received the offer call from my new employer, I was called into a meeting with my Manager and our H.R. representative to be given a “verbal warning” that I wasn’t meeting the performance criteria to their satisfaction. Corrective Action? I was devastated. I know I made the right decision to finally leave the company, but I had a challenge turning the bitter feelings and resentment I had carried around into an open-minded realization that it just wasn’t a good fit for me regardless of how skilled I was or how successful I had been at other jobs in the past. Fortunately, after months upon months of mutual avoidance with my Manager, I was able to express these thoughts to him, apologize for the despondence I finally recognized in my attitude and (sincerely) thank him for the opportunity he gave me to grow. I am incredibly grateful that I paid attention to the signs I saw and took positive action. I couldn’t be happier about my new job—and my old one.

I knew it was time to leave when my boss told me in my reveiw that I “hadn’t drank the kool-aid yet”.

I wish I read your artical sooner, thanks to work I was on prozac and ulcer meds. I’ve worked at Level 3 Communications for 10 yrs (3 of which I had cancer and still worked), Mary joined out group about 8 mos ago and didn’t like me from the start. She ran to my manager with all kinds of lies and he believed her. Never talked to me about it at all and had me written up by HR. When I wrote a rebuttal HR told me that it would do no good and would not investigate anything I said. I even had proof, witnesses, email, to prove my case. A Sr.Mang stepped in and told HR that it wasn’t me and he would give me a different job, problem was I wasn’t removed from the area Mary was at. I was talking on a private phone call conversation were a friend was telling me the different types of harassments, when I got off Mary made a comment. I then made out a report/complaint but was told by HR that because it didn’t pretain to my age, sex, or color they would do nothing. Mary went to HR complaining again and I was terminated for saying the word harassement and has nothing to do with my work (reviews have always been at 120%). That’s what HR told me and that’s whats on my unemployment. I was not alloud to go back to my desk to pack up my belongings. HR picked and choose what they would give/mail to me. I still have not received the rest of my books, coffee pot, and other belongins. Because we are an “At Will” state HR told me there is nothing I can do. Do you have any suggestions? A letter to the owners or VPs letting them know what happen,Civil Suite, anything? Don’t want my job back now but I want them to know that this is so wrong and I just didn’t quit.

My sympathy to Outcast. Based on experience, I suggest the following:
1). Continue to perform to your peak, as best you can. Make your best effort to be professional. Avoid appearing the underdog.
2). Make a work diary each day of what you did and what transpired. Print supporting emails, etc. By systematic. This is your case log or evidence in the event you need it for Workers Comp., EEOC, or an attorney.
3). Job search, network, and formulate a game plan for what is next. Keep your wits about you and avoid the I am a victim mentality.
4). Do not expect this manager to improve his/her behavior. There is a proclivity to get worse. This simply helps you build evidence. It’s actually empowering.
5). Make sure that you professionally request participation in the meetings you are being excluded from. Gently remind your manager that your peers are participating. Can he/she explain why you are not invited. Also, if excluded, ask if you can meet with your manager to get the details or outcomes of the session.
6). If you should engage HR, make sure that you do not engage them halfway (forget open doors, etc.). File a grievance, which formalizes the issue and forces the manager into a more structured and visible HR process.
7). Make sure that you get exercise, socialize (positively, not negatively), and get counseling through employee benefit programs. It helps to be able to logically talk through approaches.
8). If you are proactive in looking for another job or your next opportunity, you may be able to turn in your resignation with a smile and give a professional exit interview systematically detailing the unethical actions of your manager. You can end the exit interview by saying how much you loved the company and your job, and consider it unfortunate that this manager does not reflect the standards and professionalism of the company.
Cheers and Keep a Smile on your Face!

I thought my problems were bad. I walked off the job because I got a new boss and they took all my responsiblities away. It wasn’t because I was doing them bad - they wanted me to “fit” in a role. So, that was bad enough, but my boss was the worse! She never spoke to me. She would tell coworkers when she was upset with me, but never sat me down and told me. She pitted employees against each other by telling them different things, she constantly talked about confidential matters up and down the hall and everyone knew everyone’s business (and when and why certain people were going to be fired). No one trusted her and everyone feared her. You never knew if she was being sincere or if she’d turn on you. She had her “favorites” in the company and gave only them significant raises all the time. She didn’t even own the company!

I was in a similar situation as the lady that asked the question. My problem was that there was a person in my team who was threatened by me because I came from a large corporation. He was also very liked and popular within the office. He damaged my reputation by saying I was not competent enough just because I expressed concerns that he was not giving the training I deserved and was spending all the time training for his new position. Long and short of it was that he damaged my character so much that I became an outcast within the team and within the whole office. I could sense my team lead did not like me but had no choice but to play fair. Instead of quitting I thought to myself, I did not come here to win a popularity contest as I have a mortgage, tuition and other personal items in my life to take care of…I’ll be damned if I let someone that is threatened by me run me off my job. So, I stayed and I bore the humiliation of being an outcast. I did not even bother to try to get anyone to like me. If anyone was friendly to me I was friendly right back. It was as bad as when we have meetings no one will sit next to me. But, all that just encouraged me to do a good job….I let the quality of my work be my leverage.
It took a while, but with time, t