Should You Stay or Go in Your Current Job?

Should You Stay or Go in Your Current Job?

Employers are struggling to find employees during a historic peak time of employment. 6.4 million jobs were created in 2021 which is the largest increase in employment since the U.S. began keeping records of employment in 1939. Despite such monumental job growth, there are still massive labor shortages. The overall labor force participation rate continues to lag pre-pandemic levels suggesting that other trends are playing into this. It is not simply a supply and demand problem. One key finding is that more and more individuals are burnt out from COVID-related mental health issues.

Enter our friends Depression, Anxiety, and Malaise.

Numerous studies point to those who physically suffered from COVID-19 are experiencing declining mental health nearly 1 year after their diagnosis AND are more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, and other stress-related disorders.?Even those who never contracted COVID-19 are still suffering the collective trauma that was and is a global pandemic that has disrupted everyone’s lives. Simply put, everyone is basically worse off than we were before in one way or another. Awesome. Sweet. Okay, cool!

You may be waking up every day and hating your life. You are constantly debating whether you should say “screw it” and quit your job immediately. You daydream about walking away from your role. Or you bully yourself to “tough it out” in your current role. You fear monger yourself that you have to earn a living despite the internal war on your wellbeing.

One of the biggest questions we get from our clients is the fear of making a leap without another job lined up first. The generally accepted wisdom is that it is safer to quit a job after you have already been hired at another position. It is an easier transition financially when you have another job lined prior to transitioning out of your current role. That does not make it the golden rule of how to transition and job hunt. While there are risks to spontaneously quitting your job, these can be acknowledged and potentially mitigated. ?

We recommend you spend the next few days reflecting and creating your own pros/cons list to help you decide where you are today and what happens if you quit tomorrow. ?Career decisions take time and thoughtful consideration. Consider these risks, benefits, and other deliberations to map out your plan. The biggest part of your plan should be understanding your financial situation and how long you can stretch out your savings to bridge the gap between your current role and your next role.

The Risks:

• Losing income and benefits.
• Having employment gaps on your resume.
• Missed developmental opportunities in current company.
• Depleting safety nets to stay financially afloat (savings, 401K early withdrawal penalties, etc.)
• Added stress from financial uncertainty.

The biggest risk is financial. How will you pay your bills? Can you go without health insurance for a few weeks or months? Are there any other roles in your current company that could fit? Sometimes a lateral move into another role is enough to help qualm the mental health issues in the current role. If you can speak with your current manager or HR team, this could be an option prior to spontaneously quitting. ?

The Potential Benefits:

• Improved mental health (think escaping toxic work culture).
• More time to find a job.
• More flexibility.
• Time off to grow your skills, learn new skills, or gain certifications.

If you are at rock bottom and out is the only salvation, go. Make the leap. Your mental health may need it more than any other risk, especially if you are at a point of considering self-harm. Consider that you could have the time and flexibility you need to finally seek out a better opportunity.

Other Considerations:

• You are working in toxic workplace culture with no sign of improvement.
• You have explored other options within your current role for improvement without success.
• You have the financial security to make it easier to transition faster.
• You have the social support of friends, family, or coworkers who can help you transition.
• You don’t have time to job hunt with your current role and personal obligations.

We cannot give you the “magic bullet” to make this decision. We hope the above considerations give you some prompts to reflect on your unique situation. There is no way to know whether you are making the right decision. Take that pressure off your shoulders. You can only make the best decision for you with the information you have today to determine how to move forward. Take some time to reflect, map out a plan, and then go forward with your gut on whether you should stay or go from your current role.

If you decide to make the jump and quit your job today, the first thing you will need is an updated resume! Let us shoulder that burden and help you in this transition. The Resume Rescue can quickly turn around a new resume, guide you on the gap discussion, and help you begin your search. Book your FREE CONSULTATION here .

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