8 Ways to Know It's Time to Move On!

Do you find yourself staring at the clock? Counting down the days you've been in your role?  Don't fret you're not alone! A recent GALLUP survey found that only 29% of millennials/young professionals are engaged at work.  That means 70% of millennials/YP are disengaged!  70%!!! That’s ridiculous.  For whatever reason you feel disengaged or unhappy; you are validated.  Your feelings towards a situation are your own to have.  Here are 8 steps to help determine if it's time to move on from your job:

Burnout:5 Steps to Reeling in the Chaos & Avoiding Burnout

I stared at my laptop for hours; let's be honest, days! I kept writing then deleting, writing then deleting, over and over. Finally my husband closed my laptop and handed me Pinterest.  He knows it’s my Fall night preferred relaxation tool. It’s something about all the recipes, décor ideas, and career posts that suck me in. After letting my brain wander, I realized; I just need a break.  Have you ever felt too drained to think?  Still irrationally dissecting a project at work?  Too drained to wash clothes when you get home?  Yea that's me right now.  The holiday break couldn’t have come at a better time. Feeling like Rhonda Rousey after a Holly Holm monster neck face kick thing. (PS.  I love Rowdy Rousey, but I was not ready!)  

We get so ambitious, focused, yet almost foolish at times.  We sometimes forget that life is a marathon and think we need to get everything right now.  That if we don’t have whatever fantasy by some fantastical time, then we’re off track.  So, we work that 14 hour day, erase work/life balance, volunteer for more projects, and still think we aren’t doing enough.  In turn, we barely sleep, find humor at the bottom of a large glass of grown up juice, or troll through the multitude of engagements, baby showers, and extravagant trips our Facebook friends just seem to have the mysterious time and money for.  So we increase our projects in hopes to be noticed and climb the ladder.  Except we just pile more and more on until we have a small chaotic cloud  we can't seem to get quite under control.  We’ve convinced ourselves this is normal; it’s what we have to do to get anywhere. But success is not measured by how fast you get there, but by how long you can sustain it.  I always fall victim to ‘doing too much’.  I know at 5:31 PM I need to leave my work at work, but I end up thinking about program logistics on my commute home anyway. 

Workplace styles and cultural differences

                                                                 

We all have sat through the team personality assessments and cultural diversity seminars, right.  Those that talk about how different our personalities are, how we can work together and how to respect everyone’s personality.  Whether you follow Myers-Briggs, DiSC, Colors, or TypeFocus, the conversation is all the same.  You take an assessment before the seminar, during the seminar you hear everyone’s personality type, how we all are contributors to the team, and how we all can utilize each other.  OR!! You talk about cultural differences in the workplace and how understanding everyone’s culture can bring out the best in us all!

In theory these seminars are great.  You formally learn about yourself, things that you don’t naturally think of.  You find out why you and particular co-worker always butt heads during projects.  You find out who is opposite of you and how to utilize their talents.  You find out how people view and value different aspects of the workplace.  You find peace, harmony, and clarity for your office. 

In reality, are we really holding our employees and teammates to this standard.  We can talk until the roosters come home about cohesiveness, but if once we walk out the room it goes back to normal; we’ve wasted everyone’s time and energy. How can we really grow as professionals: