Is It Time To Move On?
How to Determine if You Are Ready to Change Employers or Career Tracks
“What’s our coaching topic today?” I ask Jim (a pseudonym) as we begin our session. “I’ve been working on many of the things I took accountability for last time – outreach to my direct reports, journaling to clarify where my values are in line with the workplace and demands of the job, etc. But the question that is really pertinent for me today is whether all this effort is worth it, or if it is time for me to move on from this job and this company. I’d like us to explore that today.”
This topic comes up so often that I want to devote today’s post to the calculus of making this kind of decision.
Navigating workplace challenges is a universal experience. Whether it's dealing with interpersonal conflicts, feeling undervalued, or struggling with the company culture, everyone faces difficulties at some point. However, there comes a time when you may start to question whether the situation can be resolved or if it's time to make a bigger change. Here are some signs to help you determine when it’s time to transition from a difficult work environment and how to approach the decision thoughtfully.
1. Your Health Is Suffering
One of the most telling signs it’s time to move on is when your physical or mental health begins to decline due to work stress. If you find yourself experiencing chronic anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, or stress-related illnesses, this is a clear signal that your workplace is negatively impacting your well-being. While every job has its stressful moments, consistent and overwhelming strain is unsustainable and unhealthy.
I worked in consulting for most of my career, and the project-based nature of that work made it hard to “read the signs” about the overall workplace. One project might be very stressful; the next might be very energizing, and the third might be somewhere in the middle. One strategy was to “bank” enough patience and goodwill when things were going well so that you could be prepared for the more stressful engagements. I navigated the travel, the fast pace, the frequently changing priorities, and the needs of demanding clients very well until one day, more than 20 years into that part of my career, it caught up to me. I found I couldn’t sleep well, my migraines flared up, and I started having panic attacks. It was a different kind of stress than I had handled before, and I knew in my heart it was time for a change, but it took me a while to let it creep into my consciousness and to deal with adjusting my implicit expectations of stability and career trajectory. I finally pulled the trigger and left consulting for a few years to do something very different, and it made all the difference in my outlook and health.
2. The Issues Are Chronic
Temporary challenges are normal in any workplace, but persistent, unchanging problems are a different story. If you’ve made efforts to address these issues through proper channels, such as talking to your manager, seeking HR support, or adjusting your own approach, and nothing improves, it might be time to evaluate whether the environment can meet your needs.
3. You’re Not Growing
A job should offer opportunities for professional and personal growth. If you feel stuck in your role with no path for advancement, skill development, or meaningful contribution, this stagnation can erode your motivation and sense of purpose. Will your work leave some sort of legacy for the organization or for the people you work with, or is it completely fungible? When a role no longer aligns with your goals or potential, it’s worth considering whether a move would serve you better.
4. Your Values Are Misaligned
Workplace values play a significant role in job satisfaction. If your company’s ethics, mission, or culture consistently clash with your own beliefs, this misalignment can lead to ongoing dissatisfaction. For example, if you value collaboration but find yourself in a competitive and cutthroat environment, you may struggle to feel comfortable or fulfilled. Much of my work with clients centers on clearly articulating personal purpose, vision, and values, which can serve as guideposts to gauge alignment at work. Often, minor misalignment can be accommodated and resolved either through changing your perspectives and expectations or through implicit of explicit negotiations of your working conditions. But some misalignments are more fundamental and should be identified and addressed.
5. You Feel Undervalued
Being recognized for your contributions is crucial for job satisfaction. If you’re consistently overlooked for promotions, your input isn’t appreciated, or you’re not compensated fairly, it’s natural to feel demotivated. While advocating for yourself is important, ongoing neglect of your worth may indicate that the organization doesn’t prioritize its employees. My work experience with many Fortune 1000 companies informs my belief that the companies that don’t recognize the value of their employees ultimately perform more poorly than those that do. Do you really want to invest your time, energy, and identity in a company that doesn’t treat you fairly and is likely heading toward (or has already achieved) mediocrity?
6. Toxic Workplace Dynamics
Workplace toxicity can manifest as bullying, favoritism, gossip, or unethical practices. If these behaviors are pervasive and management fails to address them, it’s a strong indicator that the environment is unhealthy. Prolonged exposure to toxicity can harm your confidence, performance, and overall happiness. While there are obvious toxic behaviors in the workplace, more subtle workplace dynamics are often overlooked. Consistently poor communication, whether from the center of the organization out or between peers or management layers, can create a negative workplace. So can poorly run structural evaluation systems (project and annual review cycles, compensation processes, talent development platforms, and the like), which I wrote about in my last few posts.
7. Your Gut Tells You It’s Time
Sometimes, your intuition knows before your rational mind catches up. If you have an enduring sense that this role is not right for you, or if you feel a deep sense of dread every Sunday evening (a more persistent version of the Sunday Scaries, as some of my clients like to call it), it might be worth exploring that instinct. Often, our inner compass is more attuned to our needs than we realize. This is often a visceral reaction to who you are BEING at work versus what you are DOING at work. The job definition, the organizational structure, and/or the culture may collectively be forcing you to be a person you don’t like very much.
How to Make the Transition
Once you’ve recognized that it’s time to move on, the next step is to prepare for a smooth transition. Here are some practical steps to help you leave on a positive note:
1. Clarify Your Goals
Before making any moves, take the time to define what you want from your next role. Reflect on the challenges you’ve faced and identify what you hope to find in a new opportunity. This clarity will guide your job search and help you find a role that better aligns with your aspirations. This is an area I often go deep on with clients – it’s often helpful to have a dialog with someone who is supportive, nonjudgemental, and unattached to your decision to stay or leave when evaluating this kind of decision.
2. Plan Financially
Leaving a job can come with financial uncertainty. Ensure you have savings or a contingency plan in place to support you during the transition. This preparation can alleviate stress and give you more confidence in your decision. I often encourage clients to “do the math” before they get too far into a commitment to move to something new. This can work both ways; Sometimes, clients make wrong assumptions about what they want and need, which makes it seem impossible to leave their current workplace (often leading to even more stress and a feeling of being financially trapped in a job that they cannot abide By). Sometimes, they do the opposite: reacting emotionally to a buildup of stress and deciding to quit without objectively thinking through the financial consequences. In these circumstances, my role is to help them create a practical, objective financial plan they can use during the bridge period between the current and the future.
3. Polish Your Resume and Network
Update your resume to reflect your accomplishments and skills, and start networking. Reach out to colleagues, attend industry events, or connect with professionals on platforms like LinkedIn. Building relationships can open doors to new opportunities. I often challenge clients to connect (or reconnect) with people normally on the fringe or outside their regular networks, often without a really specific agenda. Listening closely to the experiences of others and demonstrating curiosity are both incredibly valuable interviewing skills, and these kinds of meetings give you useful at-bats with these skills. They also allow you to hone how you present yourself, your experiences, and your future interests in a lower-pressure environment.
4. Resign Professionally
When you’re ready to leave, write a thoughtful resignation letter and provide adequate notice. Express gratitude for the opportunities you’ve had, and aim to leave on good terms. Burning bridges can harm your professional reputation, so maintain professionalism throughout the process.
5. Focus on the Future
As you embark on your next chapter, keep your focus on the opportunities ahead. Leaving a difficult situation can be liberating, and it’s a chance to create a work life that brings you fulfillment, joy, and a greater sense of purpose.
Recognizing when it’s time to move on from a difficult work situation is not easy, but it can be a vital step toward protecting your well-being, pursuing your professional goals, and being the person you want to be. By paying attention to the signs, preparing thoughtfully, and approaching your departure with professionalism, you can turn a challenging situation into a stepping stone for growth and success. Remember, it’s okay to prioritize your happiness and career satisfaction—you deserve a workplace where you can thrive.
Really well said, Josh
Of course, another scenario exists, which is: The utter and total "wipe out" by not following your advice, or not having someone care enough to help. There is an old saying which goes something like this: "What do you get when you repeatedly do great work?..More work, of course". Well, I grew up believing that I should always do my best on any job I was given. Being highly motivated, "my" best had to be "the" best, ever. And so, I laid (or tried to lay) a trail of "legacy" performance...in everything I did, whether it was personal or professional.
I even saw and more problematically, felt the toll it was taking on me. Passing out over the client's prize glass coffee table because of pain and waking up in a pile of very expensive glass. As you suggested, I told my partners that I needed a break. They were very understanding, yeah right! So, in the end I just carried on until I had to be carried (I could not walk any more) ranting and raving into my Doctor's practice, and never worked another day at that beloved profession.
Funny thing is, when you end up in that kind of a pickle, Josh. With people expecting you to continue at your normal pace, and actually pushing you. Then it is too late to write that fine letter, be the gracious person, tie off loose ends. You are completely out of it for a long time, cognitively and physically. What then...? In America, then you have to go to court for years to sue your healthcare provider and your partners (who are in co-hoots due to self-insurance) in order to survive to get 1/8 of your previous draw and pay from your disability insurer. It becomes a real "Shit Sandwich" that you need to slowly and meticulously consume before things start looking better in your new life, if you are lucky. If not, goodbye! It behooves one to take your advice early on to save a lot of pain.