From sleepless nights to never-ending emails, here are the signs you need a new job.

Have you ever thought about leaving your job? Do you fantasise about getting up from your desk, yelling 'I'm done!' and walking out in a blaze of glory? Although it might feel like admitting defeat, sometimes there are very legitimate reasons to walk away. Unsure if it's time to quit? Here are eight signs you need a new job.

1. You dread Monday mornings (more than usual)

Nobody likes Monday mornings ‒ that's a given. However, if your dread starts to feel utterly unshakable, it might be a sign that your role has run its course. Full-time workers in the UK spend an average of 37 hours per week in the office or on site. If you're in a job position that brings you nothing but misery for so many hours, it's a surefire sign that you need to move on.

2. Your day-to-day tasks feel mundane

There are few jobs in the world that are exhilarating and exciting all of the time. Perhaps stuntmen or sports stars feel this level of glee, but for the rest of us, work is a roller-coaster ride of interesting highs and boring lows. But if you find that you've got more lows than highs each and every day, that's a major red flag. Your work should be challenging and engaging, not mundane and dull.

3. You're not learning anything new

Are you learning new skills at your workplace? Is the management team investing in you and your career goals? It's human nature to want to progress and move forward in a role. If that's not happening and there are no signs of it happening in the near future, you've got a serious problem. It might be worth looking elsewhere to see what other opportunities are available to you and quitting your job.

4. Your role has grown but your paycheck hasn't

Is your 'to-do' list longer than your arm? If your workload has grown and grown, that's not necessarily a bad thing. However, your paycheck should absolutely reflect that. If your manager has been delegating more and more without you reaping any of the rewards, it's time to speak up. The managers should be willing to pay you fairly for the work that you've done. It's that simple.

5. You never feel as though you've slept well

When you're stressed out at work, it's only logical that it would affect your sleep. A massive 74.5 per cent of Brits say that workplace stress is the thing keeping them awake at night, according to a survey by HRnews. That feeling of not being able to 'switch off' is more dangerous than you might think. Everyone needs a balance between work and life, and not being able to find it could affect more than just your 40 winks.

6. The strain of the role hinders your mental health

Of course, it's not just your sleep that could be hindered by stress at work. In 2019 and 2020, around 828,000 people in the UK said that they were suffering from work-related stress, depression or anxiety, according to results from Health and Safety Executive. That's an enormous amount of people. If you're one of them, figuring out a way to solve the problem is crucial. Leaving your current role might be the answer.

7. The daily commute is your only social life

Commuting is no fun ‒ that's for sure. But is it impacting your life? If talking to a stranger on the bus each morning is your only social life, you might want to rethink your priorities. The truth of the matter is that getting to and from your workplace can eat into your free time, meaning that you have hardly any time to unwind and relax. Perhaps it's time to start looking for a role that is a little closer to home or, even better, can be done remotely.

8. You get constant emails (even when you're on holiday)

Holidays are supposed to be your downtime. They are your break from reality ‒ a chance to chill out with friends and family and take stock of things. How on earth can you do that when you're getting emails to your phone every five minutes? If your managers don't respect your boundaries and continue to bombard you with questions when you're not on the job, that's a real issue. Don't stand for it. Politely ask them to refrain from this workplace sin or look for other options for yourself.

Conclusion

We often think of quitting a job as a negative thing, but it can actually be quite liberating. When a role has nothing left to offer you, the smart move is to walk away from it and find a position that does. Why not start looking today and see what other opportunities are out there? You never know – you might just find your dream job.

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