aldora: How do you know it is the TIME (to Quit)?

Tell-Tale Signs of You Leaving Your Employment...

Many people would ask me: "How do you know that XXX is going to quit?"

The answer is simple and based on astute observation. DUH.

Having worked in a team whereby the team-mates start to resign one by one, leaving myself as the 'sole survivor' in that team, my experience in observing and identifying the tell-tale signs of one going to leave their employment wouldn't go too wrong.

The common tell-tale signs are:

Taking frequent half-day leaves / Medical Leaves or Urgent Leaves etc

Although leaves are an entitlement to an employee, taking frequent leaves over a short period of time can be a warning sign that the employee might be taking time off for job interviews!

Low Morale during Work - can be observed by bad mood, low spirits and even venting of frustrations at himself / herself or others

This is very obvious when I see my immediate superior dragging her body to work and collapse into the chair right in front of me with an ultra stressed out look. Also, if you are sensitive enough, you might sense a dark cloud looming over her head.. Man.. That's just bad!

Also, during the period she was in my team, she would vent her frustration by crumpling papers or tearing them up to produce some noise that would draw attention to herself - that is simply too extreme but what do you expect from old maids? (*disclaimer: I do not mean that all old maids behave like that, but old maids are generally moodier as their hormones are imbalanced)

Incessant complaining about how shitty their work is and saying negative things about the company

This is the most common way to vent you frustration. But overly complaining about your work might be one of the signs to mark the end of your tenure with that particular company.

Doing Overtime over prolonged period

Never ever think that this is a sign of handwork (although some people might purposely do OT to demonstrate their 'competence'). This might just be an indication that the employee is overloaded.

What happens when you overstretch a rubber band? - It simply SNAPS!

How do YOU know it's Your Turn?

After learning to observe the tell-tale signs of others, how do you apply them on yourself and know it's your turn to resign?

The above-mentioned tell-tale signs are usually reflected during the 'terminal stages' of one's employment. It would be good if you can detect them early so that you can plan an alternative sooner.

You feel that you do not have any potential to grow

Your efforts and handwork are not being recognised by the management and you feel that you are not rewarded well enough for all the efforts you have placed in during your employment in the company.

This becomes more apparent when your bosses are out to exploit you to make you work like a robot and yet unwilling to pay more that they think you are worth.

Never ever think that your loyalty towards your boss / company will pay off in this case - because it never will. Forcing yourself to stay in such a place will stagnate your growth within the organisation and be prepared to receive a nominal SGD50- SGD100 increment year upon year with a thin bonus!

After a decade (or more) in that same company, this heightens your fear to move on and you will forever be enslaved to that company till you retire perhaps!

You are unhappy with your immediate boss

This is one of the very common reasons why people leave the organisation.

The company might be very rewarding towards their employees and they might offer really attractive staff benefits and salary, but having a devil for an immediate boss might deter you from working for that organisation totally.

I was never fond of my ex-boss who was a perfectionist in all ways (an old maid syndrome I think). She would force her opinions / ideology upon me and micro-manage me all the time that at a point in time I felt that I was suffocating. C'mmon, we are all salaried workers so why take everything so seriously? If you want everything to be done YOUR way, YOU should do it with YOUR own hands and not dictate your subordinates to carry them out for you. I do have my own opinions and mindset and ways in doing things and I do NOT agree that your way is much superior than mine.

As long as things are done properly, why do you want to care how are they done? I simply hated it when she struts into the office and started to question me on her 'outstanding jobs list' even before my chair gets warmed up in the morning. The incessant nagging and consistently checking up on my status is killing my passion to work for her. I am a human who needs freedom and breathing space to execute my own judgement and creativity. Moreover, her micro-managing ways were getting a little overboard as she would ensure that I am busy completing the tasks at all times. She would intrude into my conversation with my other colleagues by asking me whether this and that is done. That is ultra disrespectful and most of my colleagues disliked her as well.

Also, our Annual Leave is our entitlement. I never felt guilty about taking time off to chill and relax and do my own stuff. However, my ex-boss think otherwise. She would like to have the control on when I take my leaves and disapprove it for fear that she has to cover my work during my absence. How absurdly tyrannical!

Not everyone of us works the same as our immediate bosses. If the disagreements are more than agreements, then it will be better to end all these miseries by parting ways. In this case, I 'out-lived' my previous boss as she threw in the towel before I did as I simply continued to ignore her and do my own work and leave her to nag all the time.

Your voice / opinion is never heard

Some people are just stubborn and insistent on their ways. No matter how you voice your disagreement / suggestions, they would never be heard.

There was once my ex-boss (yes, that old maid) enquired on how do I file my emails. I explained to her into details on how I did my filing and she disagreed and insisted that I follow her way which is causing me great inconvenience. I explained to her that I would be the one doing ALL the filings, so I should file it in my way which suits my logic. However, she was adamant and only considered her stance that she would not be able to retrieve the information when I am on leave. I do not see that as a concern after all I have already explained to her on how I file my stuff - even my Admin auntie can understand, why can't she?

Whenever I suggest ideas on how to improve our workflow, my ex-boss would start rattling: "Last Time Ah..."

This is the 21st Century - she should just stop living in the past and embrace a brighter future. If you are working for a boss who is unable to adapt to changes, chances are you will have to adopt her style which is a lot less efficient and hence your frustration towards your work builds up over time.

You are not picking up any new things

If you are always looking out to learn new things and be in contact with novel stuff, chances are you will not want to do the same old routine stuff over and over again.

Some people gets excited to learn new things whereas some are resistant to learn new things. Hence it really depends on your personality.

You dislike the company's culture / structure

This is one of the major reason why I chose to leave my previous company. After being worked for an MNC that is very westernised, working under an Asian culture might cause many resentment.

The difference between Westernised and Asian culture is that the first allows you more flexibility in your work. The management does not care how you do your work as long as you produce desirable results. The Asian way focus more on the details like punctuality, SOPs, compliance etc. You simply feel that you are back to school with your immediate supervisors looking like a Principal or Discipline Master.

I am somebody who loves freedom. I work very hard during office hours but I would look forward to work-life balance. Hence it is very hard for me to accept the calculative culture of Asians somehow. Why would you want to restrict my working hours / lunch hours when I am working hard and meeting deadlines right? And not doing OT means I'm lazy and will not be entitled to good bonus / higher increments? What nonsense!

You do not feel motivated to work. To you, it's just a job and you only look forward to receive the next pay check.

The most pathetic part of your employment is that you are just in Zombie mode everyday you report to work. You cannot leave your employment as you have financial commitments. Yet, you are unable to find a better job elsewhere - perhaps due to your age and experience.

Hence I would really encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and experiment with other jobs when you are still young and employable. You will not know what you really like unless you try them out for yourself.

Ending off with my favourite quote from Steve Jobs:

"Stay HUNGRY, Stay FOOLISH"

That is indeed the key ingredient to success.

Check Out My FULL Career Series Below :)
Part 1: Career and Aspirations (Career VS Job)
Part 2: How do your know it is the TIME (to Quit)?
Part 3: How to Stay Employable and Ace Your Interviews?