I want to quit my job. What should I do next?
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Assuming you’ve given thought to your job situation long and hard and have you’ve decided to quit your job for good, read on. If the main reason you’re thinking about leaving your job is due to job dissatisfaction, then we recommend that you read this article first: Help, I hate my job! What should I do?
Table of Contents
Factors to consider when deciding on when to quit your job
If you’ve decided to quit, the length of remaining in your job really depends on your personal circumstances.
Firstly, you need to review what your contractual notice period is. If staying in your current role is impacting your mental or physical health then you might want to quit immediately. You would need to explore the implications of doing so and speaking with your HR team to navigate shortening your notice period, if possible.
If it isn’t possible, then you may have accrued annual leave/PTO that you could take during your notice period. But if your dissatisfaction with your job isn’t an immediate threat to your mental and/or physical wellbeing then it might make sense to keep working while you figure out your plans for the future. It means that you can continue to earn money and avoid having a gap in your CV/resume.
What to do when you hate your job but you can't quit soon enough
Realistically, many people are not in a position to quit their job immediately. And in most cases, many people aren’t even able to quit after a short to medium period of time for various financial reasons, even though they’re really unhappy. We, at Job Honesty, completely understand and empathize (from first-hand experience).
This is likely going to impact your mood, stress levels and overall wellbeing particularly the day or night before a working week starts. However, the good news is that there are many ways to cope with this, hopefully temporary, situation while you plan on finding another job where you’re much happier.
Mindset is everything once you’ve got a clear plan. Think of it this way, a plan might make you more focused on “seeing light at the end of the tunnel” knowing that you’ll be able to look back in a few years with gratitude that you’ll never have to deal with a miserable job that you’ve left in the same way. For the time being, think about how you’re in employment earning which will afford your bills and lifestyle and that this is a stepping stone onto happier work days.
Create your job exit strategy
If you’re unable to quit your job there and then, you don’t need to resign yourself to working a job that makes you unhappy indefinitely. No matter how hopeless it may seem like right now. What you need to do is to plan your exit strategy. Or some may call it a “job escape plan”. No judgement here.
Your plan should include the following (not exhaustive):
- What’s the longest you realistically can endure this job for, i.e. a target departure date.
The reasons for quitting your current job. Use this to help avoid choosing your next job where these issues could arise again.
Traits of your ideal but realistic job that will make you happier. We use realistic as putting down “dream job” is difficult to attain for the majority of us. Everyone has good and bad days at work so aiming for one where you have more good days than bad where it won’t impact your wellbeing is important.
Your target income determined by your financial responsibilities and preferred lifestyle budget.
Your strengths and weaknesses. What work comes easily to you? What aspects of your line of work makes you fulfilled and valued. Do you like to be in the details or are you more of a big picture type of person.
Do you want to stay in the same line of work or have a career change?
What is your experience and qualifications? Are these important in your line of work?
Do you need to retrain, if you’re looking for a career change? If so, what are the implications of this.
Do you want a hybrid role where you work some days on site and others from home?
What is the maximum distance you are willing to commute for your new job?
Can you relocate?
Can you secure a pay increase? If not, is it a sideways move or a reduction in pay? If it’s a pay reduction, can you afford to do this?
Do you know anyone in your ideal role that you can consult with confidentially?
Send out applications to jobs advertised where you feel you meet 75% of the requirements. You’d be surprised how much most employers are willing to upskill new employees.
Your plan should include details on how you search for jobs and how many you apply for per week. Quality applications over a haphazard quantity always bears more success.
Stick to your contractual hours and job description
In this day and age, there is a lot of expectation for us to work above and beyond our job description within our work culture. Therefore, it’s likely that you may feel obliged to take on additional responsibilities, stay late, work “free” overtime and feel unable to say “no” to additional work requests by your boss.
Not that we’re condoning “quiet quitting”, as you shouldn’t ever burn bridges with your current employer, but you absolutely should set clear boundaries based on what is officially expected of you. Revisit your employment contract to confirm your official working hours. Review your current job description to ensure that your actual duties are aligned. Then learn how to say “no” in a sensible way to manage expectations.
Setting boundaries should help you to manage your workload and stress levels while you’re looking to implement your exit plan. It’ll also make the remaining time you have in your current role somewhat less miserable.
Here are further tips on how to set clearer boundaries in your current role:
- Stick to your contractual hours as much as possible.
- Don’t answer work emails or calls outside of your working hours. This will involve you sufficiently managing your boss’s expectations.
- Don’t volunteer for additional tasks, even if it’s expected of you. This is with the exception of those working in industries where timesheets are completed and chargeable work is monitored – if you have capacity, take on enough to meet expectations.
- Manage your calendars and learn how to accept internal meetings during pre-set hours, e.g., outside of your focus time where possible.
- Take your full lunch break! Let your team know that you need this in order to clear your head etc. If you’re legally entitled to it, your team/boss should understand this.
Really make the most of your time outside of your job
When you’re spending a large chunk of your week enduring a job that makes you unhappy, it is more important than ever to really make the most of your time outside of your job and enjoy it. It’s so easy to feel mentally and physically drained from work that after work you don’t want to do anything other than sit and watch TV or do things that make you feel worse, e.g., mindless scrolling on social media.
Try to incorporate activities that bring you joy. These activities don’t need to cost a lot of money. It could be as simple as spending more meaningful time with your family, engaging in conversations without the distraction of digital devices; going for a walk a run to boost your feel-good hormones. You know best as to what activities make you happy.
Bad jobs can really sap the energy out of us and make you feel as though your life lacks any real purpose or meaning. It’s so important to emphasize that your self-worth, purpose and meaning in life is far beyond your job or career. Therefore, taking part in hobbies that bring you joy, peace or other feel-good qualities are so important.
Vent your feelings confidentially
It may sound counterintuitive, but venting freely to a friend or a family member that you can trust really helps you to let off some steam, particularly after a bad day at work. Some people like to vent and that’s it whereas others want to vent with the objective of seeking advice or having a sounding board to share a different perspective.
However, some trusted confidants may have their own stuff going on and therefore may not have the emotional bandwidth to listen to your work dilemmas. In these instances, feel free to post your dilemma in our forum and our Job Honesty community will share their thoughts and perhaps a different perspective. We have a specific section where you can simply vent and not look for solutions or advice.
It’s comforting to know that we’re really not alone in these job predicaments as there are so many of us out there have very similar experiences.
Realistic positive mindset using visualisation techniques
It’s easier said than done, but staying positive and hopeful while you’re looking to implement your exit strategy to your current job is critical to your mental and physical wellbeing.
Focus on your exit strategy knowing that you’ve made a decision to leave and what you’re hoping to happen will happen at some point.
Practice boundary setting, as mentioned above, which should make it a little more bearable for you. It’s perfectly normal to have some better days and not so good days.
Seek the support of fellow Job Honesty community individuals that are likely to be going through similar challenges in our forum.