The Sure Signs That You Don't Like Your Job

People are always changing their jobs, especially when they believe that their current situation is untenable for a variety of reasons, or they simply need a change. Known as 'voluntary turnover', such movement between jobs is accepted practice, only becoming noticeable when there is a particular spike.

For example, in 2022, the United States experienced a record high inn voluntary turnover, when over 50 million people quit their jobs. Dubbed the "Great Resignation", it was caused by a number of factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of remote work, and the desire for more flexibility and work-life balance. However, on the flip side of that action, there are millions of people stuck in jobs they don't like, yet are reluctant to to something about it, especially if they have been in the job for a long time which is tied to their actual quality of life. They often feel powerless to do anything about their situation because the mere thought of change overwhelms them and causes great anxiety.

However, the chief personal cost of staying in any permanent job too long, or no longer liking the work being done, apart from increased anxieety, is a gradual lack of confidence in capability and empowerment. Many people seem unaware that there are three stages to every new job and each stage affects them differently because of the new demands and expectations that they bring. The stages are:

1. Introduction and Initiation
2. Task Familiarity
3. Full Experience

Depending on the number of aspects involved, and the complexity of the tasks, all three stages tend to take between three and six years.

The first stage of being inducted (1–2 years) is always novel and interesting, especially if it is something we really want to do. Second stage familiarity (2–3 years) boosts our confidence and self-esteem by confirming personal capabilities, while adding new knowledge and skills to our experience. If this stage has been a success, the final experience stage (3–5 years) marks us as a kind of expert, well versed in all aspects of our job description, and ready for greater responsibility. Add another year for luck, and the employee is ready to move on, hopefully, to better things.

However, it is this last stage which causes the most difficulty because it sets up expectations, especially around promotion, greater recognition and reward, that are often not forthcoming. We all have a basic need for stimulation, responsibility and recognition which gets stronger, the longer we stay in a job. If we do not move on to something completely different, preferably in a new environment, we begin to lose our enthusiasm and belief in ourselves, the work loses its appeal and we gradually sink into disappointment and regret.

It then begins a painful plunge into feelings of disinterest and disillusion which are obvious in the following actions, the main signs of worker dissatisfaction:

• No enthusiasm for the job.
• A reluctance to do more than the minimum work.
• Daydreaming a lot about other things that make you feel better, especially dream jobs and clock watching.
• Finding fault with the tasks you have to do.
• Enviously watching co-workers and what they are enjoying.
• A feeling of angst, stress and insecurity.
• Always comparing your job to that of others.
• Feelings of unexplained tiredness, listlessness, and detachment from what you do.
• Feeling increasingly ill so that you don't have to go to work.
• Not wanting to even get up to go to work (the extreme stage)

Gradually, we give up trying, becoming resigned to the situation and tending to do the minimum. It is a short step to being happier out of the job than in it.

It seems that the more we stay in any job, the harder it is to get out of it, and the more worthless we feel. Fear, anxiety and disillusion gradually take us over and reduce our value. The converse of that is the development of a sort of 'jobsworth' mentality where the job becomes everything, for its own sake, with its own territory and petty rules.

We cannot fufil our potential or do justice to ourselves by staying where we are unhappy. If you are experiencing most of those signs of unease with your job, it could be time to find the courage to do something about it for your wellbeing and mental health.

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