How, to tell when it's time to leave a bad job

By Amy Lindgren
Knight Ridder Newspapers

Bad jobs. You've been there, done that.

Maybe you're doing it now. How long is too long to hang onto a bad job? There should be some formula we can use, such as R = (m + lp)2. That would be: Resignation = misery + low pay squared.

Unfortunately, things seldom seem as clear in real life as they do on the mathematician's chalkboard.

Reasons for staying in a bad job are as individual as the people who hold them. Sometimes, it’s sheer economics: This job may pay better than anything else out there. For some people, leaving would be admitting defeat. Others want to outlast the problem, which is usually another person. Others may be deluding themselves that the job really isn't so bad, or that any other job would be worse. And still others have been so beaten down by a lousy situation that they don't believe anyone else would have them.

With unemployment at its lowest point ever, most workers know they can find another job if they need to. But how do you know if you need to?

Is not getting along with your boss reason enough to jump ship? How about being passed over for a promotion? Or not getting credit for projects you've completed?

What if your salary doesn't keep up with your spending? Or your work schedule interferes with your children's activities?

While all of these are reasons people leave jobs today, none of them would have been reason enough a few decades ago.

In the old days (that would be the 1970s and earlier) people didn't leave jobs easily. They would suffer enormous indignities before they would surreptitiously put the word out to a few trusted friends that they needed a rescue mission.

This is part of the lost work ethic bemoaned by today’s employers, who nostalgically mistake fear of destitution for loyalty.

Still, employers have a point. Workers do seem to leave jobs very quickly these days. Which brings us back to the original question: How do you know when it's time to leave?

I don't have a mathematical formula, but here are a few questions to ask yourself as you weigh this decision:
• Has the job lost its challenge for you? If so, can the spark be rekindled with a new project or cross-training? If you are no longer learning new things, it's partly your fault. Do what you can to create new opportunities for growth.
• Are you fairly compensated? If you like the job but not the pay, it's time to have a talk with your boss. Find out what other companies pay for similar positions before you set the meeting.
• Would the job be perfect except for so-and-so? When did this person become a thorn in your side? Can you limit or change the nature of your work relationship? Would the job actually be perfect without him or her? Be as creative as you can in resolving interpersonal issues on the job.

Wherever you go next, you will have more of the same so running away is no solution.
• Is this job a tool to help you achieve something important? If you need this job in order to finish your degree, or as a step to another level, you will have to find ways to live with its imperfections.
• Would your life improve if you did not work in this job?

There isn't a right or wrong answer to any of these questions - just a reminder to think carefully before you start looking around. Just because you can get another job doesn't mean you should. In fact, some of the most important growth in the workplace comes from sticking with your problems and working them out.