What are the most common reasons for changing jobs?

Work is something that plays an important role in each one of our lives. Therefore, it’s very important to choose a good one. After all, work consumes a significant part of our lives. However, sometimes, even though we put much thought into choosing the right profession, we end up unhappy. In that case, there’s nothing wrong with finding another place to work or changing career paths altogether. So, what are the most common reasons for changing jobs?

You’re unhappy with your pay 

A common reason for changing jobs is the feeling of being underpaid. In this case, we recommend trying to deal with the situation first before looking for a new job. It never hurts to ask for a pay raise. If your employer is happy with your work, then the chances of finding common ground are in your favour. However, you won’t always reach a common conclusion. If the company has no means of paying you more and you truly feel you deserve more, then start looking elsewhere. You may even end up finding out that what your company is paying you is actually quite competitive and decide to stay. :)

You simply want a change after spending years in one position  

As they say – life is full of changes. We often interview candidates, who claim they want to change jobs simply because they want a change. It’s understandable given that they have spent so many years in one place. Such people are often hard-working, experienced and most importantly, they know what they want. So, if you truly decide you want a change, go for it! Browse through the job sites or tell us about it! We’ll be happy to help you.

Your life has changed

People go through various changes in life and these changes may even have an impact on our work life. A relative can suddenly become sick and you have to take care of him. In this case, there’s nothing wrong with asking to work less hours or looking for another job that isn’t as time consuming. If you don’t have time for work, don’t bend over backwards because of it because this may result in being overworked and burnt out, which never pays off.

Parental leave is another big topic – You come back to work after years off and you’re confused. Some fields are changing dynamically and it may be very difficult to get back into the swing of things. However, try to not rush things. It’s normal for things to take a while to get used to again after years off. However, if the situation does not improve after a couple of weeks or months and you still feel lost, try looking for a new job. Your employer will end up appreciating it as well and may even allow you to leave earlier.  

Nothing surprises you anymore

You have worked the same job now for years and your work has become routine. You know the answer to everything, there’s nothing that you don’t know how to deal with and you’re bored. However, you don’t have to look for a new job right away! Your supervisor is happy because you can manage your work perfectly. However, some people need to be kept on their toes, they need to keep their minds occupied with new solutions. Therefore, try talking to your boss about the new situation and tell him where and what you see yourself doing. For the sake to retaining qualified employees, employers try their best to come up with whatever it takes. If there’s no solution, consider looking for a new job.  

Bad relationships and a negative atmosphere in the company 

The company you work for doesn’t foster the atmosphere you were hoping for. You didn’t click with your colleagues or your boss, so you don’t look forward to going to work. There’s no need to run away just yet. First, try describing the situation to your boss or HR manager. There’s a good chance the boss doesn’t want his employees to feel bad. Believe it or not, dealing with this situation is unpleasant for everyone involved because relationships are what trouble us the most in our lives. 

“An HR candidate recently called me saying she loves her job and would never consider doing anything else. About a year ago, a well-known company hired HR manager, Vanda for a newly established position. Vanda was brought on by her acquaintance and former colleague from another company. This colleague is currently Vanda’s boss. One would say this is the best way to get a job. Your boss brought you into the company because you had already worked together elsewhere in the past and you know each other. However, looks may be deceiving. 

These two ladies started working together again because of their previous experience and they thought it would all work out. However, the exact opposite happened. Both ladies are professionals in their field, but their vision for the company differs. This doesn’t have to be a problem when people talk about the issues. However, as time went on, these ladies weren’t even able to communicate with one another despite it being a supervisor – subordinate relationship or friendly relationship in the past. 

The tension between Vanda and her boss escalated on a monthly basis, to the point where they stopped sharing information with one another, failed to invite one another to meetings, did not put the other person’s name into the copy of important email correspondence and so on. However, such behaviour is essential for an HR department to run properly. This caused more problems and ambiguities. My friend aged about five years in one year. From an outsider’s point of view, the reason was petty – all Vanda had to do is suppress her fear of confronting her boss, speak openly and start looking for a solution. Where there’s a will, there’s always a way. Unfortunately, the story has a sad ending – Vanda ended up finding a new job….”

What lesson have we learned from this story? A simple one…. The solution to most problems is COMMUNICATION. 

Are you stressed out from your job and feel overworked

Too much work can also sometimes be a problem. It motivates some people to be more productive but it catches others off guard and stresses them out. If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of work on your plate, try talking to your supervisor as soon as possible. Tell him how you feel and you may not even have to change jobs in the end. You may end up bearing the pressure for some time. Or, you may end up realizing that you’re doing work that you weren’t even asked to do or you’re doing some things ineffectively and they’re taking up too much of your time, so you may actually end up feeling better after discussing it with your boss. 

Nevertheless, after talking to your boss, you realize you’re not keeping up with your tasks because you’re taking too many smoke breaks (😁), which may result in the boss assigning you more work. This is obviously somewhat far-fetched. Going back to what is and isn’t stressful in the workplace, we’d end up having to write another article on its own. What is stressful for one person, it a motivational driving force for another. We are all different, therefore, we all approach things differently. What’s going to happen if you start a new job, you like stress, but aren’t busy enough? You’re going to be stressed out by the fact that you aren’t stressed out at work, which will result in you soon looking for a new job and vice versa.  

You’re not satisfied with how the company is run

Do your views not resonate with what the company is doing? You don’t like how the company operates? Are your values not in line with the company’s values and there’s nothing you can do about it? Well, then the answer is clear: either come to terms with it or leave. Nothing more, nothing less.

The work you’re doing does not fulfil you

None of us want to leave work feeling like the work we do is meaningless and although we complete our tasks, they don’t bring us any joy. It’s like an inborn instinct, where we need to feel good about the work we do. What would it feel like, if we did work that we didn’t like doing? Imagine bakers, who hated baking bread or rolls? Do you think the bread or rolls would taste good? Or imagine bus drivers, who hated driving, taking commuters to work every morning? Would you feel safe? Or imagine doctors hating their work. Would you not be afraid of getting sick? We could carry on like this with every profession. So, the lesson here is: “If you do something you enjoy doing, the results are visible”. Sometimes, even the most complex situations in the workplace can have a simple solution. If I like my job, all I have to do is find an employer, who will appreciate it and everyone will be happy.  

Changing jobs is an unpleasant matter for all of us. Everyone wants a good job with friendly colleagues and a positive work environment. However, this isn’t always the case and many of us go through many positions before finally figuring out what truly fulfils us or where we enjoy working. Therefore, don’t be afraid to change something on your existing position or try looking for another job. It’s never too late to make a change!

We first recommend trying to resolve the situation within the company, where you work. You don’t have much to lose – trying to change things is always a good thing. If it doesn’t work out, the work force is full of new and interesting job offers! Maybe WOLIP will help find the right one for you 😉