Blue Monday

The 20^th of January marked ‘Blue Monday’, supposedly the most depressing day of the year. With contributing factors including debt levels and low motivation affecting the UK’s outlook in January, many people will have found their return to work particularly ‘blue’. 

With the percentage of employees experiencing high job satisfaction decreasing, we are going to discuss some of the signs you may need to think about a change of jobs in 2020.

1. Morning dread

   If you are finding yourself waking up with feelings of dread for the day ahead, you might want to consider a change. Start by thinking about what specifically is causing these feelings; is it the management, certain tasks, your team or lack of progression or training?

   Once you have outlined the issues causing these feelings you can start trying to work out solutions.

    

2. Monotonous days

   If you are finding your workday has become so monotonous that you are finding it difficult to fight away boredom, you may want to rethink if the job is right for you. It is important for employees to feel motivated in their job, and if you are coasting without any mental stimulation in your job you may be in need of a change.

    

3. No Balance

   On the flip side of not being motivated enough, is being expected to dedicate your life to your work. Remember, pushing yourself in your career can be highly rewarding, but if this is having a detrimental effect on your health and personal life it may be time to stop and think. Having a work/life balance is essential, and if your management are expecting you to give this up this may not be the healthiest of environments for you to thrive in.

    

4. Negativity

   Do you find yourself getting home and wanting to moan about your work or the people you work with? Or do you find ample opportunities to discuss with colleagues how miserable you are? Everyone can have off days and want a little moan, but if this is a daily struggle you may want to consider starting the job hunt.   

    

5. Sales pitch doesn’t match reality

Interviews are quite often used as sales pitches, both for candidate and the company. During this stage employers give detail regarding the role, the people you will be working with and where you would fit in. However, not all candidates ask in depth about company culture, which can lead to finding yourself in a company which isn’t suited to you or your style of work. Whether that be the management hierarchy, colleagues, delegation of work or methods of working, you may feel you didn’t get what you signed up for. If you feel like the company doesn’t fit what you expected, take on board these lessons and use this when looking for your next job.

If any of these points resonant with you, there are a number of options you can take to try and fix this. Try to talk to your manager about these issues to see if anything can be done to help; it may seem easier to quit and start again, but some companies will try hard to improve employee satisfaction and may have a solution.

Some of these issues could be a simple case of miscommunication, but if they are not and management are unhelpful it may be the perfect sign the company isn't for you.

If it is clear some of these issues are not likely to change, such as the fundamental job tasks or company culture, you might want to start searching for something new. Be mindful that if you do decide a change of job is the only option, that you assess new roles and companies before jumping ship. Some aspects of jobs will remain the same no matter where you work, and you don’t want to end up with the same feeling’s months down the line.