9 Reasons to Leave a Job

It can be easy to overlook the mental stress and strain a job puts on you if you are making good money. It can be more difficult, however, when that stress stems from an unhealthy work environment. Is your job affecting your mental health? There is nothing shameful about leaving a job to preserve your mental health. Here are nine reasons to leave your job and ways to identify a mentally destructive work environment:

1. There are huge problems with communication.

Has your boss every come to yell at or scold you because you seemed to leave out a large portion of a project? Have you ever missed a meeting that you never received an email about? If there is poor communication at a job, which often leaves you out of the loop or gets you into trouble, it might be time to bail, especially if steps are not being taken to correct these issues. No one can work in an environment where they continually get in trouble because expectations are not clearly communicated to them.

2. There are policies but they are applied unevenly.

We’ve all dealt with businesses where no one really seems to know what’s going on. You ask one person something and you get one answer. If you ask someone else the same question, you get another answer. If you are experiencing this in your own job, it can create chaos that is difficult to deal with, not just for your customers of clients, but for you, too. You can start to feel swept away by it, no matter how rigidly you try to uphold those policies. Consistency is the key to a healthy work environment and one that is completely inconsistent can be terrifying. This is a big red flag and an issue you can’t fix. If policies are applied unevenly, this is a reason to leave your job.

3. Your boss is a narcissist.

Maybe the guy at the top of the company is actually a great guy, but the person who is your direct supervisor is a power-hungry egotistical maniac. You’ve been brow-beaten, yelled at, blamed and belittled. A narcissist thinks they are better, smarter, and more talented than anyone else in the world and they also don’t think that they are required to follow the rules, especially the social rules, set out for everyone else. Having to follow a person like this can be a real drain on your mental health and a reason to leave your job. No one can satisfy a narcissist.

4. Your coworkers are disgruntled.

Whether they just hate the work or you’re all laboring under a narcissist and they are vocal about their complaints, having to work alongside people who are constantly negative can be impossible. No matter how hard you try to stay upbeat, they constantly drag you down. They will, and do, complain about anything. Sarcasm becomes a second language to them. They don’t trust the company and they don’t trust each other. It becomes a pervasive and dark atmosphere, looming over everything. No one wants to interact with one another and many people start jumping ship.

5. You and your coworkers fear for your job.

When you and everyone around you is always afraid that your job is going to either disappear or that you are going to be fired (probably by that boss who has confusing and inconsistent policies or behaviors), it can be a huge amount of stress, all loaded on your shoulders. Companies that have a high turnover rate, for whatever reason, are more likely to harm your mental health and you might actually be better off leaving the position and seeking out calmer waters. Additionally, when you work in an environment where everyone fears for their job, bullying, lying and sabotaging prevails. These behaviors are destructive and no grown adult should be exposed to such nonsense.

6. The bullies in the office get the most praise.

You might love the show The Office, but it’s hard to ignore that working with a real life Dwight Schrute would be horrifying. Bullying isn’t just for school-aged kids anymore. People who are insensitive and pushy might often be idolized by management because they are willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead. Often, bullies are higher performers, because they strong-arm people. If the company is more interested in making money than they are in the mental health of their workers, these people might be held up as examples of good behavior, even if they are actually toxic. This should be a great reason to leave your job.

7. Management is immature.

It can be difficult to deal with managers that lack the emotional maturity to actually lead. If they get angry or throw fits about things that no normal, rational human being would get angry about (like all of the donuts being gone or there being no more coffee), you could be in a very unhealthy work environment and your best option is probably to leave.

8. Your boss is never happy.

Even when you do anything right, you are never praised and never thanked. You could go weeks or even months without making a single mistake and you are still vilified even if you make even a small, understandable error. You meet your goals routinely, but your boss is never satisfied. If s/he can never be pleased, your best course of action might be to find work under someone who does appreciate the efforts of his employees.

9. Your coworkers have stress-related illnesses.

The people around you are suffering from some sort of stress-related illness. They are insomniacs, anxious, are gaining weight, and have high blood pressure. Even if you are new to the office, if you start to hear about many people in this office having stress-related illnesses, this might be a good indication that the job is a hive of stressed out, emotionally unwell individuals.

If you are in a work environment that mimics these nine reasons to leave a job, I strongly encourage you to leave and seek employment elsewhere. Staying for your own sense of pride and ego will only damage your psychological and emotional well-being long-term. You will thank yourself later for being brave enough now to get your exit plan in order.