How to tell if it's time to change jobs

Changing jobs can be a stepping stone to new challenges, higher pay and better working conditions.

But there is no guarantee that you will be happier in your new job than you were in your old one. It is therefore difficult to decide whether the time is right to look for a new job. 

IDA's career advisors often hear about the same dilemmas when they talk to members about changing jobs.

Read more about them below and see which things to consider if you find yourself in the same situation.

One thing to remember, however, is that work is just one element of your life, and the most important question you need to ask yourself is what kind of life you want to live.

Everyone wants a high salary, good colleagues, plenty of free time and exciting work tasks, but you need to rank what is most important to you.

If you want challenging tasks and a high salary, this can often lead to higher work pressure and longer working hours. If your main priorities are having time to pick up your children early or pursue your hobbies, you risk falling further behind in the queue for promotions or the next pay rise if there is an expectation that you should put in long hours at work.

On the other hand, your life situation will change over time, and you may have periods where your career is the most important priority and periods where it is okay for other things to take precedence.

You lack challenges

If every day you sit and count the hours until you can leave, you should probably just hurry up and find a new job that motivates you.

But for most, it isn't that simple. They have both tasks that they are happy about and boring tasks that just have to be done. If you want to find out whether there is a good balance in your work tasks, you can write them down and categorise them according to whether they give you energy or whether they drain you. A good rule of thumb is that at least 70 percent of your work tasks should give you energy.

If you have too many boring tasks but otherwise enjoy your workplace, it may not be necessary to change jobs. Instead, try talking to your manager and colleagues about whether there are other opportunities for you internally. 

Consider leaving: If you have already talked to your manager about getting new tasks, but nothing has happened – regardless of whether they have shown understanding or not. It is not necessarily a problem to have the same job for many years, but you lose both enthusiasm and market value if you are stuck with the same tasks year after year.

Give the job another chance: If you are basically happy with your job and have not talked to your manager about getting new tasks, or if you are new to the job. Many jobs require you to go through a learning curve before they become exciting, and if you change too often, you risk ending up with a CV full of short-term employment. 

You are struggling with the culture of the workplace

It is difficult to change the culture of an entire workplace. If you are employed in a place where the norm is to work at least 50 hours a week and to answer emails in your spare time, you will probably have to change jobs if your main priority is work-life balance and more time for family or leisure interests.

Conversely, the work culture can change quickly if there are restructurings or if you get a new manager or new colleagues. In such cases, it may make sense to keep a cool head and wait and see how the situation develops.

Consider leaving: If you cannot see yourself fitting into the work culture and your employer's values, and if you feel that this is affecting your well-being.

Give the job another chance: If it is just a temporary bad period. For example, if there has been a restructuring, the atmosphere will be tense for a while, but it may change for the better. 

You are tired of your manager

One of the most common reasons for changing jobs is to get away from the manager.

If your relationship with your manager is so poor that you are genuinely unhappy, and if your relationship cannot be improved, it is time to change jobs. 

But if you only have minor disagreements, you may be able to reconcile, or you can consider how long you will have that manager. In some workplaces, there is a pattern of new managers arriving every year or two, and you may be able to wait that long if you otherwise enjoy your work.

Consider leaving: If you have stomach aches and heart palpitations for a long period of time at the thought of meeting your manager at work, or if you have ended up in a deadlocked conflict.

Give the job another chance: If you only have minor disagreements with your manager, you don't necessarily need to have a perfect relationship to thrive at work. 

You want a higher salary

Most IDA members receive a pay rise when they change jobs.

A job change can therefore be a good strategy if you are dissatisfied with your salary and find it difficult to increase significantly where you are employed. 

Just be aware that very few people find that a high salary in itself is motivating in the long run. At first, you will probably see the pay rise as recognition, but you will quickly get used to the new, higher salary level. Therefore, you should make sure that you get more out of the job change than just a higher salary – for example, professional challenges, more flexibility or good social cohesion.

Consider leaving: If you have the opportunity to get a job where the salary, tasks and working conditions are better than in your current job.

Give the job another chance: If you are only tempted by the salary at your new workplace. In that case, it is better to wait until another job comes along that meets more of your criteria.

You have been in the same job for too long

If you have been in the same job for many years, you may be concerned that you are becoming stuck in a rut.

Perhaps your family and friends are nudging you and asking if you should try something new. Or perhaps you are worried that you are painting yourself into a corner and will find it difficult to find a new job if you ever want to move on.

But it is far too simplistic to look only at how many years you have been at the same workplace. Instead, you should consider whether you are still developing professionally and whether you enjoy your work. You can easily stay at the same workplace for 20 years and continuously try new positions and projects, while conversely, you can get stuck after 1 year at your workplace because you are overqualified or have been given a very narrow role in which it is difficult to develop.

Consider leaving: If you are stuck in the same tasks and do not have the opportunity to develop at work. 

Give the job another chance: If you enjoy your work and it is really only about what others think. The most important thing is that you are satisfied with your working life, whether you prioritise your work tasks, the community or something else. 

You want to be a manager

Some people think they need to change jobs to become managers.

But at IDA, we actually see that most members who are promoted to a leadership position do so in the company where they are already employed. So perhaps it is also possible for you to find new challenges while holding on to the things you love about your workplace.

Consider leaving: If you have discussed your ambitions with your manager and there is no prospect of you becoming a manager.

Give the job another chance: If you have not yet told your manager about your ambitions. We often feel that others should be able to see what we want, but it may be necessary to be very explicit about your wishes. 

Your favourite colleague has quit

Many people spend more time with their colleagues than with their friends and family. That is why it is important to have good social relationships at work. 

That's why many people find that they lose a lot of job satisfaction when a good colleague and friend changes jobs, and therefore they also consider looking for a new job themselves. 

Consider leaving: If, over a longer period of time, you feel that you do not have the collegial community you need to perform and thrive, it may be time to look for another job.

Give the job another chance: If your best colleague leaves, or you have experienced a single unpleasant situation with a colleague. Relationships can develop and improve over time, and you can form new bonds with others.