When to quit your job in international development

Considering quitting your job in international development? In this article, I identify the 9 signs of a toxic workplace and share with you 4 thoughts on when it might be time for you to leave your job.

The signs of a toxic workplace

First, let’s get the red flags out of the way: A toxic work environment.

The Muse lists 9 signs of a toxic workplace in this article:

1. No boundaries

2. Lack of trust between colleagues

3. Blame

4. Individuals treat each other with contempt

5. Interpersonal relationships are not healthy

6. Sink or swim mentality (and not support)

7. Gaslighting

8. High turnover

9. Regular physical stress symptoms

If you see any of these signs in your workplace, think about whether you’re better off elsewhere.

But beyond these red flags the decision is up to you.

So how do you know whether it’s time to quit your job?

Thought #1: You’re overlooked for jobs/roles

I see this a lot: High performers are kept in their current roles. They are so good in the job they’re doing that they are overlooked for promotions or horizontal moves.

If there’s no opportunity for you to develop new/more skills sets and improve your contribution to the company, you might be ready to move on.

Coaching questions:

• Be honest with yourself: Does your boss know your ambitions and goals? Or are you expecting them to “see you”? 

• Assess your company and organizational structure: Are people progressing within the structure (whether vertically or horizontally)?

• Have a conversation with your boss: Is there willingness and a plan to help you into a new role within a reasonable timeframe?

If you have talked to your boss about your goal to take up a new role or craft your current role differently (“job crafting”), and nothing is happening within a timeframe you agreed to (whether no opportunities or not willingness), you might be better off elsewhere.

Thought #2: You’ve outgrown your role.

We all want something different from our professional life. Only you can determine what “professional growth” means to you – is it honing a technical skill, freedom to make decisions withing your realm, or applying a variety of (new) skills.

Once you know what growth means, you can look for the signals that you’ve ‘outgrown’ your job.

Let me share mine with the hope they might spark some thoughts for you: Where I once was learning from my boss as a mentor, I noticed a shift: I’ve learned everything I needed to learn from them. My once exciting to-do list ended up being the same, mundane list of things I needed to do. It felt all the same with no new input. And I slowly started daydreaming of alternative work scenarios.  

Coaching questions:

• What does professional growth mean to you?

• Looking at your current professional setting: What made you decide to embark on it in the first place? Have these conditions changed? Or been fulfilled? What has changed?

Thought #3: You’ve outgrown your identity.

We can outgrow a role, but we can also outgrow our identity. Our identity is the core of what drives you right now in your life. It is fluid, shifts as you age and enter different life seasons. Our identity changes as we accumulate experiences and events in our life.

Coaching question:

• In a quiet, relaxed moment, journal about the following questions: How do you want to live your life right now? What’s different to a few years ago? Does your career fit with that ambition?

Thought #4: Your job doesn’t give you meaning any longer.

That’s a big one for my clients in do-good roles. You’re in a job that you once loved and that does good. But the spark rubbed off. It’s not as fulfilling you anymore.

You might think you’re ungrateful or feel even guilty for thinking that. It might even leave you with a feeling of … so, what now?

And yet, we’re diverse individuals. What you were passionate about in the past, might not light you up in the present or in the future. That’s ok. Allow yourself, your passions and your interests evolve.

Coaching question:

• Is it difficult for you to drum up an alternative career vision? Do you recognize feeling of guilt or ungratefulness thinking about leaving your current job?

The simple answer is: If you’re no longer invested in your role, if you’re no longer passionate about your career, you won’t be executing your best work. And your work will suffocate you.

And because we talk about when to quit your job, I also should share:

When you shouldn’t quit your job.

Book a 45 min discovery call to discuss how coaching can support you. We’ll discuss your biggest challenge, what overcoming this might look like and if my coaching is a good fit—no strings attached.