“I Hate My Job!” » 11 Tips and Tweaks You Can Do Now (Before Quitting) {>‿◠}✌️ 

I. Introduction

Did you know that a measly 30% of full-time workers in the United States enjoy their job?

Unless you’re one of those lucky workers, that statistic probably doesn’t surprise you in the least. The vast majority of full-time employees are disconnected and disengaged from their work.

“I hate my job” has become an increasingly common complaint across all age groups, industries, and professions. But even if you’re miserable at work, that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s time to throw in the towel.

With the right mindset and a few tweaks to your workday, you can improve your morale and end the depressing drudgery, endless clock-watching, and terrible bosses. You may find that quitting isn’t the only option you have to change your life.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll teach you to:

• Identify the signs that you hate work;
• Recognize what hating your job does to you mentally and physically;
• Know what to do when you’re bored in a job that pays well;
• Make an informed decision about leaving a stressful job for less money;
• Take control of your situation and find fulfillment at work (or at least stop being so miserable);

Let’s get started!

II. How Do I Know If I Hate My Job?

Coming to terms with the fact that you hate your job isn’t easy, especially if you have other people that depend on your income. Even if you’re miserable at work, it’s tempting to try to stick it out a little longer in hopes that your attitude will change.

Unfortunately, things don’t typically turn out that way. Your situation isn’t going to improve until you’re willing to face the reality of it head-on. Start by identifying the signs that you’re in a rut with your current job and reflecting on why you feel the way you do.

➤ Your Motivation to Do Well Has Disappeared

There’s nothing worse than going into a new job feeling optimistic and empowered, then waking up one day only to realize that you’re doing the bare minimum. A sudden “Who cares?” attitude about projects you used to embrace is a sure sign something’s wrong at work.

➤ There’s No Time to Do Things You Enjoy

Today’s fast-paced office environment can make it hard for employees to unplug from the job. As it turns out, that has a negative impact on employee morale and satisfaction.

You’re not alone if you feel the pressure to let work bleed into your personal life. One study shows that nearly 83% of supervisors expect employees to respond when they contact them after hours and on weekends.

Some require their employees to be responsive 24/7, and salaried employees have it even worse, with little room to demand overtime pay no matter how constant the demands are.

➤ Your Browse Job Boards On the Clock

Even folks who love their job will occasionally check out job opportunities after a particularly challenging day at work. But if you’re bold enough to do it on the clock, that’s a serious sign that you’ve got one foot out the door.

➤ Irritability, Anger, and Apathy Dominate Your Interactions with Coworkers

Coming into work in a foul mood every day makes it hard to handle awkward coworker interactions gracefully. When you find yourself lashing out at others or silently stewing in your rage, it’s time to make a change before you burn bridges that you wish you hadn’t.

➤ Your Physical and Mental Health Are Declining

Are antacids and pain relievers a must-have in your desk drawer? Do you spend your time off zoned out on the couch or dread waking up for work in the morning?

Long-term work stress can do serious damage to your health. Common stress-related ailments include colds, migraines, and nausea. Another signal to watch for is sudden weight changes, which may be caused by your body producing too much of the stress hormone, cortisol.

➤ You Spend Every Sunday Evening Dreading Monday Morning

While it’s normal to feel a little blue that your weekend is over, you shouldn’t spend your entire Sunday worrying about work.

When job-related anxiety makes it difficult to enjoy your days off, you can’t recover from your workday stress effectively. If you’re starting to think, “I hate my job and my life,” it’s time to make a serious change, and fast.

➤ You Constantly Think About Quitting

Even if you had the absolute best job in the world, there would be days when you thought of quitting. It’s normal to wonder if the grass is greener, but notice how often these thoughts cross your mind:

• “I have a good job, but I’m unhappy.”
• “I don’t like my job, but I don’t know what else to do.”
• “Should I leave my job for another offer?”
• “I want to quit my job, but I have a family.”
• “I hate my job but it pays well.”
• “I hate my boss and want to quit.”

III. Reasons You Might Be Thinking, “I Hate My Job!”

Once you’ve identified the problem, it’s time to get to the root of the issue, especially if you plan on staying. You have to know what you need before you can make the necessary changes that can happen to make you enjoy your work again.

Try to be realistic and objective in your assessment. When you’re frustrated, things can feel bigger than they actually are, so wait until you’re calm before you start trying to figure out what’s making you hate your job.

➤ You’re Undercompensated

Watching C-suite executives collect massive bonuses while the company value grows can be incredibly frustrating when you’re feeling undervalued and unappreciated. Nearly half of employees believe they are underpaid, which can contribute to:

• Low employee engagement;
• Low morale and higher dissatisfaction;
• Decreased company loyalty;
• A shrinking talent pool;

Ask Yourself These Questions:

• Have you been given additional responsibilities without additional compensation?
  
• Does management fill your day with emergency meetings and tasks, then expect you to finish your deep work projects at home?
  
• Are the new hires getting paid more than you?
  
• Does your current rate of pay fall short of your current cost of living?
  
• Are you expected to pick up slack for your coworkers without any extra pay?

If you relate to any of these questions, your job may be undervaluing your work.

➤ Your Coworkers Are Frustrating

Everyone’s had a coworker who makes their blood boil, either because of their inappropriate workplace habits or general dislike of their personality.

While you don’t have to be best friends with all your coworkers to be happy at work, it certainly helps when you can at least tolerate the people you spend 40 hours (or more) every week with. 

Are Your Coworkers Part of the Problem?

• Do your coworkers gossip to or about you?
  
• Do your coworkers distract you with conversation when you’re actively working?
  
• Do they talk over you or others in meetings?
  
• Do they disregard your boundaries, such as emailing you on weekends after you’ve asked them to stop?
  
• Do they whine, pout, or gripe every time things don’t go their way?
  
• Do they procrastinate, leaving you to pick up their slack?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, your coworkers may be making you miserable at work.

➤ You Don’t Have the Tools and Resources to Get the Job Done

Your company is flourishing, but you still have to deal with crashing computers, slow internet, and decades-old software. A business that refuses to invest in its employees’ success creates impossible hurdles that suck away employee morale.

Even if your tech is completely up-to-date, you still may not have all the tools and resources you need to do the job. Proper staffing is also necessary to ensure that no one’s overloaded with tasks.

Over half of employees say the company they work for is understaffed, leading many of them to admit they’ve considered quitting in the last three months.

When to Ask for Help

If you experience any of these things, contact human resources and ask for assistance:

• When you’re given a new responsibility that you haven’t been trained for.
  
• When your software or hardware is obsolete, making it impossible to do your job. 
  
• When you have to purchase your own safety equipment because your supervisor won’t provide it. 
  
• When you have to do more work than is in your job description or work additional hours due to understaffing. 
  
• When you have to compensate for someone else’s lack of skills. 

➤ You Feel Micromanaged

Micromanagement suffocates creativity and innovation, but an absurd number of bosses seem to delight in nitpicking their employees instead of letting them take ownership of their work.

If “I hate my boss and want to quit” has become your personal mantra, you’re not alone. Seventy-nine percent of people say they’ve worked under the constant criticism of a micromanager, which drained their morale, affected their performance, and made them want to quit.

Are You Dealing With a Busy Body Boss?

If you experience any of the following, you might be dealing with a micromanaging boss: 

• They criticize your work or make changes to the project without giving you any helpful feedback.
   
• Your performance standards are impossible to achieve or unclear.
  
• You have to copy your supervisor or the leadership team on every single email.
  
• Project teams have no control over goals, motivations, or the final product.
  
• Innovation and creativity are actively discouraged.
  
• They pry into personal details about why you want to take PTO, or how you spent your time on a work trip.
  
• You have to ask permission for everything, from stepping out a few minutes early for lunch to trying a new spreadsheet layout.

➤ The Company Values and Culture Clash Against Your Own

Your job can feel like a battlefield if you’re constantly faced with value conflicts within the company culture. Value conflicts happen when something fundamental to you is questioned or compromised.

For example, many employers are demanding employees to come back for in-person work, regardless of whether being in-person is actually necessary to do the job. When company leadership ignores data or their employee’s preferences in favor of saying, “That’s just how it’s done,” you’re left unheard, undervalued, and unmotivated.

Signs of Culture Conflict

• The company encourages the sales team to bend the truth about the goods and services you provide.
  
• Your boss requires after-hours and weekend communication while you want to disconnect.
  
• You’re expected to participate in social events and team-building activities outside of work time.
  
• Management or coworkers look down on those who use their earned time off.
  
• You want to work from home, but the business requires you to come into the office.
  
• Your need for order, structure, and routine can’t be met in your open-concept office with flexible deadlines and employee-directed scheduling. 

➤ You Have Too Many Responsibilities

Does it feel like that to-do list on your desk seems to grow longer, despite you dutifully putting in your 40 hours a week? Many employers continue pushing more tasks, higher quotas, and increased demands that tie employees to their laptops from morning until night.

That all adds up to a massive burden that leaves employees feeling like they’re constantly working yet never seem to get anything done. Overburdened employees are more at risk for insomnia, alcoholism, diabetes, and heart disease.

Time to Take Things Off Your Plate?

Here are some signs to look for if you think you might be overburdened at work:

• You often have to complete tasks outside of your job description.
  
• You’re called into meetings that have nothing to do with your department.
  
• You’re expected to train and mentor new hires while maintaining your own performance.
  
• Management assigns you “busy work” tasks like filing, fielding customer service calls, or submitting vendor invoices that should go to administrative employees.
  
• You’re forced to work overtime to meet deadlines because your to-do list is so long.

➤ You’re Bored

Think back to the reasons you chose to apply to your current job.

If you’re the type to get bored quickly, chances are, your job promised a fast-paced environment, opportunities to cross-collaborate on projects, and the chance to rub elbows during networking events.

For folks who crave the adrenaline rush and personal sense of fulfillment they get from genuinely challenging work, days spent doing data entry in a cubicle will never scratch that itch.

Feeling Under-Challenged at Work?

Here are some signs you might be bored at work:

• Your daily routine has looked the same since the company hired you.
  
• You’re constantly looking at the clock.
  
• You can’t see how your work contributes to the business’s overall success.
  
• You frequently find yourself sitting at your desk with nothing to do.
  
• You no longer feel fulfilled or satisfied after completing a task.

➤ Reasons People Quit

In a study on why people quit their job in the last year, here were a few of the reasons:

• Low pay
• Lack of respect
• Lack of advancement opportunity
• Child care issues
• Lack of flexibility
• Insufficient benefits
• Wanted to relocate
• Too many hours
• Too few hours

IV. What to Do When You Hate Your Job

There’s probably a reason you haven’t stuffed your resignation letter in an envelope and dropped it on your boss’s desk yet. Whether it’s the pay, your colleagues, or the benefits you can’t ignore, you haven’t given up hope yet.

That means a few minor (or major) tweaks might make it worth getting out of bed again.

The time has come to reclaim your job joy! Choose a few of these actionable tips, and soon enough, you might go from “I want to quit my job so badly” to a greater sense of purpose in your work.

1. Make a Plan

Remember when I asked you to jot down three reasons why you are considering leaving your current role? Pull that list back out.

As you read through these tweaks, choose a few of the changes you think are practical and possible, then categorize them according to the problem you think they would address.

While it may be tempting to take them all on at once, that will only make your situation worse. Taking on too much, as you know, makes it harder to focus and do things the right way.

Instead, focus on one or two changes you feel confident will succeed and, if necessary, add to your plan once you start seeing improvements. 

2. Set Clear Boundaries

Boundaries are hard, especially if it’s the first time you’re bringing up a particular issue with the person who’s crossing them. To make the conversation easier, list your expectations and how they’ve been violated in the past.

Don’t walk in with a script, but preparing in advance can help you find the words to express yourself clearly when you set that boundary.

While sharing, remember to use “I” language instead of “you” language, as the latter tends to put people on the defensive and make them more likely to play the victim.

Using “I Language” Effectively

• Instead of: “You keep interrupting me even when I have headphones on because you don’t respect my clear signal that I don’t want to talk right now!” 
  
• Try: “I have trouble refocusing after interruptions, especially when I’m deep in my work. I am happy to chat at lunch, but I am not available every day from 1:00-3:00 for non-urgent conversations.” 
  
• Instead of: “You constantly email me anytime I take a day off. Stop making it my problem if you can’t handle your job responsibilities.”
  
• Try: “I won’t be working on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. Is there anything I can review before the weekend that would be helpful? I won’t be answering emails during my time off.”

3. Hack Your Dopamine Production

If you aren’t sure where to start, this tweak is an easy way to make a lousy job a little less miserable.

Both intrinsic and extrinsic rewards activate your hypothalamus, the part of your brain that produces the “feel-good” hormone dopamine. It’s linked to desire and directly affects your brain’s willingness to make you do a task.

Defining Motivation

• Extrinsic motivation is doing tasks for physical or external rewards, like earning points with your boss, a bonus check, or buying yourself a new pair of shoes after reaching a specific savings goal.
  
• Intrinsic motivation is when we’re internally driven to do a task because it’s naturally stimulating and engaging. Many people start to hate their jobs because it doesn’t fulfill their need for challenge, competition, or novelty.

Dopamine levels drop when your job isn’t stimulating enough to perk up your hypothalamus regularly. You feel bored and struggle to physically make yourself continue working. Fortunately, you can “trick” your brain into producing more dopamine by adopting naturally rewarding workday habits.

4. Spark Up a New Hobby

When work isn’t enough to give you a sense of purpose, a new passion in your personal life may be just what you need to stop the constant urge to quit a high-paying job to be happy.

New hobbies give you something to look forward to in your day other than crashing on the couch for your nightly TV marathon, and that joy can carry over from home to the office.

Better yet, find a group of people at work who share your interests and meet up regularly to do the activity together outside of the office. Workplace friends help improve performance, increase trust, and give you a reason to show up.

5. Practice Having a Growth Mindset

It might sound a little “Pollyanna,” but reframing how you approach workplace challenges can make them easier to handle. Research shows that the people we admire for their entrepreneurial spirit, abilities, and talents often have a growth mindset instead of a fixed mindset.

Adopting a growth mindset requires you to change your perspective about the amount of control you have over your happiness and capabilities. Instead of just assuming that your current situation and skillset are permanent, consider that you can learn to do just about anything with the right amount of effort.

6. Try a More Assertive Communication Style

Not to be confused with aggression, assertive communication means standing your ground while remaining sensitive to others’ emotions, needs, and motivations. Being assertive helps you have direct, clear, and honest conversations that help you address issues without fueling conflict.

Being more assertive makes it easier to set clear boundaries, increases positive outcomes, and points out “bad behavior” in others by focusing on your needs rather than drawing attention to the other person’s actions.

It’s relatively easy to start practicing assertiveness using a four-step formula:

1. Name your emotion.
2. Name the behavior and when it occurs.
3. Name the effect.
4. Name the expectation. 

So, for example, instead of being passive about your coworker’s constant interruptions by ignoring them or responding aggressively by calling them annoying, you could say:

“I feel frustrated when you interrupt my work while I have my headphones on, and I would like you to save non-urgent conversations for times when I’m not deeply engaged in my work.”

Assertiveness doesn’t come naturally. Depending on your personality, you may tend towards one extreme of either passivity or aggression, neither of which requires you to be mindful of your feelings or how others view you.

7. Change Your Daily Work Routine

Small shifts in your daily routine can spice things up just enough to maintain your sanity when your job starts to feel like Groundhog’s Day.

Something as simple as working in a different location, scheduling dedicated time for breaks, or flip-flopping the order in which you tackle your to-do list adds novelty to your day, which in turn helps stave off boredom.

8. Take Advantage of Your PTO

More than half of Americans left unused PTO on the table in 2019. Most research shows that the blame lies on a corporate culture that actively looks down on employees who use their time away from the office to recharge.

It’s not just in your head, either. Supervisors use “passive face time,” or how often they see you in the building even if they’re not interacting with you, to judge the work ethic and job dedication, regardless of actual performance.

That doesn’t mean it’s not worth taking your PTO, though. Taking time off has a wide range of benefits, including lower stress, greater job satisfaction, and reduced risk of heart disease. That’s worth a few snide comments from your overworked coworkers.

9. Challenge Yourself with a Side Project

When you’re bored, you feel each and every second in a minute. If you’re already overworked, adding more responsibilities to your plate isn’t the answer. But if you’re bored, a new project can help your day go by faster.

It’s also valuable for meeting new people, learning new skills, and basking in the boost of happiness you’ll feel by being generous with your time.

10. Look for a New Role Within the Company

The reason why you hate your job might be less about what the company has to offer and more about the specific role you play.

Not all roles are suitable for all people. Plenty of accountants genuinely enjoy playing with numbers all day, but for someone who loves spending time working with their hands, no amount of PTO and flexible office hours is going to sustain them the same way that a carpentry job would.

If your company isn’t a significant factor in your feelings about work, a shiny new title in a department that better aligns with your skills, preferences, and leadership style could silence that little voice in your head saying, “I don’t like my job, but I don’t know what else to do.”

11. Set Goals and Celebrate

Goals create structure and purpose in your life, especially when you take them seriously. They also provide opportunities to reward yourself for a job well done, which, as you know, increases dopamine production and overall desire to get things done.

One of the most popular tools is the SMART goal-setting system. It’s invaluable for beginners because it breaks down the structure of a goal into bite-sized pieces and addresses many of the pitfalls that go hand-in-hand with the process.

If you’re having trouble making progress, try building in celebrations for more minor achievements. Even filling out a simple paper goal tracker is tangible proof of how far you’ve come and can stimulate your body’s reward system.

V. The Big Question: Should I Quit My Job If It Makes Me Unhappy?

No one can tell you whether you should or shouldn’t quit your job. That decision totally depends on the specifics of your situation. But don’t rush into a decision. Take time to determine what you can do to improve it now, and whether you’re in a position to quit before making the leap.

If you don’t have a sufficient financial safety net, you may have to stick things out until you’re in a better economic situation. On the other hand, if you have a dual-income family, you might be able to make some tweaks and still get by on one income alone.

Is it worth quitting a high-paying job to be happy? In many cases, yes, but only if you’re in a secure enough financial position to do so. No matter how brain-numbingly tedious a job is, it’s better than facing the prospect of missed mortgage payments and being unable to buy groceries.

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