You’ve got a new job, you’re full of excitement and enthusiasm. But what happens if, in a few weeks, even months, it’s not working out as planned and things don’t look as you thought they would? Should you resign, or stick it out? What do you do if you experience a personality clash, or the role is not what you expected? How do you handle a misalignment of your own values with the company ethos?
The question is, how do you determine when and how to throw in the towel and when it’s better to stick it out?
Remember why you joined
It is likely you have not got this job by accident; it was a conscious choice and one that you believed in. It’s important to keep in mind what first attracted you to applying for and accepting the role. This motivating factor had to be strong enough to make you take a leap of faith and join the organisation in the first place, therefore it must be based on something that is important to you personally, whether it is the role, title, money, company, or industry. Hold on to this – it is important as a driver in terms of your own motivation, but also could be the key to preventing you from making the same mistake twice. It will also separate your own motivation from the many opinions and persuasions of those around you.
Pinpoint the problem
Try to make an objective assessment of what exactly is not working out. Is it related to people? If so, can you do anything to build better relationships with that person/people to make the working situation more bearable? Has there been a communication issue or misunderstanding that could be resolved through a simple discussion? If you feel the relationship is unsalvageable, can you distance yourself from them and still deliver your work? Is there a chance that a particularly problematic person may leave or be reassigned and will therefore cease to be an issue for you? If so, holding your nerve and sticking it out may be preferable to giving it all up and leaving.
Perhaps the issue is job related, in terms of the job content / level / work required, in which case there are plenty of options available before you should consider handing in your notice. If there are elements of the job that are beyond your technical abilities, the company may be able to provide additional training, particularly if it means avoiding another recruitment process. Equally if the role is more junior than you had hoped, or not playing to your areas of strength, is there an opportunity to broaden your remit?
Alignment of values and purpose
Values and ethics are where we enter make or break territory. If done well, the recruitment process should provide good insight into the company’s culture and values. But sometimes all is not what it seems, or your perception of something you thought you could tolerate becomes simply out of line with your personal values and beliefs.
It is evident when you’re walking into a particularly fast paced industry, or a highly competitive environment, so you can prepare for that; you may also be used to working in that environment and thrive in it. But working for a line manager who is a bully, or within an organisation where harassment or discrimination is commonplace can be hard to see coming, and impossible to ignore.
Assess how serious the issue is and whether there is anything you can do to change the situation as a starting point. Whistle-blowing is there to help employees speak up on illegal or unsavoury practices but if it’s a misalignment of your personal values with the ethos of the company, ask yourself if you can (or even want to) live with it. If you can’t and the situation is unlikely to improve, it may be time to call it a day, but only after you have made your feelings clear to someone in authority within the organisation.
Knowing when to call it quits and how long to stay somewhere if you are not happy is a real test of your own judgement and character. The easy route is often not the right one, yet doing the right thing requires conviction and determination. Added to which is the element of doubt as to what the future may hold and how things will work out in either scenario, because no-one can accurately predict the future. Getting to know yourself and your motivating factors will support you in these decisions, by identifying what is important to you as an individual and offering clarity of purpose to guide your judgement.
