Thursday August 28, 2014
By NISHA T. NAIDU
editor@mystarjob.com <
The alarm goes off, you hit ‘snooze’ about seven times, before finally deciding to drag yourself off bed and get prepped for work.
This happens to most of us working folk. The world seems like a terrible place at 8am, right up until you’ve had your coffee, tea, yoghurt, or whatever does it for you.
But for some, it is more than just the morning’s lethargy. You know something is wrong when your usual pick-me-up fails to work its magic.
As the nation gears towards celebrating its three-day ‘Merdeka’ weekend, this group of job-goers, on the other hand, can only think of the dark cloud of doom hovering over their desk, awaiting their return on Tuesday morning.
Are you one of them? Do you get engulfed by dread every time you think about work? Could it be time to make a job switch?
Alas, such decisions are not always black and white. Hence, this list might help clear things up for you.
Here are 10 signs that you should declare ‘Merdeka’ from your job:
1 You feel like your job is pointless Whether you’ve entered a spiral of negativity, or your tasks are truly of a mundane nature, you can’t seem to see the big picture, or how your tasks make an impact to the company.
2 You lack passion Every task you do is not done to your best ability as you normally would, because you can’t seem to muster the interest and passion to do so.
3 You can’t get to the end of your to-do list And this is simply because your motivation and your will to do so has been sucked out of you.
4 Your responsibilities are expanding, but not your pay Even if you are motivated enough to take on more for experience’s sake, you somehow feel unappreciated, and almost like you’re settling for less. Yes, your responsibilities have increased, which means the management’s trust in you has too. But somehow, this has been conveniently overlooked in your increment.
5 You don’t have time to yourself You scoff at the idea of workaholics, but at the same time, you’re seething on the inside because you seem to be turning into one against your will. You find that even when you’re at home, you can’t relax because there are still things that need to be urgently settled.
You don't even have time to spell this with your biscuits.
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6 You don’t feel like yourself at your workplace You are normally (more) energetic and chatty, and are participative in meetings with lots of ideas and suggestions to share. But lately, your colleagues are surprised to see you for lunch, as no one seems to notice that you’re even there.
Nope, not happening.
7 You constantly dream about being anywhere else but work Anywhere, anywhere, is better than being at your desk in the office. Even a shabby bus stop in the middle of nowhere works for you.
Doing this works too.
8 Your physical health is taking a toll from work stress You’re normally problem-free when it comes to health issues, but recently you’ve been getting anxiety attacks, headaches, unexplained body pains, and spiralling into depression. This is a major sign that you should rethink your current job.
9 You’re not using your best assets at work Your strengths and skills are not being pushed like you want them to be, or they once were. And this is either because your job scope has evolved and doesn’t entail you to use them anymore, or you simply are demotivated and do not see the point of wasting your efforts.
Who needs a box, anyway?
10 You’re constantly bored You don’t feel challenged at work, not even mildly or occasionally. You look forward to your after-work activities every day as they are more mentally stimulating and rewarding to you.
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Think you fulfill all these criteria? Hold it, don't 'Merdeka' just yet. Make sure you've got another job waiting for you.
Register as a jobseeker and browse mystarjob.com for the latest positions available.
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