​

7 work red flags

↓

Hope you’re having a nice week and the clock change didn’t mess with you too much 😵‍💫

Quick reminder - I launched @GrantIsOffline last week on Instagram. If you want to follow all my work, I post 3x/week on LinkedIn, 1x/week on Instagram, and here on Sustain every Thursday. I love connecting and watching this community grow 😌

I’m a little over a month into my new job. I’m feeling more energized about work than I have in a while. It’s a good mix of feeling challenged and knowing I have value to offer. And I feel super supported by my new team.

I know many people are kicking the tires on a job move this year. But it can be really hard to know when it’s time to move on.

The devil you know is oftentimes better than the devil you don’t.

But…

Here are important red flags you should take stock of when weighing the decision to move on from your company.

🚩 You’re overloaded

You were hired to work 40 hours a week. Sometimes that ebbs and flows. But if you’re consistently working 50+ hours a week, your quality is going to suffer. You’re headed for burnout. Especially take note if your hours per week have trended up from when you started. This means everything is a top priority. Your management can’t help you identify tradeoffs. There’s no proactive planning to help manage this.

🚩 You’re alone

Raises, bonuses, and promotions are hard to come by right now. But even a simple “good job” from leadership goes a long way. It’s also free. Just saying… It shouldn’t be a foreign concept to feel appreciated. Your management should have your back.

🚩 You’re stagnated

Research indicates that opportunities to grow professionally and develop are one of the top things we look for at work. If you aren’t given opportunities to grow this is reason for concern. Worse, your management is actively blocking you from taking on stretch projects. Feeling like you are plateauing shouldn’t be ignored.

🚩 You’re scared

People can lead with love or lead with fear. Leading with fear causes tense people and safe choices. This leads to business results that make it hard for execs to use the rocket ship emoji. Bummer. Enormous red flag if you don’t feel psychologically safe with your management. You should feel trusted to do what you were hired to do.

🚩 You’re bored

If you’ve been at your job for a few years, there’s a good chance things might feel on loop. It was maybe cool the first few times. But you can do the thing in your sleep now. You’ve asked and there are no plans to change anything.

🚩 You’re suffering

Are you hoisting a flag pole with all these red flags? There’s a good chance your mental and/or physical health is suffering. This is the biggest red flag. Work is a major part of your life, no doubt. But it shouldn’t break you down. Listen to your therapist, doctor, and trusted community for guidance and support.

🚩 You’re checked out

Sometimes your job is no longer it. The vibes are off. That’s ok and a valid reason on its own.

-

Let’s remember that we’re talking about a job here. There are always going to be imperfections. You’ll disagree with decisions that come down from above. There will be messy periods during growth while things are figured out.

I can’t say with certainty what is the red flag threshold. I’m not sure how many of these flags must be true to GTFO. It might be a few or just one. You know yourself and your situation best.

It’s usually not a clear-cut decision. But when you know, you know. Listen to your gut.

Feel free to reply to this email if I can help you weigh or talk through your scenario. ✌️
​

Grant Gurewitz Full-time corporate type and School of Logging Off Founder

Good vibes only ✌️

Working hard or hardly working? Doesn't matter. Step into nature for a brief moment of awe to escape the crazy at work 😵‍💫