Dear Annie: When I accepted my current job about a year ago, I felt lucky to get it. I had been out of work (following a layoff) for about five months and this seemed like a great opportunity to move my career forward. Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out that way. The culture at this company is bureaucratic and stifling, and my colleagues have all been here forever and treat me like an "outsider." As a result, I'm not getting challenging assignments, and instead I'm getting stuck with the tedious tasks no one else wants. When it's time to make a decision, my boss seems to solicit everyone's opinion except mine.
I really hate coming to work in the morning. I've never been a clock-watcher, but this place is turning me into one: I can't wait to get out of here at the end of the day, and spend every Sunday dreading Monday. Still, it is a "good" job with a steady paycheck, and I know millions of people would trade places with me in a heartbeat. What do you and your readers think? Should I start looking for another job, or just try to grin and bear it? — Treading Water
Dear T.W.: Yikes. If it's true that misery loves company, you may be heartened by a few statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor: The "quits rate" -- the percentage of people who voluntarily leave their jobs every month -- plummeted in early 2010 to a low of 1%, or half its pre-recession level. It has since crept up a bit, to 1.5% in July and 1.6% in September (the latest available) of 2011.
Clearly, the sluggish economy and slowdown in hiring are keeping plenty of people stuck in jobs they don't like. But, intriguingly, it seems that many of those who do choose to walk are doing it within a short time: Almost half (46%) of employees who quit do so within 18 months of being hired, says a new study by recruiting and applicant-tracking software developer Bullhorn.
The most common culprit, according to the report: A bad cultural fit -- that is, an employee's sense that he or she just doesn't belong, and consequently can't get ahead. Sound familiar?
Kate Wendleton, president of national career-counseling network The Five O'Clock Club, has identified eight specific symptoms of a bad fit. "If you've noticed three or more of these warning signs," she says, "it's time to update your resume and launch a job search."
1. Your values don't match those of your coworkers or higher-ups. Wendleton has seen many instances of employees who don't fit in because they won't go along with unethical (or even illegal) practices, but a clash in values can take many other forms. Your description of your company as "bureaucratic and stifling" suggests the culture isn't right for you.
