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Know when it’s your time to leave job

After almost a decade, one of my good friends ended his career in journalism Friday.

There’s no more reporting, writing or editing for him. He wanted a change, and he’s found one.
He’s picked up jobs in a health-care office and at a technology company, and he plans to go back to school to study computers.

While my friend made the decision to switch jobs, some workers aren’t so lucky in this time of downsizing and corporate restructuring.

As companies work through problems, the Five O’Clock Club, a career-counseling agency in New York City, says certain signs indicate employees should begin looking for another job.

“There are eight additional signals - from bosses and co-workers - that let you know your job is in jeopardy,” warns Kate Wendleton, Five O’Clock Club president, in a news release. “If you have noticed three or more of these warning signs, it’s time to update your resume and begin mounting a job-search campaign.”

Here are those eight signs:

# You don’t fit in. Your values don’t match.While you see yourself as refined and ethical, the people you work with are uncouth, dishonest and focused on getting ahead regardless of legal or moral barriers.

# Your boss doesn’t like you, and you don’t like him or her.Your boss never asks for your opinion, asks you out to lunch or has a casual chat with you. You also don’t fully support your boss’s initiatives.

# Your peers don’t like you.You are never invited to any of your co-workers’ gatherings outside of the workplace. But you probably wouldn’t attend such gatherings because you feel your co-workers are beneath you. You feel isolated and gossiped about instead of feeling like a team player.

# You don’t get assignments that demonstrate the full range of your abilities.While your co-workers receive the good assignments, you receive the ones that show your weaknesses. You feel the boss doesn’t trust your judgment or think you care enough to do a good job.

# You always get called upon to do the grunt work.You have the honor of doing the tasks no one else wants to do. You say you’re busy if the boss asks you to do something you feel is beneath you.

# You are excluded from meetings your peers are invited to.This makes you feel your ideas are not valued and your contributions are not important to the company.

# Everyone on your level has an office, but you have a cubicle in the hallway.This shows you are not thought of as highly as others. It also sends a message about your status to the rest of the company.

# You dread going to work and feel as though you are developing an ulcer.You get anxious or physically sick when you think about going to work. Insomnia hits on Sunday nights, and you’ve already run out of sick days. You also have a countdown of how many minutes and hours until you get to leave the office.