As with learning to say no, learning when to quit can be a hard thing. Quitters are losers, after all.
But maybe you're stuck in a job that you hate. Do you find that your work is no longer rewarding? No longer fun? Are you not getting along with your co-workers, despite numerous attempts at trying to find common ground? Are you a freelancer on a long-term contract where the client is constantly being difficult?
Read on as we discuss ways to take action and make the rest of your year better for you.
Moving Onto Better Paying Projects
Life isn't all about money. That being said, we do need it to survive and to buy the things we want. Even though money doesn't really matter beyond owning the basic things in life, earning it does bestow us with milestones to aim for ⏤ it's one way to measure our success. And who doesn't love success?
Over time it's natural to want to have your income reflect the experience and skills that you've learned. This is especially tricky for new freelancers who cut their rates due to lack of experience, and then find themselves being under-compensated as their skills inevitably develop. On the other hand, even chiseled workers can find themselves outgrowing their salary.
When this happens you have two choices:
- Ask for a pay rise
- Move onto something else
Pretty simple really, but that's not the tricky bit. It's your contractual obligation you need to watch out for!
Check Your Contract
Freelancers will have more difficulty in this area. If you're working with a contract (and you should be!), you will have already agreed on the rate of your pay beforehand. For long-term contracts you should always include a clause that leaves room to revisit your rates mid-way through the work. Actually, I would advise this to everybody, not only those new to freelancing.
Don't "trap" yourself in a contract. Even PT/FT employees will will be required to hand-in notice before leaving, so that the company has time to replace you. Otherwise, you might have to forfeit your final months' salary. Check your contract first, because abandoning a contract abruptly always has dire consequences!
Leaving a Job/Project When the Client is Just Awful
But it's not always about the money, is it? Even the highest-paying jobs aren't really worth it if you're miserable. Maybe certain colleagues aren't very nice to work with, or maybe you have a client that wants more of your time (beyond the scope of what's already been agreed upon) without paying for it.
It happens, and sadly it happens a lot. I would recommend ways to fix your relationship with your clients, but if you're reading this you've probably already tried to do that on multiple occasions.
My first advice is, once again, check your contract. My second advice is to move forward on the best terms you can. Even if you feel like you've been treated unfairly, being the better person is in your best interests, believe me. Professionalism always pays off in the end.
How to Part Ways with Dignity (and Why You'd Want to)
Sending an angry email along with a resignation letter and an invoice for services rendered is a terrible way to end a business relationship. If your communication sounds angry, their response will be too, and you won't be "heard". You can still convey your disappointment or frustration, or how the role/pay is no longer working for you, but don't attack with your words.
Professionalism can increase your chances of:
- Leaving with a quality reference
- Being paid for your services without issue
- Your employer recommending you for another job elsewhere
And decrease your chances of:
- Being left out-of-work for a long time
- High-blood pressure (this can be a very stressful time!)
- Wasting time sending fruitless angry messages back-and-forth
In rare cases, your resignation can actually bring a bad situation to light and resolve any issues you might have. Sometimes it takes an ultimatum to make people listen!
Don't Make Snap Decisions
Obviously, having other work lined up is a smart move, but in the moment of incident it's easy to forget that. It's tough out there; if you quit your role on the spot you don't know how long it'll take you to find something else. It takes discipline to keep your cool when your stress and anxiety is running high on a daily basis, but discipline can only be learned before the fact.
Continue reading %How to Leave Your Terrible Job or Project This Year%
by Daniel Schwarz via SitePoint
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