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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
National
Courtney Pochin & Fionnula Hainey

The two questions you should ask yourself if you're thinking of quitting your job

Brits spend a huge chunk of their lives at their job - clocking up nearly 2,000 hours of work a year on average. If you're unhappy at work, it can have a huge impact on your health.

If you think your job is not quite the right fit for you, you may be thinking of quitting.

Professor Sir Cary Cooper, an organisational psychologist from the University of Manchester, says there are two things you should consider if the thought has popped into your head. Speaking to the Mirror, the professor explained the dos and don'ts of the workplace and how to know when it is time to quit your job.

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According to the expert, it all comes down to your boss and how they are making you feel. It's a bad sign if your boss is controlling and not giving you any autonomy over your work - or if they are constantly looking over your shoulder.

Prof Cooper explains that the relationship you have with your boss is fundamental and if it's not a good one, the stress of it all can make you unwell. If this sounds familiar, then the first question to ask is: Is my boss changeable?

"You ask yourself this question and consider whether you can give them feedback at an appropriate time, what the impact of this feedback will be, and what their behaviour will be like towards you after you give this feedback," Prof Cooper says.

"If you don't think your boss is capable of change, then the second key question you need to consider is: Where should you work? If you like your company or the job you do, then you might consider moving into a different department under a new line manager. However, if you don't, you may want to completely changing things up and leave the place altogether."

"If they [your boss] are not changeable look for another job," the expert adds. "A bad boss is a killer, they will make you ill and they can damage your outside life with your family, kids, and other relationships because you're so worried about your boss all the time. You don't need that.""

He adds: "There's that old euphemism, people do not leave an organisation they leave a boss, and it's true. This relationship between you and your boss is so fundamental in the workplace as that person can make you feel good about your performance and motivate you or make you feel lousy and undermine your self-confidence.

"The evidence is clear on bullying at work, it really does damage people."

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