“I just need to try harder in my job” may not be the answer to your job concerns. If you’ve taken positive steps to improve your job situation and nothing has changed, it may be time to look elsewhere. By completing this assessment and reviewing your scores, you will gain a better sense of what actions to take in improving your work situation and/or how urgent it is for you to leave your current position and/or company. Read more.
Instructions: Circle each item that is true for you.
- I continue to get turned down for promotional opportunities without any clear rationale.
- I am not receiving the same perks as my peers (E.g. best offices, national conferences, plum assignments, opportunities to be with upper management)
- My boss shows favoritism to employees who possess certain characteristics that I do not possess (E.g., young, Caucasian, male, good-looking).
- I spend most of my break time complaining about my job situation.
- On Sundays, I get a sick feeling about going to work on Monday.
- My boss doesn’t appear to value my talents, strengths, and expertise.
- My last performance rating was low and inconsistent with my work accomplishments and behaviors.
- I’m feeling isolated from the mainstream of activity (E.g. not getting invited to important meetings, being successfully bypassed, little airtime with my boss).
- My highest-level responsibilities have been (or are being) assigned to someone else.
- My work achievements go unnoticed while my boss turns my mistakes into major ordeals.
- Another employee seems to be sabotaging me and no one is halting that destructive behavior, despite my confronting this person and alerting my boss.
- My boss is emotionally or verbally abusive toward me (E.g. yells, demeans, harasses, unreasonably denies vacation requests).
Response Analysis: Read the following sections to gain further insight about your current job situation. Which section did you circle the most items? What was the total number of items you circled? The greater your total number of circled items is, the more important it is for you to take positive action to find a job that you are more suited to and that has better working conditions.
Green Signal: A-OK
You didn’t circle any of the items in the assessment.
Blue Signal: No Advancement Here
1. I continue to get turned down for promotional opportunities without any clear rationale.
2. I am not receiving the same perks as my peers.
3. My boss shows favoritism to employees who possess certain characteristics that I do not possess.
Note: If you checked these items, you are not likely to go anywhere working for your current boss. Your boss may be biased against people who don’t possess certain characteristics. If you don’t possess the characteristics your boss values, it might be smart to seek out other opportunities in your current company or elsewhere.
Yellow Signal: Poor Fit
4. I spend most of my break time complaining about my job situation.
5. On Sundays, I get a sick feeling about going to work on Monday.
6. My boss doesn’t appear to value my talents, strengths, and expertise.
Note: If you circled items 4, 5, or 6, you’re probably not in the right job or organization. If you’re not using your greatest talents and strengths, you can’t show your true value. Your work dissatisfaction will likely cause you to be less motivated and productive. Over time, your work dissatisfaction may impact your self-esteem and spill over into other aspects of your life. Take action now to find a place where you can display your talents and be appreciated for your good work.
Orange Signal: Job in Jeopardy
7. My last performance rating was low and inconsistent with my work accomplishments and behaviors.
8. I’m feeling isolated from the mainstream of activity.
9. My highest-level responsibilities have been (or are being given) to someone else
Note: If you circled items 7, 8, or 9, your job may be in jeopardy. It’s likely your boss has decided you are not the person for the job and is setting the stage to shelf, demote, or fire you. At this time, it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to change your boss’ view of you. Therefore, take quick action to transfer to another job within the company or find a job elsewhere.
Red Signal: Dangerous Work Environment
10. My work achievements go unnoticed while my boss turns my mistakes into major ordeals
11. Another employee seems to be sabotaging me and no one’s halting that destructive behavior, despite my confronting this person and alerting my boss.
12. My boss is emotionally or verbally abusive toward me.
Note: If you circled items 10, 11, and/or 12, your reputation, self-esteem, and mental health are likely in danger. Your chances of changing your situation are slim. Usually, the longer you stay in this sort of situation, the more difficult it becomes to leave. Therefore, it may be best to cut your losses and move on.
Disclaimer: This assessment is designed to heighten your self-awareness about your current job and working conditions. It is recommended that you do not make a decision to leave your job, based solely on your assessment results. You are encouraged to seek out other resources for career advice, e.g., human resource staff, employee assistance counselor, and career coach.
Copyright 2007-2011. Nancy Branton.
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