Imagine having a health emergency and finding out in the hospital that your employer-sponsored coverage has lapsed because your company is going under.
Although it sounds bizarre, it actually happened to one of my clients.
As a career coach with more than 10 years of experience, I’ve heard my fair share of reasons people want to leave their jobs. Many of those reasons are not as glaringly bad as that example, but they’re still valid.
Excessive workload.
Stifling working conditions.
Poor leadership.
You name it, I’ve heard it. Sometimes, my clients can’t even pinpoint a specific reason for wanting to leave their jobs outside of a gut feeling that it’s time to go.
Instead of talking my clients out of leaving their jobs, I like to help them think through their choices so that we can develop a clear strategy for their next steps. Sometimes, that means weighing the pros and cons.
There are a lot of good reasons to leave your job but there may also be good reasons to stay.
15 reasons to stay at your company
You know what the red flags at your company look like—a pay raise you were promised but never granted, an unsupportive manager, financial struggles that indicate a downturn—but you should also be aware of the green flags. Green flags are positive signs that things are moving in the right direction and could indicate that you should stay at your job. Here are 15 of them:
1. You have a good manager
No job or company is perfect, but a good manager will help you cope with the imperfections. They will also advocate for you, help you grow as a professional, and give you the autonomy to decide how, when, and where your work gets done. Good managers are rare, so if you have one, that’s one reason to stick it out at work.
2. You have lots of flexibility
A recent Women in the Workplace study by McKinsey and LeanIn.org showed that 38 percent of women with young children would leave their company if they didn’t have flexibility. Whether you need to balance child care needs, lessen your exposure to office politics, or maintain your peace of mind, you should consider staying at a company that embraces flexibility.
3. There are opportunities for professional development
Career advancement isn’t just about climbing the ladder; it’s about having the chance to develop new skills and have more career options. If your employer promotes internally, encourages you to gain the experience you want through new projects, and offers access to valuable trainings, memberships, and courses, you have a good reason to stay.
4. You're aligned to the company's mission
It can be difficult to find a mission-focused employer. I once coached a woman who was dedicated to addressing environmental issues within corporate environments. She was determined to avoid companies that didn’t truly care about sustainability. Her focus on mission-alignment prolonged her job search, but eventually, she secured an offer with a company that prioritized its mission.
You can tell if a company has good mission alignment by digging into its history. Check to see whether press releases, annual reports, and news stories about the company reflect positive work in the community, partnerships with like-minded organizations, and employee incentives to support social causes through volunteer time off.
5. You're being paid fairly
New York City–based wage firm Cilenti & Cooper defines fair pay as being “equitable, appropriate, and aligned” with the work you’re doing. A 2023 report from Credit Karma showed that 45 percent of U.S. employees said they are not paid fairly. If your company is already paying you fairly, that’s a green flag!
6. You have great work-life balance
Far too many companies do not respect the fact that employees have a life outside of work. Whether you have family commitments, want to use the PTO you’ve earned, or simply don’t want to exceed your scheduled work hours, you deserve a clear separation between work and life.
Read more: Hello, Flexibility: The 23 Best Jobs for Work-Life Balance
7. You are trusted to do your job
No one wants someone hovering over them at work. As long as you are doing your job well, you should be trusted to work without being micromanaged. Working for a company that trusts you to get your work done is a good reason to stay at your job.
8. The company values your feedback
It feels good to know that your opinion counts at work! If your employer regularly collects your feedback, then makes changes based on that feedback, you just might be at a company that’s worth staying at for a while.
9. There are mentorship opportunities
A 2023 survey by Adobe showed that 83 percent of Gen Z workers want a mentor but only 52 percent have one. Mentorship can help you develop your career and expand your network, but it’s harder to pursue if you have to do it all on your own. If you work at a company that has a mentorship program and this is something you value, you should consider staying.
10. They reward with pay over pizza
There isn’t enough free pizza in the world to make up for low pay. If your employer offers real perks, like livable wages with cost-of-living adjustments, student loan repayment, or child care discounts, that’s a sign that you’re in the right place.
11. The company is democracy not a dictatorship
I once worked for a company that was too controlling. During my onboarding, they shared a list of common terms we were not allowed to use, which was an immediate red flag. Needless to say, I didn’t stick around long. If your workplace operates more like a democracy than a dictatorship, that’s a good reason to stay.
12. Your job and company feel stable
According to Layoffs.fyi, a layoff tracker, more than 1,100 tech companies reported layoffs in 2023 and many companies in other industries have also reduced their staff. If your company is stable—meaning they’ve weathered economic issues well and retained their staff—you should consider staying put.
13. There's evidence of top-down support
In 2013, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata cut his salary in half to avoid slashing jobs when the company fell into a financial slump. Executive leaders rarely sacrifice their own comfort to avoid firing staff. Last year, I worked with a job seeker who had been laid off despite her company recently hiring a new director with a whopping seven-figure salary. If your company’s leaders are willing to make some changes to spare the folks who report to them, you may be in the right place.
14. You’ve got a goal to meet
Jobs aren't always about fulfilling a purpose; in many cases, a job is a means to an end. If you have an important goal, like getting back on your feet financially or adding a certain job title to your resume, that could be a good reason to stay where you are.
15. They embrace individuality
Being a team player isn’t about being like everyone else; it’s about doing your part so that the team can meet its goals. Employers should embrace individuality and encourage employees to do the same. If you don’t have this problem at work, you’ve got a good reason to stick around.
How to assess whether the company is still right for you
If at least half these green flags apply to you, you have enough reasons to stay at your company. But if you still feel uneasy about staying at your job (or you find that the green flags have turned into red flags), you can use these three points to assess whether the company is right for you.
How you feel during a typical week
Stress is a normal part of any job. However, you should not be feeling anxious or depressed every week. If you consistently dread the thought of going to work or find yourself picking up bad habits, like excessive drinking or eating, just to deal with being at your company, you may need to seek help and start job searching.
You keep planning to leave
I’ve had the pleasure of working with many of my clients on a recurring basis. One of them would contact me every three months about finding a new job. Then, she would search for a while, get busy with her current job, and stop looking. Once another hiccup would happen at work, it would remind her that she wanted to leave and she would reach out again.
Ask yourself whether that urge to leave keeps coming back. If it comes up occasionally, give yourself more time to decide. But if you’re like my client and feel compelled to make a run for it every three months, start planning your exit.
The people around you know it’s time to go
In addition to opening up to me, my clients chat with their friends and families about their work woes. If you do too, your circle probably knows whether you’re ready to go. While you are the only person who should make the final decision about your job, it can be helpful to hear from those who know what you’ve been going through.
One of my favorite parts of being a career coach is holding a mirror up to the things people don’t always see for themselves. I once sat with a new client for a coaching consultation and she shared how she was treated at work and how it made her feel. In the end, there were far more red flags than green ones. When I recapped what she shared with me, she realized that it was worse than she knew and needed to reconsider her next steps.
The people you trust can help you assess whether your company is still right for you because they’ve heard about it and can see how it’s affecting you.
Read more: Should I Quit My Job? 4 Signs It’s Time to Go
What to do next
If you have more green flags at your company than red ones, you are probably in a good position to stay. But you don’t have to stay forever. Let’s say your job is flexible and pays well, but you’re bored with it. You still have the right to leave once you’re ready. Every job is temporary, so even if it suits you now, it’s okay if it doesn’t suit you later and you want to leave.
Both green and red flags can help you decide whether you want to stay at your job now but as the job changes—or as you change—you can always reconsider and move in a new direction.
