You know the feeling when you’re in a relationship and it’s just not working out anymore?  Suddenly every time you’re together it’s torture, you avoid the other person’s phone calls as much as possible, and it seems like all you ever do is fight with or ignore each other.

No, I’m not talking about a romantic relationship gone sour.  This is about when your working relationship hits the skids.  I’m not the first person to compare a job to a romantic relationship, and I certainly won’t be the last, but when you think about your job in terms of a working relationship it changes a bit.  You’re spending 1/3 of your day at your job, so it’s as demanding, if not more so, than whatever romantic relationship you’ve got going.

You’re also pretty invested in your job.  Maybe you’ve sacrificed weekends or sanity to it, perhaps you’ve even forsaken other jobs in order to stay there.  Either way, you’re in a working relationship and you’ve spent time making it functional.

How do you know when it’s no longer functional, though?  Likely, the same way you’d know that a romantic relationship was kaput.  Here are some warning signs that could signal trouble in working paradise:

• You’re unmotivated.  It doesn’t matter what day of the week it is, every day feels like Friday and you just don’t want to do the work anymore.
• You develop a sudden strong loathing for your boss.  Oh man, everything that guy/gal does drives you bananas and it’s only a matter of time before you crack and tell him/her exactly how you feel.
• You’re always in a bad mood.  Everything is annoying and every time someone comes up to you and asks you to do something you feel completely put out.
• You start distancing yourself.  If you normally work long hours, suddenly you start cutting back.  If you normally volunteer for new projects, you decline any new responsibilities.
• You’re picking unnecessary fights.  You’ve held onto these opinions for long enough and now you’re backing up the truck and unloading on whoever might be around.  Whether it’s your criticism of the boss or the soap in the bathroom, someone needs to know that these things are not right.

Usually when a relationship goes bad everyone involved knows it.  Be cognizant of these signs and, if you’re noticing them more and more, make your move.  Quit while you’re ahead.  Pull the plug.

The reason I say this is because, if you are acting like this at work, it’s extremely likely that your boss has noticed.  Also, if you act like this for too long, it’s likely you’ll be receiving the boot before too long.  Believe me, you would much rather arrange for a new job and then quit your old one than be fired and spend a few income-less weeks (or even months) looking for a job.

It’s not wrong to outgrow a company or job. If you don’t pay attention to the signs, though, your job could outgrow you and you’ll find yourself in a very precarious situation indeed.