Why are you staying in a job you don’t like instead of trying to find another one?
June 20, 2025
Just curious what some reasons are. No judgements.
33 comments
Golden handcuffs. Paid really well (above industry standard), great company to have on the resume, lots of time off (christmas and a summer closure that aren’t taken out of my vacation days), 90% remote and super easy to commute to.
Need the money, moving to a different job would cut my pay drastically.
Caring for my sick mom and can’t risk changing jobs right now. The flexible schedule and understanding boss make it possible for me to be there for her appointments.
Because I’m 4 years off being eligible for my decent government pension, and it’s really hard in my country to get sacked from a government job unless I actively kill someone. So I can be as lazy as I like for 4 years.
Getting a new job would involve both actually getting the job and then pretending to give a fuck, when I’m actively not doing either right now.
Job security, having decent pay and retirement benefits. Vs stress and anxiety of finding a new one and sacrificing those things.
I’ve had moments when I’ve hated my current job, but also moments I’ve enjoyed it. I am a social worker.
Reasons why I’m staying: I have seniority at this point and this allows me to have more freedom within my agency. My supervisors are pretty okay. My coworkers are great. I like my clients. I am currently receiving free clinical supervision. With everything politically going on in the USA, I’m cautious to go to another agency as a lot of agencies are experiencing concerns with funding. Lastly, it’s familiar. I know how the EHR works and the documentation.
It’s not that easy. 16 applications in the last 3 months and no callbacks.
Backup funds are not enough to the point that it’s close to none at all.
Competition is tough because there is a huge rate of unemployment here, and the surplus of unemployed are a better choice for companies who wants to lowball employees. You’d think a solid experience and established expertise in an industry is enough to get the job and get paid well, but then it is also risky as recruiters would probably try to find the lowest-cost hire possible out there.
The job market is a mess right now. About the worst thing about my job is the ever growing changes from HR and the management team. Retail work sucks no matter where you work
Amazingly flexible remote work that pays the bills and is also extremely relaxed?
Yeah, you can pry this job from my cold dead hands.
I’m a copywriter too, and this is basically the end of the era for this role. Not as many of us around anymore and I’d be hard pressed to find another remote job.
I do have so much free time I am thinking of picking up side work. Something fun.
The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. At least here I understand all the office politics and who to avoid. Starting over somewhere new feels terrifying right now.
I was just promoted last year to a job I now love, but this was me.
The pay was great. Benefits for my family. Retirement, pension, and plenty of paid time off (6 weeks or more a year)
I WFH before covid, have a company vehicle in which I basically did house calls for clients. High stress customer service (dealing w/ people whose houses burned down)
It paid the bills, kept a roof over my kids’ heads, and had retirement and the best income I could get after looking at other companies and careers.
It eventually paid off because I got promoted but heavy on the corporate expectations. Job security also matters to me.
Money money money honey. My town doesn’t pay nearly as well.
I did for 8 years (I actually left and was convinced to come back) because of a) immigration issues (way harder for me to find a different job), b) good compensation, and c) most importantly – cult-like environment made it become the most important thing in my life. Like, watch that new oceangate documentary – it was basically exactly like that just something way less cool. And I was one of the CEOs “chosen ones” so there was an endless cycle of flattery and abuse.
It took a major shock for me to finally leave, and honestly quite a few months for me to decompress afterwards. In fact, I did a bit of contract work but am now happily unemployed and trying to recover from the burnout. Since leaving I’ve quit drinking, quit smoking, lost 45 pounds, have better relationships, just… everything. Everything is better. And the craziest part is that I can barely remember that 8 years, it’s like some kind of trauma response 😂 I actually didn’t even mean to write a novel like this lol I’m still healing
Family
If I could find one I would.
Bills don’t pay themselves. It’s not my first choice but it pays well. And also, job hunting is draining and I don’t have the energy right now.
I’m too old and lazy to look for anything else. Plus my current job pays well, has decent PTO, and it’s remote. I’m a couple of years from retirement so why bother.
Golden handcuffs. I can’t afford to leave my current position that has the benefits it does (WFH is a huge motivation for me).
I HATE my job. But in 10-20 years it pays off, is stable, & looks great on my resume.
I absolutely hate the job, it’s high-stress, the people are mean, the environment is extremely competitive, people yell & scream, & they don’t pay you well for the long hours. I once worked 7 days a week 9am-11pm, they made me fly out to a client, work 9-12am in the middle of a winter storm, at some random place, & when I flew back I had to work again.
Not to mention, all the men are creeps. I didn’t know it wasn’t normal for me to get invited to coffee chats/ dinners by senior execs until male colleagues told me it never happens to them. Men use “work” as a free date opportunity & are so creepy past 5pm.
I literally have cried & went back to work. But in comparison to my friends who work jobs they “enjoy,” in 10 years I will be able to afford a better life & financially I’ll be set. I can’t live without luxury goods or a nice lifestyle so it’s a sacrifice I have to make.
Don’t dislike it enough to wanna lose the perks. I get 40 vacation days (25-30 is standard where I live), my team is officially 60% remote, but unofficially it’s more like 90% and I get great travel perks.
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Bills don’t care about my happiness. I’ve got two kids to feed and medical insurance to maintain. Started applying elsewhere but in this economy I can’t risk leaving my stable paycheck until something concrete comes along.
Remote work and all the flexibility that comes with that. Paid maternity leave is a big reason I’m staying (not pregnant yet but going to try soon). Most employers have a period of time from when you start until when you can use paid maternity leave (if they offer it). I don’t want to find a job and then not have access to that for a year when I want to be pregnant before that. Also my job pays well and the job market doesn’t seem to have a lot of options that check these boxes. On paper my org is great, but the culture is terrible and nothing gets done, lots of levels of approval for everything and too many people involved in decision making so we never make progress on projects.
Because I left that said job in December and I’ve been looking to get a new job since then so I’m doing Lyft for the moment and God I’m only doing that because it pays my bills
Flexibility. I’m on salary. My boss doesn’t actually care what hours I work as long as the work gets done, and I work from home. With young children and dogs I’m always running around to doctor’s appointments or school things. I want a better, higher paying job when the time is right. For now I need the flexibility more.
Flexibility is a big win for me. My boss lets me work whenever I want, as long as I get to the tasks done. It’s not the highest paying job but it’s helped a lot with my personal life and mental health. I get to enjoy both work and life without feeling pressured. I could always look for a better paying job later but for now, I’m grateful for this setup.
I’ve seen the treachery on the job market. My boss is nice, my team is cool, they put up with shenanigans. The job itself is hard but it’s niche enough it’s not necessarily transferable until I’m up a seniority level. Gonna stay until I can get 3-4 years under my belt then dip.
I need more experience in my field, pay isn’t bad, and work life is pretty good.
I have health issues I’m working through and while I definitely need to be earning more, I have a lot of flexibility and some protections here for it.
I love being able to volunteer at my son’s school – both in the classroom and for the PTA to raise money for the school and a lot of that can fall during workdays. Also, during the week I’m the primary caregiver bc my husband’s job is a decent commute and so structured he isn’t available for dropoff, pickup, etc. My job is really flexible with me so I can do all these things and I’ve not had to use much of PTO to participate. So yea, the actual job sucks but being able to do the other things I love more than make up for it. Plus my boss is cool and stays out of my business, lets me do my work and gets involved with it only when I ask.
I was so far in debt I could barely pay my bills. I looked for a better solution but the pay wasn’t worth the move. In addition, I knew I had an almost guaranteed, consistent paycheck. Rather that taking the risk, I changed my work attitude any dealt with it.
33 comments
Golden handcuffs. Paid really well (above industry standard), great company to have on the resume, lots of time off (christmas and a summer closure that aren’t taken out of my vacation days), 90% remote and super easy to commute to.
Need the money, moving to a different job would cut my pay drastically.
Caring for my sick mom and can’t risk changing jobs right now. The flexible schedule and understanding boss make it possible for me to be there for her appointments.
Because I’m 4 years off being eligible for my decent government pension, and it’s really hard in my country to get sacked from a government job unless I actively kill someone. So I can be as lazy as I like for 4 years.
Getting a new job would involve both actually getting the job and then pretending to give a fuck, when I’m actively not doing either right now.
Job security, having decent pay and retirement benefits. Vs stress and anxiety of finding a new one and sacrificing those things.
I’ve had moments when I’ve hated my current job, but also moments I’ve enjoyed it. I am a social worker.
Reasons why I’m staying: I have seniority at this point and this allows me to have more freedom within my agency. My supervisors are pretty okay. My coworkers are great. I like my clients. I am currently receiving free clinical supervision. With everything politically going on in the USA, I’m cautious to go to another agency as a lot of agencies are experiencing concerns with funding. Lastly, it’s familiar. I know how the EHR works and the documentation.
It’s not that easy. 16 applications in the last 3 months and no callbacks.
Backup funds are not enough to the point that it’s close to none at all.
Competition is tough because there is a huge rate of unemployment here, and the surplus of unemployed are a better choice for companies who wants to lowball employees. You’d think a solid experience and established expertise in an industry is enough to get the job and get paid well, but then it is also risky as recruiters would probably try to find the lowest-cost hire possible out there.
The job market is a mess right now. About the worst thing about my job is the ever growing changes from HR and the management team. Retail work sucks no matter where you work
Amazingly flexible remote work that pays the bills and is also extremely relaxed?
Yeah, you can pry this job from my cold dead hands.
I’m a copywriter too, and this is basically the end of the era for this role. Not as many of us around anymore and I’d be hard pressed to find another remote job.
I do have so much free time I am thinking of picking up side work. Something fun.
The devil you know is better than the devil you don’t. At least here I understand all the office politics and who to avoid. Starting over somewhere new feels terrifying right now.
I was just promoted last year to a job I now love, but this was me.
The pay was great. Benefits for my family. Retirement, pension, and plenty of paid time off (6 weeks or more a year)
I WFH before covid, have a company vehicle in which I basically did house calls for clients. High stress customer service (dealing w/ people whose houses burned down)
It paid the bills, kept a roof over my kids’ heads, and had retirement and the best income I could get after looking at other companies and careers.
It eventually paid off because I got promoted but heavy on the corporate expectations. Job security also matters to me.
Money money money honey. My town doesn’t pay nearly as well.
I did for 8 years (I actually left and was convinced to come back) because of a) immigration issues (way harder for me to find a different job), b) good compensation, and c) most importantly – cult-like environment made it become the most important thing in my life. Like, watch that new oceangate documentary – it was basically exactly like that just something way less cool. And I was one of the CEOs “chosen ones” so there was an endless cycle of flattery and abuse.
It took a major shock for me to finally leave, and honestly quite a few months for me to decompress afterwards. In fact, I did a bit of contract work but am now happily unemployed and trying to recover from the burnout. Since leaving I’ve quit drinking, quit smoking, lost 45 pounds, have better relationships, just… everything. Everything is better. And the craziest part is that I can barely remember that 8 years, it’s like some kind of trauma response 😂 I actually didn’t even mean to write a novel like this lol I’m still healing
Family
If I could find one I would.
Bills don’t pay themselves. It’s not my first choice but it pays well. And also, job hunting is draining and I don’t have the energy right now.
I’m too old and lazy to look for anything else. Plus my current job pays well, has decent PTO, and it’s remote. I’m a couple of years from retirement so why bother.
Golden handcuffs. I can’t afford to leave my current position that has the benefits it does (WFH is a huge motivation for me).
I HATE my job. But in 10-20 years it pays off, is stable, & looks great on my resume.
I absolutely hate the job, it’s high-stress, the people are mean, the environment is extremely competitive, people yell & scream, & they don’t pay you well for the long hours. I once worked 7 days a week 9am-11pm, they made me fly out to a client, work 9-12am in the middle of a winter storm, at some random place, & when I flew back I had to work again.
Not to mention, all the men are creeps. I didn’t know it wasn’t normal for me to get invited to coffee chats/ dinners by senior execs until male colleagues told me it never happens to them. Men use “work” as a free date opportunity & are so creepy past 5pm.
I literally have cried & went back to work. But in comparison to my friends who work jobs they “enjoy,” in 10 years I will be able to afford a better life & financially I’ll be set. I can’t live without luxury goods or a nice lifestyle so it’s a sacrifice I have to make.
Don’t dislike it enough to wanna lose the perks. I get 40 vacation days (25-30 is standard where I live), my team is officially 60% remote, but unofficially it’s more like 90% and I get great travel perks.
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Bills don’t care about my happiness. I’ve got two kids to feed and medical insurance to maintain. Started applying elsewhere but in this economy I can’t risk leaving my stable paycheck until something concrete comes along.
Remote work and all the flexibility that comes with that. Paid maternity leave is a big reason I’m staying (not pregnant yet but going to try soon). Most employers have a period of time from when you start until when you can use paid maternity leave (if they offer it). I don’t want to find a job and then not have access to that for a year when I want to be pregnant before that. Also my job pays well and the job market doesn’t seem to have a lot of options that check these boxes. On paper my org is great, but the culture is terrible and nothing gets done, lots of levels of approval for everything and too many people involved in decision making so we never make progress on projects.
Because I left that said job in December and I’ve been looking to get a new job since then so I’m doing Lyft for the moment and God I’m only doing that because it pays my bills
Flexibility. I’m on salary. My boss doesn’t actually care what hours I work as long as the work gets done, and I work from home. With young children and dogs I’m always running around to doctor’s appointments or school things. I want a better, higher paying job when the time is right. For now I need the flexibility more.
Flexibility is a big win for me. My boss lets me work whenever I want, as long as I get to the tasks done. It’s not the highest paying job but it’s helped a lot with my personal life and mental health. I get to enjoy both work and life without feeling pressured. I could always look for a better paying job later but for now, I’m grateful for this setup.
I’ve seen the treachery on the job market. My boss is nice, my team is cool, they put up with shenanigans. The job itself is hard but it’s niche enough it’s not necessarily transferable until I’m up a seniority level. Gonna stay until I can get 3-4 years under my belt then dip.
I need more experience in my field, pay isn’t bad, and work life is pretty good.
I have health issues I’m working through and while I definitely need to be earning more, I have a lot of flexibility and some protections here for it.
I love being able to volunteer at my son’s school – both in the classroom and for the PTA to raise money for the school and a lot of that can fall during workdays. Also, during the week I’m the primary caregiver bc my husband’s job is a decent commute and so structured he isn’t available for dropoff, pickup, etc. My job is really flexible with me so I can do all these things and I’ve not had to use much of PTO to participate. So yea, the actual job sucks but being able to do the other things I love more than make up for it. Plus my boss is cool and stays out of my business, lets me do my work and gets involved with it only when I ask.
I was so far in debt I could barely pay my bills. I looked for a better solution but the pay wasn’t worth the move. In addition, I knew I had an almost guaranteed, consistent paycheck. Rather that taking the risk, I changed my work attitude any dealt with it.
WFH