The alarm goes off, you lower your feet to the bedroom floor and another day stretches out before you.

Depending on how you view your job, this is either a relatively happy feeling or one that prompts waves of despair at the thought of another day at the white collar coalface that is the modern office.

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Perhaps it’s a simple case of Monday morning blues, or maybe it’s a sign of a deeper problem and it’s high time you changed jobs.

Here is how you can tell if it’s time to break up with your boss.

Check yourself

Senior Regional Director at Hays Recruitment, Peter Noblet, says we all have days when we are feeling drained, but if that’s most of the time – it’s a sign.

“If you are feeling stale at work, are having to push yourself to complete tasks and generally feeling under-challenged most of the time it is probably time to leave,” Mr Noblet says.

Careers Consultant at Suzie Plush Consulting Melissa Johnston encourages unhappy workers to analyse their place in the office.

“You need to look at the company and its values and see if they relate to you,” Ms Johnston says.

“Some people are still finding out who they are, and they realise later that they find work much more enjoyable if they are working for certain kinds of companies, such as not-for-profits.”

Is it time to take a break? Photo: Shutterstock

Furthermore, Ms Johnston says as people move through stages of their life, they often outgrow their careers.

“Perhaps the job you had in your 20s no longer suits you in your 30s, because you have children now and you want greater flexibility,” she says.

Take a break first

Ms Johnston encourages employees to take some annual leave before deciding to quit.

“You need to use that time to assess what it is that you are unhappy about at work,” she says.

“You may think you are sick of work, but all you really needed was a holiday.”

Furthermore, employees may be experiencing emotional turmoil in the form of a break-up or a new baby, which makes them think everything would be better if they changed jobs.

“You need to ask yourself if there is stuff going on at home that you may be bringing to work without realising it,” Ms Johnston says.

“Especially if, say, you are a new mum and you are not getting enough sleep; that can affect how you feel about your job.”

Assess the office politics

No workplace is perfect, and experts agree that bumps on the road, such as clashes with co-workers or bosses, are a natural part of every career.

“Some people tend to leave straight away if they have a personal clash at work, but I wouldn’t,” says Ms Johnston.

Don’t let a personality clash push you out. Photo: Shutterstock

“If you are working for someone who isn’t a great manager, that manager may leave as quickly as they came in.”

Mr Noblet says employees should not expect to get on with everyone at the office.

“I hear people saying that they can’t stand what their co-workers talk about, but that really isn’t something you can change,” he says.

“But if you find yourself looking around your office and thinking, ‘I do not like a single person here’ then, yeah, it is time to move on.”

Excuses, excuses

For some workers, the dilemma lies not in deciding whether to quit, but the struggle to get up the courage to do so.

Mr Noblet says many people want to move on from jobs, but feel loyal to the company, especially if they have worked there for many years.

“I see it all the time where people say they feel too loyal to move on, and they feel that they would be letting their co-workers down,” he says.

“They may say to themselves that the job is OK, they can just put up with it for a while, but you have to do what is right for you, and your career, and not other people.”

Johanna Leggatt is a Melbourne-based freelance writer.