Are companies today on a hiring frenzy or a firing frenzy?

The answer is — both.

If you're a high-tech type with a sky-high salary, you are suddenly at risk of receiving a job-canceling email between your no-cost lunch at the company cafeteria and your free hot-stone massage at the company spa. If you're a low-tech type with a salary sinking slowly below the minimum wage, you have a world of job opportunities, each one worse than the next.

If the decision to quit is yours alone, take a gander at The New York Times to read Christina Caron's article, "Should You Quit Your Job?"

"Making the decision to step away from a job is not always easy or feasible," Caron writes, "but when your mental health is suffering and your stress isn't eased by the occasional mental health day, experts say it's generally best to start looking elsewhere."

If every day is a mental nightmare day for you, here are the four signs that it's time to go and one sure sign that you really should stay.

No. 1: You are burned out.

Do you wake up every weekday morning gloriously alive with the prospect of going to work? If not, immediately quit your job and take off for the talcum-powder beaches of the South Pacific (where you may run into Jacinda Ardern, the person who recently put a spotlight on quitting by quitting her job as prime minister of New Zealand. Arden felt she "didn't have enough in the tank." This diagnosis should resonate with you since your tank has been leaking since day one.)

According to the American Psychological Association's Dennis Stole, "burnout is typically characterized by three symptoms: emotional exhaustion, negativity and the feeling that no matter how hard you try you cannot be effective at your job."

It may be difficult to determine whether your emotional exhaustion and negative feelings are the result of everyday annoyances common to anyone in a work situation or represent serious burnout. For example, if you crawl under your desk and refuse to get out, or interrupt a meeting by screaming, "I can't take it! You people are crazy!" you are well within the range of normal behavior. On the other hand, if you find you are eating Cheesy Gordita Crunch Supremes at Taco Bell more than 12 times a week, you are definitely burned out and should instantly quit your job and start intensive psychotherapy. Or go to work at Taco Bell. They offer a very attractive employee discount.

No. 2: You experience an identity shift.

If your work is a big part of your identity, a change in your attitude about your job can — as the professionals put it — mess with your head, big-time. If you find yourself asking questions like "who ate my yogurt?" or "why can't I find my car keys?" you are experiencing an identity shift.

If your new identity reflects a colder, nastier, even more hateful person than you used to be, apply for an immediate promotion. You are management material. If quitting is impossible, "try to take some time to explore the things that do feel meaningful to you right now," like paying your bills and eating regularly.

Remember: Your job doesn't define you, but unemployment just might.

No. 3: You don't feel valued or supported.

Does your manager regularly express gratitude for your work? Do your co-workers constantly shower you with appreciation? If so, tell me where to send my resume. I want to work where you work.

No. 4: Your organization doesn't prioritize employee wellness.

Caring employers give their employees control over how they manage their day. If you feel overmanaged, remind your boss that you're a responsible adult, not a child. If they won't listen, kick your feet and hold your breath until you turn red.

Even if you can't identify specific reasons for your burnout, "your employer may be open to making changes that will improve your quality of life at work." Your employer may also be open to sending you on an all-expenses-paid trip to Disneyland Paris, but I wouldn't count on it.

If nothing changes, increase your complaining and unceasingly badger your boss until their quality of life is as miserable as yours. Who knows — they could quit, and you wouldn't have to. Or, you can chalk it up to a job well done and start looking for a new job anyway.

I understand there's an opening for a new prime minister in New Zealand.

Bob Goldman was an advertising executive at a Fortune 500 company. He offers a virtual shoulder to cry on at [email protected]. To find out more about Bob Goldman and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Torfi007 at Pixabay