Quit Like a Pro: 14 Signs You Should Ditch Your Job – With Albert Wesker

4. Your boss is more concerned about his or her work than you:

The whole point of a boss is to lead a team, not try to advance him or herself. Many a department and company has crumbled because managers who should’ve kept their eyes on the squad goal decided to stare off into left field at their own glory.  These people forget that they rise and fall by the successes and failures of their team.

In Umbrella Corp, most of the managers were intent on furthering their own futures first. Wesker and Birkin were actually good managers: they worked hard to achieve the team’s mission.

In contrast, Police Chief Irons at the Raccoon City PD, an Umbrella Corporation pawn, was only interested in his own fortunes. Wesker took advantage of this to a certain extent to manipulate the STARS teams’ deployment. But Wesker knew this wasn’t a long-term job. It was only a step toward his goal.

Marcus, the leech researcher and mentor to Wesker and Birkin, cared more about his private research than the interests of the company or about keeping tabs on his proteges. Upper Management didn’t appreciate this.

5. Your ideas are disregarded or ignored:

Ideas are the lifeblood of any institution. Without innovation, the place will crumble or be overrun by the competition. Your ideas are valuable. You care about your work environment and know how it could improve. A good employer and manager will listen to your ideas and implement them if they seem logical. The feeling you get from this is incredibly fulfilling. You feel like you’re part of the team and making a positive impact.

Does your workplace encourage ideas? Or does your boss ignore you? Worse, do they seem to support you, even encourage you to do most of the work toward executing your idea, but then turn around and shut you down when the time to actually put your ideas into practice comes? You don’t need that.

Wesker and Birkin had fairly free rein in their studies, but what they worked toward was Spencer’s decision. At the end of the day, UC swooped in to steal not only Marcus’s leech work, but also Birkin’s G Virus. Not cool, especially when the Boss Man wants to kill you on top of it.

6. You get criticized in public or are made to feel inferior:

Compliment in public, criticize constructively in private. That’s been standard management doctrine for years. Problem is, a lot of “managers” don’t follow it. There’s are few things worse than being torn into by your boss in front of your colleagues.

On a lower but still infuriating level, the slow burn level, is being made to feel like a nobody. Example: After you’ve worked tirelessly for ages for the company, they bring in a new person and suddenly he or she is a golden child. They receive resources, opportunities, and slack you never dreamed of. The best part? They aren’t even as qualified as you. Heck, they might even now be your supervisor!

We don’t know that Wesker or Birkin were ever called out in public. I doubt it, as they seemed to get along with Marcus. But when Alexia Ashford came on the scene, it felt like a slap in the face to Birkin. She was practically a child genius. She made advances where he hit brick walls. Wesker didn’t take it personally, but I think her presence did have an effect on him, as he admired her abilities.

7. You feel like just a number with no recognition or purpose:

It’s not that we want to be constantly patted on the back for every little thing we do at work. We don’t. Congratulating me on stapling papers would just be patronizing. But we do like to feel like we play an important part in the team. We like to be acknowledged for our hard work and especially our exceptional work. It’s also nice to be recognized by your name and reputation, not just your job title.

After Wesker and Birkin disposed of Marcus, Wesker started wondering about UC. While he and Birkin were still appreciated by Spencer, what guarantee did they have that they’d stay in his good graces? Spencer was eccentric on the best days. On the worst days, he ordered his employees to assassinate his other employees.

8. No one shares your mindset:

Great minds think alike, as the saying goes. But without anyone who shares your goals or at least your mindset, you become an outcast. Even if you’re not shunned, you don’t feel camaraderie, and you especially don’t receive any intellectual stimulation. Good ideas can become great ones when you bounce them off coworkers who share your interests. Many times, friendships that start in workplaces over ideas become start-up companies of their own. You need to have people around who are on your wavelength.

Wesker started working with Birkin at age 17. Birkin was 15. They shared work ethic, ideas on research (read: willingness to do just about anything to further the research), and hunger for advancement. The only thing Birkin wasn’t so keen on was leaving Umbrella Corp with Wesker. Too bad for Birkin. Before they parted for good, though, Birkin gave his research partner the Prototype virus that would bless Wesker beyond his wildest dreams.