People quit jobs for many reasons. According to the Pew Research Center, chief amongst them are professional and financial, with inadequate compensation (37%) and lack of opportunity for advancement (33%) being the most common reasons. Not far behind however are more personal justifications such as child care issues and lack of flexibility (both 24%). Whatever the reasons may be, quitting has been a popular move of late. The “Great Resignation” of 2021 saw 48.7 million Americans quit their jobs. The Great Resignation continued through 2022 and continues today. So if you want to leave your job, know that you are not alone.

Before you go gleefully bounding down the hallway to throw that letter of resignation on your boss’s desk however, it may behoove you to consider the idea that quitting is not your only option.

Many workers who quit their jobs have expressed regrets. Joblist found that 42% of people who switched employers say that the change hasn’t lived up to expectation, and 26% of people surveyed said that they regretted leaving their previous job. Another study found that 80% of those who quit their jobs felt regret leading to the new term: “The Great Regret.”

And then there are those for whom quitting isn’t an option. Be it due to financial responsibilities or personal concerns, sometimes workers don’t have a choice but to remain in their current positions. While this can be incredibly frustrating, there are ways all workers can take their careers, and their happiness, into their own hands.

As a career coach, I always work with my clients to explore ways to find satisfaction in their current workplace before making the decisions to quit, and the majority find that a few small tweaks can make all the difference. So whether you are unable to quit or just want to give your current situation one last chance, here are three research-backed ways you can find greater fulfillment at work—even when you feel that you are at the end of your rope.

INVEST IN RELATIONSHIPS

According to multiple surveys and studies, the biggest factor that impacts satisfaction at work is the quality of our work relationships. Researchers have found that the happiest 10% of people cite having strong positive relationships. And people with positive relationships at work are seven times as likely to be engaged at work, produce higher quality work, and have higher overall wellbeing.

But cultivating a strong community at work can be difficult—especially when working remotely. Conversations once held at the water cooler about family, life, or the big game may be less traditionally accessible than ever. However, such interactions can be beneficial to our happiness, mental well-being, and professional performance. So instead of diving right into work first thing, I recommend scheduling 10 minutes of conversation with a coworker. You can also finish the day with this kind of connection. Or, structure meetings so that everyone spends the first 10 minutes catching-up. Rather than plowing through lunch while staring at your screen, schedule the meal with a colleague. Investing in your relationships at work can help make any job more satisfying.

DOUBLE-DOWN ON YOUR STRENGTHS

If you are eager to quit, I recommend discovering—and doubling down on—your strengths. Researchers have found that engagement (sometimes referred to as “being in flow” or “in the zone”) is a far better predictor of satisfaction with work than happiness. The use of signature strengths is not only one of the most direct pathways that research has shown to get into that state of immersion and deep focus, but also is associated with higher levels of positive emotions, meaning, job satisfaction, motivation, and overall well-being, as well as lower levels of stress.

I believe most people have between three and seven signature strengths and I recommend that workers take the VIA Strengths Survey to determine them. Next, consider the following questions about your signature strengths:

• Do you feel particularly excited when putting this strength to use?
• When you use this strength, do you feel like “the real me”?
• Do you have a strong desire to use it frequently?
• Does your energy get renewed when you use it?
• Do you feel particularly happy, enthusiastic, or even ecstatic when this strength is part of your process?

A recent study of nearly 10,000 New Zealanders found that people who frequently use their signature strengths are 18 times more likely to thrive than colleagues who don’t. So once you have become familiar with your strengths, incorporate them into every workday.

If “wisdom” is one of your top strengths, you might exercise it by finding a mentor, taking on a mentee, or building a network of colleagues with different perspectives whom you meet with regularly. If “love of learning” is a strength you might speak with your manager about getting involved in an initiative or department about which you would like to know more. For a strength such as “gratitude,” you might try writing a text or email of gratitude each morning to a colleague whom you appreciate.

CONNECT TO SOMETHING LARGER THAN YOURSELF

A final way to take your career into your own hands when you are itching to leave is to connect with a cause that is larger than yourself. Nurturing meaning can be one of the most powerful ways to recharge your experience at work. Defined as “a connection to something larger than yourself,” people who believe that their lives have meaning are more productive, resilient, happier, and engaged in the workplace, and report lower levels of depression, anxiety, and workaholism.

Wharton psychologist Adam Grant found that when employees at a university fundraising call center received thanks and heard directly from scholarship recipients about how much their lives had changed due as a result of their efforts, persistence and performance shot up dramatically. In the following month, callers spent 142% more time on the phone and raised 172% more money.

One exercise that can raise levels of both meaning and connection is to discuss the following questions with your colleagues, friends or family:

1)    “How does the work that I do help make the world a better place?”

2)    “How does the work that I do help other people?”

Discussing prompts such as these (or journaling about them if you prefer) has been found to raise levels of meaning and purpose for workers in a range of fields.

Sometimes the grass is greener on the other side of the job market—and sometimes it isn’t. Whether you are able to quit or not, take a moment and try some subtle changes. Sometimes cultivating the lawn that you are standing in right now can be the way to create a far more beautiful garden than you could have ever imagined.