Revenge quitting is the latest toxic career trend
Anyone who works for a boss will recognize it: sometimes you have to do something you don't really agree with. Not immediately a problem, of course, but after a while, frustrations can build up. But how do you deal with it? Do you let it go, or do you get angry? Especially Gen Z seems to be taking it a step further; they are following the career trend of ‘revenge quitting’; and that is secretly quite toxic.
What is revenge quitting?
You can probably guess from the name, but revenge quitting is actually quitting out of revenge. Where you would normally inform your boss in a timely manner about your departure, within this trend you suddenly drop the bomb, often at the last minute. Whether your employer will get into trouble because of this is not your concern. Not very nice, of course, but according to psychologist Dr. Anne Welsh, people don't do this lightly. It happens out of enormous frustration; employees are pushed to their limits and fight back.
Different reasons
Although revenge quitting is not new, it seems especially Gen Z is pushing the trend back into the spotlight. According to Welsh, this has to do with the aftermath of the corona period; being forced to work from home turned out not to be so bad after all. Now that many companies are partially or sometimes even fully returning to the office, Gen Zers are not exactly jumping for joy. They are afraid it will have a negative impact on their mental health and they miss the flexibility. However, this is usually not the only reason why employees choose revenge quitting. According to Welsh, it is often a buildup of things that have one thing in common. “It's about the fact that employees feel unheard, misunderstood, and undervalued.” Being forced back to the office can feel like their hard work at home is not truly appreciated.
The risks of revenge quitting
Although taking revenge may feel great at first, you will eventually notice that it has a more negative effect on your career than you might have predicted. Quitting out of frustration without considering others is not good for your reputation. Your work relationships will not improve either. Later trying to reach out to your old employer to get a good word for you can be forgotten. By quitting, of course, your steady income disappears. But by doing it in this rather mean way, a nice severance package will also be off the table. So you are really hurting yourself. Suddenly being unemployed can cause quite a bit of panic. In the absence of better options, you might take the first available new job, even if it doesn't fit you and your ambitions at all. Deviating from your planned career path can happen, but doing it this way is not very smart. With the pressure in the job market, jobs are unfortunately not exactly lying around.
Resisting the temptation of revenge quitting
What to do if revenge quitting suddenly seems very attractive? Then it's wise to think about whether it will really make you better off. The answer to that question is probably no. Your boss will definitely have to adjust after your sudden departure, but there will likely be plenty of new candidates ready to take over your position in no time. A better option is to think carefully about why you suddenly want to quit. Is it out of a moment of revenge, or is something else going on? If you know that, you can make the problem discussable and change something. It's also good to take a step back and look at the bigger picture. If your job helps you towards your ultimate goals, then it might not be so smart to just quit. If you really want something different, then you might as well handle it in a proper way; you never know when you might run into each other again or when old connections might come in handy. One silver lining: now that revenge quitting is trending on social media, there is a greater chance that employers will come across it too. Maybe they will feel warned, and your sudden departure won't be necessary anymore.
Source: The Every Girl
