Approximately 2 years back, if anyone started to discuss quitting their job, it
would be most probably frowned upon and even worse being ferociously
lectured. Cut to the recent times, the tables have changed in which quitting
your work is just random news of the day for everyone else. According to the
“The Great Resignation is”, an infamous term coined by Dr Anthony Klotz, an
associate professor of management at Texas A&M University implying that
millions of people left their job during and after the post-COVID-19 pandemic
due to various reasons. I agree that sounds dramatic but it is indeed the truth
as has been proved by t he U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics in which a record-
Maybe you’re also contemplating quitting right now as you read this article.
Maybe you’re someone who is actively pursuing the quiet-quitting method. So,
I’m here today to convince you why leaving your job right now might not be a
good move but this of course varies from one individual to another, so please
kindly allow me to debunk some myths and enlighten you with hard-core facts
about quitting.
1. Loyalty is rewarded greatly
You may argue with me that this is incorrect but I would like to differ as in the
current times we’re in, the loyalty of an employee is an invaluable gem that
many employers seek out there. This may be the perfect time for you to meet
your HR and discuss your career trajectory in your company and possibly, a pay
raise. Thousands of companies across America and Europe and refurbishing
their company strategies to involve the HR team more than ever to come up
with various employee retention plans. Personalized rewards are not limited to
only pay raises but bonuses, healthcare plans, and vacation leaves are re-
designed to ensure employees continue to stay and build the company
together. On the other hand, you, an employee benefit tremendously from the
offers. It is a win-win situation here.
2. Hybrid work is coming up
Remember those days of “work from home”? Initially, it was an alien concept
that shook every office-going hardworking person but fast forward and people
are now quitting when they are not offered remote work anymore by their
bosses. Right now, hybrid work is paving its way to becoming the new norm.
Hybrid work is defined loosely as having the best out of both worlds; remote
and office work. Offices are coming up with creative hybrid options such as
Teamwork Tuesday or We Meet Up Wednesday (I’m not making these up, I
swear!) Gone are the days where it takes only pizza parties and annual days to
ramp up the environment and the employers learnt this the hard way I would
say. We can see a drastic paradigm shift that is occurring in multiple offices
where innovative work schedules, comfortable commuting and revamp of
workspaces are being designed to attract and replicate the same level of
comfort that an employee would have in their home. Do you know that Google
relaxation for their employees? And Genentech, a biotech firm went a notch
higher to offer bike repair and onsite day-care services to help their employers
overcome transportation and availability problems. No more work from home
due to a flat bike tire or because the nanny called in sick I guess. Exciting times
to stay in your job, I would say!
3. Remote working might diminish
Hold your horses. I know this is an extremely controversial sentence but please
emphasize the word “might”. Let’s define and differentiate before we move
further. Remote work, unlike a hybrid, is a working option in which you are
working in an entirely remote mode, simply put, your home is your office 24
hours a day and 7 days a week. Now, allow me to present the other side of the
ever-hyped-up remote work. The esteemed Royal Society of Public Health
various health and well-being impacts, with the most common, which around
67% of workers are feeling less connected to colleagues, almost 46% sleeping
less and 39% had developed musculoskeletal problems. The same study also
found that one out of four of remote employers works on their bed or sofa
resulting in poor productivity. This data proves that an entire remote working
is not a feasible option for parties, the employer and employee. Speaking of
bosses, employers are also looking forward to bringing employees back to the
office. Based on a Harvard Business Review report, rough estimates of 56% of
companies are looking to have workers in their workspace at least once a
week. It looks like hybrid is the solution to remote work issues.
4. Difficulty in landing a new job
Okay, I still can’t convince you up to this point maybe, and you went on
quitting your job. Now what? This is where the real challenge starts. Imagine
you don’t have a safety net and you left your job by following the masses
blindly. It is going to be an arduous task to get a new job as employers are
looking tediously through every CV that comes to them in recent times. Job
hopper, despite having its advantages suffers in its way. Some senior
employers have, unfortunately, a stereotypical mindset when they view your
CV and see a string of past work experiences in a short period which they
would correlate with being commitment-phobic. In an interview, Christopher
Lake, assistant professor of management at the University of Alaska
Anchorage, US stated that job hopping often comes with a stigma attached
and it is perceived differently between the workforce and agents of a
company, such as executives and bosses where they could feel the frustration
of investing time, money and energy in hiring someone, only for them to stay
for a few months, hence avoiding these candidates altogether. And let’s not
forget that you would need to restart each time from scratch before making
your way up to pay raises and better benefits.
5. Personal and financial consequences
We can’t deny that living cost is skyrocketing nowadays. Thanks to inflation,
political instability, and socioeconomic unrest, we the common people are
bearing the burden that seems to exhaust our life as a whole. In a statistic
habits. It is the highest inflation rate since February 1982. So, quitting your job
right now is not going to be a wise idea without a solid backup plan. Without a
proper Plan B, it may backfire and lead to dire consequences including
affecting your loved ones.
On the contrary, some may suggest quiet-quitting as a solution to the huge
dilemma of the “to quit or not to quit” problem. Quiet-quitting, a notion which
is getting its limelight post-pandemic, is simply means of doing what you are
supposed to do instead of going beyond your means. Bare minimum instead of
hustling all the way. Shut everything down when the clock strikes 1700 instead
of incessantly checking your laptop all night. The problem with this concept is
that it is quite polarized in a few aspects. For a burnout overachiever, this
concept may be beneficial but a worker who is already slacking might misuse it
for further deterioration. Women, who are naturally prone to be assigned with
extracurricular activities of hosting birthday parties, and annual dinners may
benefit from this notion but not a worker who never bothers to lift a paper
from the copier. Somehow this formula of quiet-quitting is more of a cry for a
better work-life balance for everyone as a whole, especially for those who are
already maxed out for the past couple of years.
In a conclusion, resigning from a job is not a child’s play, especially in today’s
world and never follow anyone blindly. Remember to always weigh in your
factors, and safety-netting and consider the reasoning above if you have that
thought right now. Discuss your plans and opinions with beloved ones and
always seek professional help if you feel you’re lost. Proper research before
jumping into any decisions will benefit you greatly in the long run. You’ve
reached this point and if you’re even slightly doubtful of your initial thought of
quitting, then it might mean that there are many unexplored doubts within
yourself. Take your time to pause and reflect on the journey you’ve come
along. Till then, happy working!