The employment world always seems to be the subject of a new fad amongst job seekers or employees. It was not that long ago that we were writing about concepts such as “quiet quitting” (i.e., doing the minimum requirements) or “career cushioning” (preparing for your next position while employed). Now comes word of the latest craze… “revenge quitting.”
The concept of “revenge quitting” is not new…in the ‘70s, a hit song and a subsequent movie was based around telling the boss to “Take This Job and Shove It”. However, as much as people wanted to do that, I don’t think many actually did, especially during the poor economic times of the late ‘70s.
“Revenge Quitting” is actually being done and reports indicate it is becoming especially popular with our younger generations. In fact, Fortune Magazine recently published a report that estimated as many as 4% of full-time employees are planning to revenge quit this year. And if you believe that number is due to people having to return to the physical workplace or due to in-person work issues, then you will be shocked to find out that the number is actually the highest amongst remote workers at 7%.
So, if you are not familiar with this concept, you may be wondering what exactly is all of this and why would I be concerned that job seekers are damaging their work history with it? “Revenge quitting” is when an employee resigns, generally with little to no notice, at the most inopportune time for the employer. The rationale behind doing this is that it is “revenge” towards or a statement against issues they have with their current employer. Examples include quitting while others are on vacation, just prior to a big audit, or during the busy season. The idea being that their departure will create a disruption for the company that will have an impact on their business.
As temporarily gratifying doing this may be for a person, there are numerous reasons not to participate in this activity when giving notice. Let’s do a brief rundown of some of the many reasons that “revenge quitting” is not a good career move.
• Your Rehire Status – Failing to provide and execute sufficient notice will usually tag you as a “no” for rehire. While that may sound perfectly fine now, in several years when a different job with a different manager becomes available, you may second guess your decision to burn your bridges to the ground.
• It’s A Small World – In Western New York (WNY), everyone knows everyone. People are always crossing paths with different companies down the line in their careers. The people you just “revenge quitted” may come around and be your manager again with a different company years down the road.
• Eliminating a Possible Reference – Your decision basically eliminates ever getting more than a “dates of employment” positive reference from this company. If this is a company that you have worked a majority of your career for, then quitting like this can really hamper your later attempts at getting a new job.
• Hurting Your Teammates – If you actually enjoyed your co-workers why would you want to place them in a tough spot with your “revenge quit.” They will have to pick up the slack created by your sudden departure, creating issues for them. You will probably find that you end up impacting your fellow employees more than you do management with your actions.
• Financially Challenging – If you don’t already have a new job lined up then succumbing to your emotions and “revenge quitting” may really place a strain on your finances. This is especially true when you don’t have a savings nest egg and/or you anticipate it will take you some time to find new employment.
Rather than “revenge quitting,” you can either try to work out your concerns with your current employer or consider giving a full notice. This will provide you with some transition time to your new employment and your current employer can either train or, at least, start looking for your replacement.
It seems like there are always a variety of different hot items making their rounds on social media. Sometimes there are challenges that do good such as raise funds for charity, but often they are misguided advice or ideas. The latest for workers is the concept of “revenge quitting” their employer to get back at them. While this may provide some very temporary personal satisfaction, overall, you run the risk of doing significant damage to your reputation and, subsequently, your career.
As always, best of luck in your job search.
The following has been prepared for the general information of RochesterJobs readers. It is not meant to provide advice with respect to any specific legal or policy matter and should not be acted upon without verification by the reader.
Joe Stein
WNY Human Resources Professional
Feel free to contact Joe Stein regarding questions or comments at:
Joe Stein
