Is Quitting be Seen as a Trendy Thing to Do Nowadays?

Over the past few years, many workers have left their jobs. In a way, quitting has become cool but not always in a good sense.

In 2021, Professor Anthony Klotz of Organisational Behavior coined the term “the Great Resignation” to depict a trend. It is possible that Klotz may now wonder whether he himself became somewhat of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Resigning is trendy both on and off the internet. For example, in January this year, US Bureau of Labor Statistics data showed that approximately 49 million individuals left their jobs in the US last year while more than 50 million did so in 2022.

Several studies reveal that even many people who didn’t quit are considering it. For instance, LinkedIn’s survey of over two thousand employees indicated that two-thirds of millennials and nearly three-quarters of Gen Zers are contemplating leaving their jobs this year. The same data shows that one third of Baby Boomers and 55% of Generation X respondents are also thinking about leaving.

Additionally, there is a perception that moving from one job leads to others wanting to move as well despite leave for another job being often motivated by motives like flexibility, money or benefits. There is an issue which researchers termed "turnover contagion" when somebody quits his job there is an increased chance by up to 25%, according to one report, that some other person will also want to resign. Klotz notes that resignation rates taking center stage has spread through the world at work very rapidly.

The “coolness factor” attached with quitting can sometimes give employees power back says Klotz. He adds, “We all felt somewhat powerless during the pandemic as well as prior years.” I wanted them to feel empowered by just simply walking away from it.”

“That employer has power during our relationship with them,” he said. We comply with everything we are asked because we need money coming to our account. However, when you start thinking about quitting, the power shifts. And that’s very tempting, and seductive too, as soon as you feel like you don’t need it anymore. I might follow my colleague’s example and apply for a position with this other firm, “it’s a surge of power.”

He said that this was “enticing because it is liberating,” according to Klotz. Moreover, he noted that “it becomes hard not to follow in that” when employees keep reading newspaper articles about people quitting or even watching viral videos of them.

“Quitting has been sort of a taboo topic until recently,” says Klotz before it became embraced by society–something one did on one’s own. It has been underground for real though lately there has been a group of folks who feel more comfortable talking about it.

However, not all is rosy. Quitting is fashionable these days, which could overshadow the fact that many people find it hard to leave their jobs.

For example, in one of her works on resignations becoming more common Klotz states, “This makes it seem easy and swift.” In this case, they may make hasty choices rather than thoughtful ones. “When of course, it’s one of the biggest career decisions that you can make.” 

The most recent research review co-authored by Caitlin Porter who is a faculty assistant at Memphis University based in America speaks much about how complex quitting has become but this aspect rarely reappears in discussions about the disease. “Have you ever left a job? Maybe if you are staying in a town there would be another employer to go to, otherwise maybe you’re moving your family,” she suggests.

It’s also hard to start over again somewhere else. According to Porter, it usually takes six months to a year just to get up to speed and build relationships that will enable you to be effective in such role. Your whole life changes direction on its head. As a matter of fact, starting anew becomes one of the most stressful moments when beginning an entirely different career type. It's so much work.

Accordingly, workers who quit their jobs before time may find themselves derailing careers according to professionals talkers.

Porter continues, “Yet sometimes even those who shouldn’t fall for its new charm.” This means that employees who are less embedded into their workplaces—usually younger or other demographics with lower tenure-are more vulnerable because they cannot afford quitting for now.

The simple truth is however that moving around can actually impede your career progression even though another job might offer higher pay rate than current positions do or any other benefits. Employees who leave their jobs ahead of time also lose an opportunity for receiving a recommendation that would have been given if they had completed enough in this job to help them with the next one (or at least stayed long enough to get a good reference). According to experts, employees who leave their jobs earlier than they 'should' risk stunting their careers.

Porter states that it’s worse for oppressed groups such as women and people of color who generally do not “ascend to the same levels in organisations as authority group members.” Plus, those communities are the most likely ones affected by turnover. This issue has been exacerbated by the leaving trend.

Although he might have contributed to its highly publicised image, Klotz advises workers not to resign simply because it is currently “trendy”. He defines changing jobs as a major life change in reality.

He compares quitting and ending a long term relationship in personal life. It is difficult and emotional–you don’t know how you will feel about it until after you’ve gone past it. You can never predict how things will turn out.