30 People Who Quit Their Job On The Spot Reveal What Did It For Them

It’s easy to get caught up in the heat of an issue, have tunnel vision and then just quit without thinking about the consequences,” Christine Mitterbauer, a licensed and ICF-approved career coach and serial entrepreneur told Bored Panda in an interview. “Before you just quit your job, you should take a step back and try to look at your whole situation objectively. Practise thinking before you speak. You want to make sure that it’s not your ego getting in the way.”

Christine suggests thinking about the following things: “If you quit your job right now, will you genuinely be happy with all the consequences for the coming days, weeks and months? Or will you regret it? Can you even afford to quit your job? How will it look on your CV?”

“Once you have cooled down, you could take a look at all the pros and cons of quitting, and then decide what’s the right decision for you in the longer term. Never make any hasty decisions when you’re emotional,” she explained.

When asked whether it’s wise to quit a job on the spot in general, Christine said that generally “it’s not wise to quit your job on the spot, as this shows you haven’t thought through the consequences.” She added: “We don’t think rationally when we’re angry and frustrated, so you need to wait until those emotions have subsided, before you can assess your situation objectively.”

If an employee walks out of a job, the boss can think about how they could have handled the situation differently, so they avoid a similar situation in the future, Christine argues. “Did they act unfair or emotionally? It’s a healthy habit to always take a step back from difficult situations to learn how you could handle them better next time round,” she concluded.

Even though every employee is responsible for setting their boundary of just how much nonsense they are willing to put up with at work, sometimes you don’t see these problems until years into the job. In the beginning, we tend to idealize the job we fought hard to get, and so turn a blind eye to many red flags.

However, sometimes the red flags are so bright you cannot miss them. Especially if you've become the victim of pressure, poor treatment, bullying, or worse. In those cases, there’s no other option than to speak to your HR and the superiors. Their actions are crucial in solving the situation.

In some cases, you may feel like no one is listening to you. "If you feel that there's nothing you can do to change the situation and the company or people involved are unwilling to change, then you have to decide whether you're willing to stay in that environment or not,” Eddy Ng, the James and Elizabeth Freeman Professor of Management at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, previously told Bored Panda.

Such a decision may be hard when you have just been hired and are only getting warmed up in your new job. However, making the decision to quit before you’re trapped in the workplace for years to come may be a crucial step to protect your sanity and wellbeing. In fact, we only have two options and it’s either choosing to find contentment in the position you're in now or looking for a way out.

Many people who feel that their workplace is toxic may indeed feel imprisoned by the fact that there's a global pandemic going on and it’s going to be hard to find a new job. But such an idea can be very limiting and so it’s better to stay in a positive mindset. In reality, the world just didn't stop one day, companies are still hiring and you can always make money on your own.

Meanwhile, Professor Ng from Bucknell University said that if the problems in the workplace concern derogatory comments (like unwanted or unwelcome jokes), a human rights complaint might be the right course of action. "Employers (managers and HR) can be held responsible for inaction," he told us and added that “if repeated complaints about the toxic workplace to the manager or HR fall on deaf years, then it is indicative that the employer is not taking the concern seriously and it's the cue that you should switch employers/workplace.  

"On the other hand, "if management makes an effort for change, then it would be an opportunity to assist with that change. Many organizations are not addressing systemic discrimination and are engaging with employees with this change," Professor Ng said. In more severe cases when the toxic workplace environment becomes a health concern and the employer is still not willing to act accordingly, the employee can always quit and sue the employer for constructive dismissal.