How To Quit: meltmedia Edition
Posted by Dave Woodruff and Anthony Garone
“I wish I knew how to quit you.”
The movie Brokeback Mountain made that line famous, but it gets you right in the feels. If we’re being real here (and we are), it’s hard to quit things you love that just aren’t working anymore.
So what happens when you love your job, but you know in your heart, for one reason or another, it’s time to move on? Many people have to struggle with this question multiple times over the course of their career: How do I quit you?
This two part series will give you a starter kit for making the transition from deliberating the idea of a new job to actually acting on it, all without feeling bad. There’s a way to search for a new job openly and with respect. No more ‘doctor appointments’ at lunch or sweaty palms because you lied to your boss about who was just on the phone. Honesty really is the best policy. That saying is cliché for good reason.
So hang tight to your newly updated resumé. We’re going to give you tips for quitting your job without drama and hard feelings. That scenario exists, we swear.
Start at the Beginning
Nearly everyone has been faced with the prospect of leaving a job or having a peer leave a job. The reasons can be unlimited and many times are not based on fault of the employer, they’re simply logistical; moving to another city/state, marriage, children, etc. It’s simply a fact that there are times when leaving a job, even one you might love, is necessary. So what is the best way to go about it?
Keep It Candid
The best way to quit is to create a relationship between employer and employee built on mutual respect right from the beginning. Mutual respect makes it much easier to have candid, meaningful conversations every step of the way.
Starting without a candid, meaningful relationship can lead to gossip, resentment, frustration, poor performance, organizational dysfunction, and plenty of other problems that are incredibly difficult to repair but are great for reality shows about housewives.
Just keep in mind that this meaningful relationship needs to be maintained. The challenge is to constantly improve the employer/employee relationship to make it effective. It’s very easy for either side to take decisions personally without the base of a strong relationship. An employee can become upset or angered if they feel they aren’t being respected and this can lead to the need to find another job. Conversely, problems with an employee may rise and an employer may need to come face to face with the issues. Cultivating a working relationship can be the difference between harmony and discord.
There’s great freedom and trust when you can say to your boss, “I’ve been dreading coming to work every day this week and it makes me want to quit,” or when you can say to your team member, “Hey, how are you feeling about your job? I’ve noticed some of your tweets are kind of resentful about work.”
The Truth is Out There
The truth is, though, creating this level of trust isn’t easy, but it’s worth it. It can completely change the dynamics of the employer/employee relationship and put both parties on equal footing.
The next part of our series will focus on forgetting the past. It’s over! And also, how sometimes change is inevitable. Oh, did we say sometimes? Our mistake. We meant things are definitely going to change.
