Oyemaja Executives, a division of The Oyemaja Group.
It’s 12 noon on a Friday. You are a remote worker trying to meet deadlines. Your supervisor keeps adding more tasks to your already filled plate. You go - heyyy…can we just calm down and take it one task at a time? The next minute, you're on a call with the board. For four (4) hours, you’ve heard more than you can take in. It’s not just cutting it anymore. You have been thinking of quitting for the past few months but you have been finding reasons to hold on to the job. You tell yourself - this last straw has broken my camel’s back. At the end of the call, you send your boss a WhatsApp text saying “I QUIT''.
I know what it's like when you've toiled hard to build your career, only to have your dreams dashed by a single bad day. I know what it's like when you're stuck in an unfulfilling job, and you want out. The WhatsApp text did it and you’re as free as a bird. Your wings are no more clipped.
You might be surprised to learn that rage quitting sometimes poses a risk to your career. How?
You burn bridges when you rage quit your job. Given how poorly you responded to the circumstance and abruptly left your role unfilled, you’d probably not get a good reference from anyone on your team.
Payroll loss is another way rage-quitting may affect you adversely. Visualize living the soft life and returning back to the trenches!
Landing a new job can be difficult. It's pretty easy to imagine. Remember the frustrating interviews you went through before getting this one. Right.
Your colleagues may tag you as the black sheep. This doesn’t help your reputation. How many people would you explain what really went down to?
There are some circumstances where it may be okay to rage-quit. They include toxic work culture, abusive managers, illegal activity, hostile colleagues, racism and disrespect. It is reasonable to leave in these circumstances and take some time to cater to your mental and emotional wellness.
What next?
How do you move forward? You are now experiencing a post-rage clarity. You are without a job. You have burned bridges. Your life isn't where it should be. You might have even thought to yourself “should I beg to have my job back?” Your pride won’t let you do that, I don’t recommend either. Not that way.
Here are some tips on how to move past this phase:
Take care of yourself and be kind to yourself during this time of change. Don't go through life feeling stressed out by your predicament. Get enough sleep, eat healthy foods, indulge in your hobbies. Breathe.
Learn from the situation and use them to improve yourself and your life.
Before searching for a new job search, be certain of what you want out of life. Spend some time considering the type of workplace that would be ideal for you.
Get back on your feet, tell people what you can do, apply to jobs that are a fit for you. Be happy again.🥂
When you quit a job you are tired of, make it a clean break and think of it as a new beginning. In the heat of the moment, it could seem like a good idea to burn bridges, but you might come to regret it later. Before you serve your employer ‘breakfast’, ensure you are capable of taking care of your lunch.’
Yours careerly,
Oyemaja Executives.
