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I wrote this personal post not expecting employees to resign in the masses but in the hope that you may take steps to evaluate your career and to tell you (even if your employer won’t) that you are doing a great job!
My attitude to work has always been that the employer needs me more than I need them. When I decide to leave a place of employment, I don’t look at it as quitting. Quitting, has negative connotations and makes it sound like you are giving up rather than moving on to better things. So, when I leave a place of employment, I phrase it differently and notify the employer that I am firing them for not meeting their commitments in the employment contract.
Contentious?
Yes!
Makes an impact?
Yes! Do I love it?
Yes!
No matter how bad the situation, you must always leave with your dignity and reputation intact. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t express the reason behind your decision for leaving and to rub it in slightly as you move on to your next adventure.
Blame my parents for raising me with such a strong level of self belief. I know I’m not perfect, but I know what I’m good at, and if an employer doesn’t appreciate that, why should I stay? I’m sure a psychologist would love to analyse me and say that my attitude to sticking up for myself stems from being bullied at primary school – as I didn’t have the skills to back myself then, I overcompensate for this now.
Whether there is some truth to this or not, I honestly don’t care. People spend so much time at the workplace and if you feel like you’re not getting what you want out of it, move on. It’s like dating – you wouldn’t put up with a boring or abusive relationship (well, I hope you wouldn’t). The same goes for the workplace.
The day I decided to leave my most recent place of employment was one the hardest days of my life. I’m not a risk taker and it was the first time in my life that I left without having a backup plan.Yes, I’m lucky I run a business so had that to fall back on, but was handing in my resignation a week before Christmas, the right move?
For me it was. I was working for a company that I no longer believed in. Staff morale was incredibly low and I didn’t like the way management treated their staff, which is what I told them. In some workplaces, bullying seems to be the ethos that management subscribe to and this place was definitely like that. I loved the staff and it was really hard for me to say goodbye, but I would have been a hypocrite if I stayed there any longer.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not a softie and I don’t believe staff need to be thanked or acknowledged for every job they do, but they need to be treated with respect. At the staff BBQ on Christmas Eve, not one of the managing directors bothered to say ‘hello’ or show their face during this celebratory period. I don’t like to name and shame but as this business is in a tough industry with long hours, this was inexcusable and staff were obviously annoyed. Businesses need to understand or at least appreciate that business no longer runs to a 9-5 schedule. There needs to be flexibility, so if a staff member has to leave work early for a doctor’s appointment, attend to family matters or other personal need, they do so without fear of being punished or losing their job. Respect them, because the majority of staff do more hours than they are contracted to do.
As for me, leaving this place of employment turned out to be the best decision I have ever made (see taking risks can pay off), my business has gone from zero to 11 clients in a matter of three months and the future is looking good. 
I wrote this personal post, not expecting employees to resign in the masses but in the hope that you may take steps to evaluate your career and to tell you (even if your employer won’t) that you are doing a great job!
