Nicole noticed a red flag within hours of starting her new job at a Miami-based boutique PR firm in 2022. The CEO didn’t bother introducing her to clients on her first-ever company Zoom call; he dominated the conversation, leaving no room for other employees to speak. Nicole tried to carry on but was shocked on her second day when the CEO swore at a colleague in the middle of a team meeting.
On day three, Nicole worked up the courage to ask that colleague if outbursts like that were normal. “She said, ‘That’s just how he is’,” recalls Nicole, who is in her mid-20s. “Everyone’s scared of him.”
On her fourth day, Nicole wrote her resignation letter. She was gone by the end of the week and never looked back.
At a time when many people are reassessing their personal and professional priorities, and swaths of workers still hold power in the labour market, some people are choosing to cut and run – leaving jobs that they’re unhappy in, after mere weeks or even days in the role.
There are any number of reasons people ditch jobs after such a short period of time: the role was oversold; the leadership was micromanaging; the culture was toxic; or the company’s values seemed suspect. In some cases, say experts, these swift departures are due to reckless, fickle decisions. But other times, they’re the result of carefully considered choices – and the right options for workers.
‘Trying out jobs for size’
The majority of employees remain at their jobs for years – the median job tenure in the US is four years, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). But a September 2022 research note from LinkedIn showed the that the number of workers who quit their jobs after less than a year began rising in August 2021 and peaked in March, when the rate was up by roughly 10% year over year.
In other words, rather than slogging through years of dissatisfaction in one job, workers appeared to be more willing to move on quickly.
Moshe Cohen, a senior lecturer in management and organisations at Boston University Questrom School of Business, says one factor that’s led to this phenomenon is the breakdown of the “social contract” between employers and employees. “Corporations aren’t looking out for their people anymore. Workers feel temporary and expendable, so they see no need to commit to an employer. They’re trying out jobs for size,” says Cohen.
He points to changes in the labour market, in which companies have rescinded or delayed job offers; layoffs are more widespread and companies haven’t always followed through on promises to their workers. Managerial worries about the productivity of remote employees have spurred worker surveillance, further eroding trust between managers and their teams.
Some workers have decided not to push back against these conditions. Instead, they’re leaving their posts entirely, deciding to pull the plug quickly if their job isn’t serving them, isn’t what they expected or simply gives off bad vibes.
This chimes with the experience of James, a journalist in his 30s. In early 2023, he took a job at a scrappy media startup in New York City. Although he had the bona fides and background to take on the role, by the end of his first week, he could already see the job wasn’t the right fit.
“They brought me in for my newsroom leadership skills, but then were micromanaging my daily edits and pointing out every little mistake,” he says. “I’d spend all day chasing my tail, which frustrated them because I wasn’t focusing on the growth strategy.”
One month in, James was miserable. On the same Friday he planned to quit, he was coincidentally laid off. It was a relief. “I fully admit, I wasn’t the right person to do that job,” he says.
Some workers see issues with jobs immediately, such as poor management, toxic culture or positions that don’t match their expectations (Credit: Getty Images)
‘Spidey senses’
Experts say quitting sooner rather than later can sometimes be the right decision for workers.
First, there’s the opportunity cost of staying in a job that isn’t right. Each day employees remain in unfulfilling roles is a day they’re missing out on potential growth elsewhere, says Bobbi Thomason, assistant professor of applied behavioural science at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, in California.
That’s especially true when open roles still outnumber applicants in many industries. Although job opportunities are beginning to contract in some sectors due to economic uncertainty, other companies are still grappling with labour shortages, and many workers still have the upper hand.
Walking away can also be an empowering act of self-respect when a job is toxic or unhealthy, according to Thomason. “There’s a lot of agency in leaving a job when you realise that things aren’t working,” she says.
Red flags can be obvious or subtle, she says. Sometimes they’re as clear as a project falling through or a dysfunctional team, but other times they may be a nuanced mismatch between a person’s values and the way a company does business.
If workers see that the company’s negative culture is deeply entrenched and they lack the power, energy or desire to challenge the status quo, it’s understandable why they might opt to leave as soon as they can, continues Thomason. “You’re going to see people cutting and running when they see that it’s a situation that can’t be changed – where the problem is bigger than them,” she says.
And the decision can often work out. Nicole, for her part, landed a new PR job the month after she cut and run. “I was nervous about whether I’d be able to find something, but I also knew I couldn’t stay at my old company another day,” she says. “My job now is much better. This company cares about career growth, and the CEO is a good person who never raises his voice.”
She says she rarely thinks about the terrible week she spent at the PR firm. But when the job crosses her mind, she feels grateful that she managed to extricate herself so speedily. “The experience taught me to stand up for myself,” she says. “I was able to see what a disrespectful company culture looked like and have enough self-respect to know that I didn’t want any part of it.”
At the same time, however, Cohen believes some workers cut and run aren’t necessarily giving companies a fair shake. “Some people have gotten more short-termist when it comes to fulfilling their needs,” he says.
On top of financial rewards, many workers are looking for learning opportunities, flexible work arrangements and positive work cultures. But those expectations aren’t likely to be met on day one.
“They think they can come in and do meaningful work right away or that any imperfect boss is a toxic boss, but that’s not realistic,” he says. “My advice to my students is, ‘First, don’t be afraid to leave. But second, slow down. Don’t do anything rash’,” he says.
Thomason agrees. She advises workers to consider possible ways to change their circumstances by trying to work with higher-ups to change the nature of their positions and improve their relationships with people in the organisation. She also says advice from former colleagues, mentors, and career coaches can help workers reframe their outlook.
“There’s value in taking a breath before quitting,” she says.
Yet Thomason also says she’s a big believer in people “trusting their spidey senses” – especially when they’ve also taken a moment to think through the possible consequences of cutting and running. She says, “The suck-it-up-and-grit-your-way-through a horrible work experience is not the only path to learning.”