Quit fast, leave slow
Last week, we saw that people who quit their jobs are most likely to get promoted when they've stayed in role between 3-5 years. This week, we're exploring quitting from another angle: After someone has decided to quit, how long does it take them to actually do it?
From the time I knew I needed to quit my last job until I actually did it, four years went by. Naturally, I didn't spend that entire time planning to quit. I made conscious decisions to stay several times over the four year period. I worked hard and I had fun at many points. But I knew throughout that the right next move for me was to leave.
So why did it take me four years to do it, and is it just me? How long does it take most people to quit, once they've decided to do so?
Checking in with a new set of quitters
For this week's data set, I surveyed 200 people who have quit their jobs in the last 24 months. Last week, we looked specifically at executives. This week, we're looking at everyday tech employees: people who are individual contributors or front-line managers.
The specifics might be different in industries outside tech. Last year, for instance, I found that engineers take longer breaks between jobs than people in other disciplines. Nonetheless, the trends are broadly illuminating. Even after people have decided to quit, it can take them a while to follow through.
Time between "I want out" and resignation: 10 months
I asked all 200 people to work back from their quitting date to answer the following questions:
- When did you first seriously think, "I am going to quit"?
- When did you first update your resume?
- First recruiter conversation?
- First interview?
- Accepted offer?
- Gave notice?
- Last day?
You can see how long the group averaged in each stage below.
On average, these quitters spent 4.8 months, or almost half of their entire process, sitting with their decision to quit before they ever talked to a single recruiter. That is a lot of time spent prepping and mobilizing to take action.
It gets even more interesting when you slice the data by demographic.
Managers take longer to follow through on their intent to quit.
Managers take 2.5 months longer to follow through on their decision to quit. It may be that there are fewer manager jobs available, or that their interview process is more strenuous. However, my theory is that most managers feel committed to their teams, and they take extra time to make sure their teams will be set up for success after they leave.
Men move (much) faster to update their resumes.
Everyone takes time updating their resume and preparing for interviews. However, women spend more than twice as long preparing as men: 3.5 months in total. I found this more striking than any other aspect of this data set.
Women stick around longer after giving notice.
The men in this sample typically give two weeks of notice. The women agree to much longer transition periods, working for about a month after giving notice.
Californians quit faster.
At least in tech, Californians move faster once they've decided to quit. Maybe it's because Silicon Valley has normalized taking more risk. More likely it's because there are more tech jobs available in California than anywhere else, so Californians simply have more opportunities.
Is quiet quitting all the rage?
I also asked people whether they found themselves working less, or working with less commitment, after they had made the decision to quit. If they answered yes, I was curious when that happened. After all, 10 months is a long time to phone it in.
However, despite all the buzz around quiet quitting, most people don't slow down until they've accepted a job offer. Managers in particular report working hard as long as they are employed.
The bottom line: Rage quitting and quiet quitting get a lot of press. But if the people in this survey are representative, most of the time, the decision to quit is more like a long, slow simmer. It might not take most people four years, but they still leave their jobs thoughtfully, over a long period of time.
Up next week, Episode 3: Who feels regret after quitting, and who feels delighted? Subscribe here if you're not already!
Kieran
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