Mic drop, I'm out
Over the last few weeks, we've looked at the experience people have quitting their jobs. We saw that both quiet quitting and rage quitting are mostly a lie; it takes the typical tech employee 10 months to follow through on their decision to quit, and most of them work hard all the way to the end. We also saw that, among executives, there is a right time to quit, at least as far as promotion is concerned.
In the final installment of this series on quitting, we're going to look at the aftermath. After the deed is done, do people regret it?
We asked 150 quitters, and survey says...
Here's the thing about quitting: It's easy to have conviction about the place you're leaving behind. It's impossible to have the same clarity about where you're headed. This is true even if you already know your next role, even if you've done a rigorous diligence process, and even if you believe your post-quit life will be spectacular. You can't know for sure until you live it.
Last week, we looked at 200 people who quit their jobs sometime in the last 2 years. This week, we're focusing on 150 of them who quit their jobs more than a year ago. These quitters have perspective about quitting that can only come with time.
I asked these quitters one simple question, three times:
Rate the following statement from (1-10): Quitting was the right decision.
I asked our quitters to rate the statement one week after quitting, three months after quitting, and 12 months after quitting.
Quitter's delight vs quitter's regret
Unsurprisingly, one week after quitting, people feel great. In fact, not a single person rated their decision to quit with anything less than an 8 out of 10.
A year later, people are more thoughtful about their experience after quitting. While sentiment is still predominantly positive, it is lower than it was earlier in the process.
The most interesting number is the one in the middle. Immediately after quitting, people are ecstatic. A year later, people have processed their experience and have mostly moved on from it; we typically process our past decisions with rose-colored glasses, and quitting is no exception. But three months after quitting, before people are fully into their next chapter, they have more doubt.
In the messy middle of transitions, uncertainty is normal.
Some people are happier after quitting than others
Last week, we saw that managers take longer than individual contributors to follow through on quitting. We also saw that women take twice as much time prepping before interviews and work longer after giving notice. Do these lengthier processes result in greater satisfaction after quitting?
On average, managers report lower satisfaction with their quitting decision than individual contributors. This is especially true three months after quitting.
Perhaps this is because it takes managers a while to feel comfortable leading in their new environment. Or maybe it's because the managers are more likely to still be looking for work three months after quitting, given their longer interview processes. The ambiguity can be stressful.
On the other hand, compared to men, women report higher satisfaction after quitting at every point. In fact, women are even happier with their decision to quit a year later than immediately after quitting.
Recall that, even after deciding to quit, women take longer than men to revise their resumes and move to interviews. Perhaps this more deliberate process translates into greater satisfaction with the decision to quit after the fact.
I have more questions about quitting
This series made me want to collect more data about quitting. I found myself wondering what difference someone's reason for quitting makes to their overall process and subsequent satisfaction. In particular, it feels like leaving something you're actively unhappy with is substantially different from chasing something new.
I also found myself curious about how organizations handle it when an employee quits. How does someone's experience quitting change based on their tenure, performance rating, and social connectedness?
Time for an annual data story about quitting? Maybe so.
Thanks for reading!
Kieran
Why not try my three exercises for building high-performing and connected teams, before people quit? And if you liked this story, why not subscribe to nerd processor and get the back issues?
My latest data stories | Build like a founder | nerdprocessor.com