Most Americans will quit their job at some point in their career. The team at Preply gave us insight into the different ways people go about quitting by examining the communication, feelings, and tone used. They found that nearly all Americans avoided negative words and emotions when quitting, even though 3 in 5 people wanted to use more critical words and emotions. Not every employee is above vengeance, though! 1 in 8 say they quit purposefully at a time they knew would hurt their employers. 1 in 10 left a bad review for the manager or business online, and 1 in 10 managers say an employee has unjustifiably yelled at them.
It used to be the norm for employees to quit by submitting a formal letter of resignation, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Here’s how survey responders said they left their jobs:
• In-person conversation – 76% of workers
• Email – 23% of workers
• No communication/ghosted – 19%
• Printed letter – 18%
• Text message – 10%
• Handwritten note – 9%
Out of these workers, 43% said that the conversation about resignation was only a few minutes long. Email missives must have been a bit longer because only 1 in 10 people said their resignation was “just a few words.”
Most people avoid negative language because they know they might need to count on their employer for a reference. More women than men reported suppressing their negative emotions while they quit. 40% of people who had the opportunity for an exit interview felt more comfortable discussing their experience at the company.
Employees reported using these tones when giving their resignation:
• Polite – 64%
• Neutral – 54%
• Apologetic – 27%
• Angry – 12%
• Passive aggressive – 12%
• Sarcastic – 6%
The team’s research gives excellent insight into the psychology behind an experience most of us will face at some point.
