- More and more workers are walking off the job, aka rage quitting, amid the ongoing
labor shortage . - Insider spoke with three people who recently quit their
jobs to learn what drove the decision.
This as-told-to article is based on transcribed conversations with three workers whose words have been edited for length and clarity. Insider has verified their identity and former employment. All names have been changed to protect the privacy of the people involved.
While it may look and feel impulsive or even irresponsible, an employee angrily walking out on their job is usually more than a lone bad hire throwing a temper tantrum. According to BBC Worklife, rage quitting is "a sign of serious flaws in a workplace: from lax health and safety standards to exploitative working conditions and abusive managers. The COVID-19 pandemic has only intensified the stressors that can lead employees to quit on the spot."
Insider spoke with three people who recently rage-quit their jobs - here's why they said they did it.
Jennifer, 43, Minneapolis, Minnesota
For nearly two years, I worked as a paralegal at a small private law firm that helped guide folks through the process of applying for Social Security benefits. We were overworked and severely underpaid to begin with, but since the beginning of the pandemic, our boss - let's call him Dave - said he wouldn't give us any raises during the crisis. He decided this despite the fact that as the business owner, he was making more money and had less expenses than before, since we were all working from home.
In July, Dave made all of us return to the office again five days a week, even though some people weren't vaccinated and I didn't have daycare for my son, who has special needs and is unable to wear a mask. One day Dave's wife, let's call her Jan, came in and casually mentioned that she'd been exposed to COVID (Jan does payroll). Management tried to keep it a secret, but eventually we found out that it was Dave - our boss and Jan's husband - who'd been infected. He'd been working for a few days while not feeling well before he got the positive diagnosis, so we'd all been exposed. Management told the supervisors and the attorney so that they could get tested, but they didn't tell anyone else.
We were so angry that we'd been exposed and lied to. We felt expendable. As a single mom who works paycheck to paycheck, I was terrified to just quit, but I had to protect my children and myself. Thankfully, I qualified for unemployment when I told them the story.
Ava, 38, Chicago, Illinois
I'd been selling stuffed animals at the retail store of an internet toy company since January 2019. Working retail is never easy, but since the start of the pandemic customers had been getting increasingly aggressive and abusive. Initially, the company was incredibly supportive of us and our safety. They sent us masks, and hung up signs saying masks were required. They allowed us to enforce social distancing guidelines that helped us feel safe. Everyone agreed that no one should be risking their lives to sell avocado plushies. But as the pandemic wore on, management started brushing off our concerns.
In early June, one of my team members got into an altercation with a customer who refused to put on a mask. Other team members were having panic attacks. Everyone began quitting. I realized that the company no longer gave a damn about us, if they ever really did.
I sent an email to the owner of the company, the regional manager, and the HR, "I'm not going to risk my health and sanity anymore.' My resignation was effective immediately. If I have any regrets, it's that I didn't quit sooner.
Valeria, 54, Charlotte, North Carolina
As the head of the HR department for the extended-stays division of a hotel company, it was my job to stop mistreatment, but I couldn't protect myself nor the staff from what was going on. My boss and the three other executives - all male - were sleeping with subordinates. My boss also had two ex-girlfriends working for him who were allowed to do whatever they wanted with no consequences.
When I received a hostile work environment complaint from eight people in the support office due to their actions, my boss completely ignored the problem. I was also prevented from handling a racial discrimination case.
I was on two different antidepressants and having panic attacks daily. Eventually, I'd had enough. I gave one week's notice rather than two. My boss wouldn't talk to me that whole week, not even when I addressed him directly. Real mature, especially after I was with the company for one year - the last eight months of which had been hell.
I left three weeks ago. So far, no more panic attacks, I feel less depressed, and I've stopped crying all the time. I have no regrets. Life's too short for crappy jobs.