With the ‘great resignation’ making headlines over the last couple of months, the subject of quitting seems more prevalent than ever. These days, more and more people are taking it upon themselves to quit their job if it’s not meeting their needs – including if their job is having a detrimental impact on their mental health.It’s important to know when it’s time to call quits in order to put your mental health first.

Time To Leave

If your needs at work aren’t being met – perhaps you’re not receiving adequate feedback, or feel undervalued – then the obvious first step is to voice your concerns. However, if <a href="https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/how-to-diffuse-conflict-arguments/545713">you’ve voiced your concerns</a> and nothing has been done to rectify them, then moving on could be your best option.

You Have Communicated Your Needs Clearly, and Nothing Has Changed

Not only can this kind of chronic stress put you at risk of developing burnout and take its toll on your mental health, but it can also affect your physical health, too.Some signs that you’re experiencing chronic stress include:<ul><li>Lack of focus: things are foggy, and it’s harder to finish an activity</li><li>Changes in memory: you have a more challenging time remembering things that happened throughout the day</li><li>Fatigue in mind and body</li><li>Reacting more emotionally than usual</li><li>Neglecting basic needs like showering, exercising or eating a well-cooked meal</li></ul>

You’re Experiencing Chronic Stress

Perhaps the most obvious reason to quit your job for your mental health is if the very idea of going to work leaves you feeling <a href="https://www.stylist.co.uk/tag/anxiety">anxious</a>, upset or <a href="https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/careers/job-postive-mindset/536699">dejected</a>.This could be because the company’s values do not align with yours or you feel like you’re not able to make yourself heard within the workplace, especially if you’re from an underrepresented community and your workplace shies away from <a href="https://www.stylist.co.uk/life/careers/how-to-make-workplace-diverse/514467">conversations about race, diversity and inclusion</a>

You Dread Going to Work Every Day 

Not sure whether or not you should quit your job in order to protect your mental health? Here’s how to tell when it’s time to let go, according to an expert.

Stashed ideas

How to tell when it’s time to quit your job to protect your mental health

When you're forced to deal with a condescending co-worker, the first thing you need to do is understand why their comment bothered you so much. What about what this person said irritated you? You might even consider taking time to write it out. Try to recall exactly what this person said. You’ll probably find that it was a specific word or tone this person used, or the way it was delivered, that set you off. It’s important that you identify this because you need to be able to articulate it when you go talk to the person.

The Best Way To Deal With A Condescending Co-Worker

This is not the time to bury it, ignore it, or let it slide. The moment you allow condescending behaviour to happen, you are defining how you are to be treated. People treat us the way that we ALLOW them to treat us. If you don’t want to deal with a condescending co-worker, you have to nip this behaviour in the bud.So, understand exactly what about their comment bothered you. If you need to, talk it out with someone else before you bring it up to your co-worker. Then, confront your co-worker privately so they are aware of how you feel.

Confronting The Person And The Problem

When you have this conversation, your co-worker might act defensively. However, they will likely be more shocked and surprised. They might not have intended the comment to come out that way.If someone is being condescending, whether they realize it or not, it’s important to call them out on it. But make sure to do it in a calm and structured way. Even for those who dislike any sort of confrontation, remember: don't just brush it off! You'll be glad you said something when you did.

Handling The Bull By Its Horns

When you're forced to deal with a condescending co-worker, the first thing you need to do is understand why their comment bothered you so much. What about what this person said irritated you? You might even consider taking time to write it out. Try to recall exactly what this person said. You’ll pro...

More than <a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/jolts.t04.htm">4.5 million Americans</a> quit their jobs in November and, in the arsenal of resources corporations will tap into to understand this attrition and stem the bleeding, creator-based social media platforms have become increasingly important. 
Because, while LinkedIn remains the internet’s bastion of polite society and Glassdoor its anonymous complaints department, many leavers—especially Millennials and Generation Z’ers—are turning to TikTok and YouTube to publicly air their grievances.

The Star Employee Is Gone

Google, Facebook, multi-level marketing companies (MLMs), and “The Big 4” management consulting firms are also popular targets—with alumni skewering their former employers in extensive, detailed, no-holds-barred, direct-to-camera testimonials. 
Meanwhile, on TikTok, shorter-form [#iquit] hot takes range from earnest to emotional—sometimes even veering into mockery.

Leaving The Companies And Giving Reasons On Social Media

Back in the nascent days of social media, when non-disclosure and non-disparagement clauses were par for the course, one-on-one exit interviews were the extent of employee feedback—and, for better or for worse, poor experiences were relegated to the realms of industry gossip.
Fast forward to today, an era in which many startups haven’t invested in developing robust human resources departments, but everyone can have a voice on far-reaching publishing platforms, and, well, this is what happens.

Public Bridge-Burning

When employees turn to public platforms instead of internal resources to vent frustrations, oftentimes it’s because they don’t feel safe to do so within their organizations—and they hold back, even when they already have one foot out the door.

Public Platforms For Decompressing Emotions

Exit interviews are designed to tell employers why the employee is leaving and whether the company can do something to retain them or prevent others from leaving. 
But when you talk to employees, the popular narrative is: ‘When it comes to exit interviews, the general rule is if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. You don’t want to burn bridges, you don’t want to create grievances. The risk of offending people is just too high, and that’s a missed opportunity.

Exit Interviews

There is absolutely no replacement for a candid, one-on-one conversation with employees. We get infinitely more valuable information when we sit with folks one on one. 
But in order to have a meaningful conversation, you need to build trust and psychological safety, so people will tell you what is really on their minds—or you’ll never get meaningful feedback that will allow you to iterate.

Psychological Safety

So how can employers flip the script—especially during the “Great Resignation”, when retaining talent has become increasingly difficult? By taking a closer look at corporate culture.As employees’ preferences continue to evolve toward a more values-centric, work-life balance, companies must follow suit—and switch from a transactional to a relational workplace.

From Transactional To Relational

The pandemic has sparked a movement among employees where they’ve come to expect more from their jobs—they want fulfilment, flexibility, and support in various forms. When they don’t get those things from their employers, they resign.Employers need to pivot to a new way of thinking about the workplace—and to create inspiring workplaces where people can thrive.

The Bottomline

Why'd a star employee quit? The truth may be on TikTok

This is a real phenomenon--and it doesn't just happen at companies with poor management, low wages, or any other metrics that might entice workers to abandon ship. We're very social creatures, and we tend to take cues from the people around us. And in a crisis, people are more likely to make their decisions based on what they see the people around them doing, she says.

Quitting contagion

If your workers are disengaged and disillusioned, you're basically inviting the resignations that will follow. But quitting contagions still happen at companies where workers are generally happy.   You can set up exit interviews with departing employees--and encourages them to share with existing workers why they're leaving. If it's something that the company can improve on, then leaders know what they need to change.

Check in on morale

The friendships we have at work influence us to stay in that place (or to leave). If someone's best friend at work leaves, leaders shouldn't be surprised if that workers resigns next. The solution: Look for ways you can support the employee that's still there. You have to think: "How can I have more of a dialogue with those individuals who might get left behind, and how can I help them adjust to that transition?"

Take note of existing office relationships

When one employee hands in their resignation, other workers inevitably face an increased workload at least temporarily--or more permanently if the employee who departed isn't replaced.It's important to have conversations about workload--people feel it the most if they're not getting recognition for the extra work they may have taken on, either through title or pay. Be transparent with workers about the backfilling process. If it isn't a priority to fill a vacancy, then be willing to compensate the employees who are picking up the extra slack.

Be realistic about workload transferral

Employee investments contribute to a positive company culture, and especially in a time when many workers are reevaluating their career choices, upskilling opportunities can make a big difference in retaining them.

Invest in employees

"The demand for career advancement is very high, and organizations need to provide those opportunities. If they don't, the individual will go and find it elsewhere."

Quitting contagion is a real phenomenon, according to organizational psychologists--but it's not an inevitability. Here's how you can prevent it from happening at your company.

Quitting Is Contagious. How You Can Prevent It from Spreading at Your Company

It refers to the fact of designing a product in a more complex way than necessary:Overengineering (or over-engineering, or over-kill) is the act of designing a product or providing a solution to a problem in an overly complicated manner, where a simpler solution can be demonstrated to exist with the same efficiency and effectiveness as that of the original design.In the context of software: Code or design that solves problems you don’t have.

Overengineering

<ul>
<li>Trying to anticipate the future and be ready for the unknown: It's easy to think that we can make it future-proof by investing a little more time “just in case”.</li>
<li>A lack of experience. The more senior you are, the less prone you are to overengineer.</li>
<li>Loosely defined requirements: If an engineer does not have a well-defined problem, he will tend to overengineer to protect himself from uncertainty.</li>
<li>Boredom: If an engineer does not have exciting challenges to face, he may end up complicating any problem simply by trying something new.</li>
</ul>

Overengineering causes

It increases development costs. If engineers do not choose the simplest solution to address a problem, the costs in time and money increase, preventing us from iterating faster. It also increases your maintenance costs. Simple code is much easier to program, test, and modify. When you complicate it, the complexity can grow exponentially, impacting our iteration speed.

Overengineering consequences

The best way to prevent over-engineering is to turn your engineers into true product engineers.<ul><li>Involve them in the day-to-day business, explaining the why after each initiative, and linking it with the metrics that matter for the organization and its vision. </li><li>Bring them closer to the users, inviting them to interviews and discovery sessions with them. You want your team to empathize intimately with your user’s problems, so they can quickly discard any engineering effort that won’t solve them as efficiently as possible.</li></ul>

How to prevent over-engineering?

<ul>
<li>YAGNI(“You are not going to need it”) tries to prevent you from adding anything that is not strictly necessary to solve the problem you have in front of you because the reality is that most likely, “you won’t need it”.</li>
<li>KISS (“Keep it simple stupid”), refers to the fact that simple systems are easier to repair, evolve and maintain. Therefore, simplicity should be one of the goals of any design.</li>
<li>Worse is better: There comes the point when having fewer options is preferable to having more; Simplify the use of our product, making it attractive to a broader segment of the market.</li>
</ul>

Mental models to prevent overengineering

In today's post, Simón Muñoz speaks about one of the most prevalent issues when creating products: overengineering them.

Overengineering can kill your product

People-first cultures are rooted in a philosophy that values people over profits.&nbsp;The ironic twist is that when employees are valued as whole individuals and provided the opportunity for well-being, connection, and fulfillment, companies are generally more innovative, resilient, and even profitable.

People-first cultures

"The gap between strategy and results is people. Regardless of what strategic path you take, it executes through people."

<ul><li>Empower Employees to Be Leaders in Their Roles. The face of leadership is changing. It's less about the person at the front of the room who knows the most dictating to the group, and more about collaboration between individuals adding to a solution or idea.&nbsp;</li><li>Listen Closely to Your People. When leaders are intensely interested in what's going on with employees, they can take meaningful, productive action.</li><li>Live Your Company Values. Core values must be an integral, living part of your business at every level, starting with leadership.</li><li>Hire Well. The people you hire shape your culture. Look beyond job skills to see the whole person. Use core values in your hiring process by asking specific, behavior-based questions.</li></ul>

Create a people-first culture

How to Create a People-First Company Culture

No matter what the official line is, the workplace is an environment filled with subtle ideas, myths and working styles that distort our understanding of people.We need to discard the myths and attempt to diminish the power of perception and the mental landscapes that shape our reality.

Perceptions At Work

One side believes that the office is not a place for friendships, with people acting as psychopaths. The other side sees friendship at the workplace as an important aspect for success.The reality is that the workplace is made up of people, who will form friendships due to mutual trust, shared ideas,values, love and caring.Liking everyone is impractical and discarding friendships entirely is isolating.

Friendship At Work

When management is asked if work should be fun, they readily agree. The reality is that office perks aside, actual work is never meant to be fun, but is intentionally serious, creating the perception that work can never be fun by itself.The reality is that fun activities and workplaces where employees actually enjoy their work is energizing and helps them increase engagement.

Fun At Work

<ul><li>Myth - Longer hours means more productivity: Burnout is real, and the longer the workers are on the conveyor belt, the faster they would collapse.</li><li>Myth - Money Is The Only Motivator: This misconception is formed by a culture that only focuses on money as an indicator of worth. Intrinsic motivators like meaning, loyalty or a sense of purpose supersede the extrinsic motivator that is money.</li></ul>

Give More Time Get More Money

Myth - People don’t want to work hard: Many employees feel disengaged and do not believe in their work. They stress out and do not put the required energy into their jobs due to various factors like a bad boss or lack of value in the company.If an employee is cared for and provided a good working environment, he will not be lazy.

Everyone Is Not Lazy

Myth: Different working styles are needed for leading, following and creating relationships: At work, people are often typecasted, making their personalities rigid and inflexible.The reality is that everyone has a diverse set of characteristics.<ul><li>Integrators are good at forming relationships due to high levels of EQ(emotional quotient).</li><li>Pioneers are good at inspiring people to do and be their best, which is an often overlooked but crucial relationship.</li></ul>

Different Working Styles

Myth: Work is a zero-sum game: This misconception is due to the scarcity mindset that makes people compete and results in wasted effort and mediocre work.The reality is that humans can come together to grow and reap unlimited rewards which are accessible to everyone.

Work: A Zero-Sum Game

Career

5 workplace myths that can break down motivation

On average, employees who do the majority of their work on computers are distracted almost every ten minutes.
Most of the interruptions are external - an incoming email or a colleague stopping by to chat. But a significant proportion also comes from the individuals who voluntarily switch tasks.

Distracted every 10 minutes

It is commonly known that when our attention is divided, it's harder to get things done. What's surprising is that so few of us use this common idea in our workdays.
It's not just productivity that suffers when workers are constantly interrupted, but research found that people will attempt to compensate by working faster, leading to more stress and effort. Take email as an example. In one study, email was removed from a group of civil workers for five days. Workers stress reduced over that time, and they reported feeling more in control of the workday.

Dividing our attention makes it harder to get things done

For many corporations, task switching has become a requirement of the job.
<ul>
<li>One study points out that time spent on collaborative activities has increased by 50% over the past two decades.</li>
<li>Open office floor plans are still common, but the interruptions make it difficult for teams to get work done.</li>
<li>One survey shows that workers spend an average of six hours on email a day.</li>
<li>Meetings still take up 15% of companies' time.</li>
<li>Slack found that people spent an average of 10 hours a day in the app.</li>
</ul>

When task switching becomes the norm

Collaboration and communication are essential in the workspace, as well as social connections. But a balance is required between focused productivity and connectedness.
Meetings, email, real-time chat are all habits. And habits can be changed. Changing one keystone habit can start a chain reaction in how a team approaches everything about their work.

Finding the balance between focused productivity and connectedness

<ul>
<li>Set a maximum time your team spends in meetings. It can help your team rethink which meetings are necessary.</li>
<li>Have your team mark off time for deep work on their calendars. Hold that time sacred.</li>
<li>Have the team list the one important task they want to complete each day.</li>
<li>Limit email/group chat before a specific time in the morning</li>
<li>Make asynchronous communication the default. Delayed responses should be the preferred way of communication. It will enable your team to focus on their deep work.</li>
</ul>

Example of deep work policies

The workplace is overloaded with distractions. Here's why (and how) companies should protrect their most important asset – their team's attention.

Why It's So Hard to Focus at Work

<ol>
<li>WE-STRENGTH - This is the type of praise where the entire team is elevated and pushed forward.</li>
<li>ME-STRENGTH - This is the type of praise wherein it makes an individual employee stronger. It is where the person is most comfortable, joyous, and focused on work that brings them satisfaction.</li>
</ol>
However, it is important to keep in mind that every employee has different strengths where their we-strength could be intrinsically different from their me-strength.

2 Kinds of Work Praise

<ol>
<li>It is important for a manager to be able to gain clarity in each employee's me-strengths. This can be done simply through observation and asking the right questions.</li>
<li>The employees' responsibilities must have room to be exercised regularly. The space given to them will provide positive long-term results and increase employee satisfaction.</li>
</ol>
When we celebrate our employee's strengths they will feel valued and special, thus making them much more willing to exercise that strength again in the future.

Addressing The Gap Between Me-Strengths

In order to identify your employee's me-strengths, ask them:
<ol>
<li>What do you enjoy doing but haven't done yet?</li>
<li>What sorts of activities do you finish that make you want to do it again?</li>
<li>What do you see on your calendar that excites you?</li>
<li>Tell me about a time when you were doing an activity where you didn't notice how much time has passed.</li>
<li>On your very best workday, the day you think you have the best job in the world — what transpired that day?</li>
</ol>

Identifying Me-Strengths

In order to identify your employee's we-strengths, ask them:
<ol>
<li>What do other people compliment and praise you for the most?</li>
<li>What’s gotten you the spotlight with your career?</li>
<li>Where do you feel most useful?</li>
<li>What have you done in the past that you’re not doing now that you think had a lot of impact?</li>
<li>What seems to come more easily for you than for others on the team?</li>
</ol>

Identifying We-Strengths

You should praise an employee's we-strengths -- strengths that move the whole team forward -- and their me-strengths -- strengths that make a person stronger. Here's why, and how you can identify them, from feedback expert Therese Huston PhD.

The 2 kinds of praise we all need to get at work

A new joinee has to showcase the skills he possesses and at the same time, build the foundation of a good relationship with the new coworkers.
Establishing trust is important to ensure success in one’s new job role.

Building Trust While Starting A New Job

Trust makes us feel psychologically safe at the workplace. One can focus on creative, collaborative work where there is a free flow of ideas and everyone is benefiting from each other’s energy. One can freely ask for support, test new ideas, and be oneself without any fear of judgement.
Trustworthy colleagues result in a positive, safe and comfortable work environment that translates into better work. There is less stress, faster decision making and more innovation.

Trust Matters At The Workplace

One can take cues from how coworkers trust each other by their body language, the way they interact on Slack, or how relaxed and casual they are around each other. 
If help is sought after, and clarifications are prompt, even during virtual (Zoom calls) environments, one can gauge the level of trust in the workplace.

Evaluating Existing Team Trust

A strong foundation of trust needs to be laid as early as possible. Create a ‘shield of goodwill’ to minimize any miscommunication. 
Building trust will ensure that even if there is ambiguity, the words and actions are coming with good intentions.

Building Trust Early

Trustworthiness is a combination of competence and warmth. Great leaders are loved and respected, but also feared at the same time. 
One has to strike the right balance between love and fear to appear authentic, vulnerable and credible. To start things off, be compassionate and warm.

Trust Equation: Warmth And Strength

<ol>
<li>Talk about one’s upbringing, hardships and personal history, while keeping it work-appropriate. Getting to know people on a personal level builds trust and connections, as they see a human being and not just a new employee.</li>
<li>Ask for help whenever possible. It shows vulnerability and boosts good feelings among team members. They like being perceived as competent while demonstrating that you are okay with admitting that you don’t know something.</li>
<li>Ask for feedback and take your teammates' opinion whenever possible. You can ask a person having expertise, even if there is no direct work involvement.</li>
</ol>

Building Trust With New Team Members: Being Human

Communication is the magic key for building trust. Body language, expressions, tone are all important.
<ol>
<li>Speak in a calm, soothing voice.</li>
<li>Make sure that the atmosphere is cheerful and smile whenever possible.</li>
<li>Do not smile with raised eyebrows, as it looks as if there is anxiety.</li>
<li>Do not fidget with your fingers and stand straight.</li>
</ol>

Building Trust With New Team Members: Body Language

Virtual teams and WFH policies have complicated and muddled the communication that happens in a physical office. We need to provide remote team members with the benefit of the doubt while interpreting their behaviour. There is much less context to access what is meant by their words and actions.
The least we can do is watch our tone, and be as polite and generous in the initial months as possible. It always pays to be warm, friendly and human.

Trust In The Virtual Workspace

<ol>
<li>Trust can be built by showcasing your competence and skills.</li>
<li>Trust yourself, shaking out any imposter syndrome and do not doubt your competence.</li>
<li>Be transparent and honest, not hiding the information that makes you appear bad.</li>
<li>Be a person your teammates can count on, by showing your reliability and keeping your word.</li>
<li>Accept your mistakes and do not attack or blame a coworker.</li>
<li>Treat coworkers equally and do not show bias.</li>
<li>Treat people with fairness, integrity and try not to be the gossipy, two-faced coworker that no one likes.</li>
<li>Have good intentions and be the person you would trust.</li>
</ol>

Maintaining Trust In The Long Run

With these tips you can build trust with your new team, establish strong workplace relationships, and show coworkers your strength, competence, and skills.

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Tucker
@tucker

How to tell when it’s time to quit your job to protect your mental health

The Best Way To Deal With A Condescending Co-Worker

Why'd a star employee quit? The truth may be on TikTok

Quitting Is Contagious. How You Can Prevent It from Spreading at Your Company

Overengineering can kill your product

Bite-sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Tucker @tucker

How to tell when it’s time to quit your job to protect your mental health

The Best Way To Deal With A Condescending Co-Worker

Why'd a star employee quit? The truth may be on TikTok

Quitting Is Contagious. How You Can Prevent It from Spreading at Your Company

Overengineering can kill your product

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Tucker
@tucker