Walking out of a job in anger can seem extreme – but there are often powerful motivations for doing it.

Summary

Some of us may have considered leaving a job when experiencing workplace dissatisfaction. For some, this might result in quitting in anger over issues that have been building up over time. The rage quitting trend is increasing, and those who leave are more likely to be highly educated and skilled younger employees as they are likely to have job options and opportunities. Workers in a high demand job market can more freely jump from job to job. To retain employees, managers must understand what's underneath the anger. Rage quitting is commonly a sign of:

• Lax health and safety standards. 
• Exploitive working conditions.
• Abusive managers who were causing emotional exhaustion.
• The Covid-19 pandemic with new stressors including 'death anxiety'.

Chhinzer recommends these strategies for organisations focused on retention:

• Be proactive, for example, with weekly check-ins, 
• Perks like tuition subsidies or days in lieu. 
• Pay more attention to 'pre-quitting behaviours' by implementing stay interviews with existing employees (and not just exit interviews with departing employees).

References

• Jun 2021 Business Insider. Workers are ‘rage quitting’ their jobs as a tightening labor market forces employers to take note of unfavourable conditions and low pay

• Jun 2021 New York Post. Workers are rage-quitting crappy jobs as COVID pandemic slows

• Aug 2021 Refinery 29. Would You Ever Rage Quit Your Job? Here’s What 8 People Learned When They Did