(© Nuthawut - stock.adobe.com)
Longstanding workplace issues such as mistreatment, the normalization of toxic behavior and a lack of accountability for workplace culture have fueled a growing trend known as revenge quitting.
This phenomenon, on the rise since the 2000s, sees employees leaving their jobs not just for better opportunities, but as a form of protest and self-preservation against unfair treatment.
In the past, fear of economic ruin, social stigma and valuing job stability over personal dignity kept many employees from quitting under such circumstances. However, unprecedented inequality and other geopolitical risks are causing an increase in revenge quitting and similar behaviors.
Companies that want to address this issue have much to gain, but they must go beyond diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) or human resources strategies. Creating a genuine sense of belonging can reshape workplace culture, boost engagement and overall business success.
Consequences of revenge quitting
When employees resign as a final act of protest against toxic workplace conditions, the impact on organizations can be significant. One of the most obvious consequences is financial loss. Sudden departures lead to expenses related to recruiting, hiring, training, as well as lost productivity and project disruptions.
Organizations also lose valuable institutional knowledge and skills when experienced employees quit, hampering innovation, continuity and long-term strategy.
The abrupt departure of employees also sends a powerful message to remaining staff, potentially leading to decreased morale, trust and engagement.
High-profile cases of revenge quitting can also damage an organization’s reputation, affecting customer relationships and investor confidence.
Finally, revenge quitting can have lasting consequences on workplace culture. If the toxic behavior that caused the resignation remains unaddressed, remaining employees may become disengaged, leading to a decline in work quality.
Mitigating the risk of revenge quitting
My research has found that when employees feel a genuine sense of belonging, they are more engaged and loyal, they produce more innovative and creative solutions, and they are more reliable and productive.
Moreover, belonging buffers against workplace stressors that lead to toxic behaviors by reducing feelings of isolation, mitigating burnout and encouraging active listening before making decisions. This, in turn, decreases the likelihood of employees making abrupt, retaliatory exits.
Employees want to work for companies that respect their individuality and value their contributions. High-performing teams thrive when there is clear accountability, fair conflict resolution and a culture of feedback and learning. Addressing toxic behaviors early helps maintain trust and reduces the risk of retaliatory quitting.
It’s also essential to distinguish between belonging and merely fitting in. True belonging is a reciprocated behavior between employees and the organization, not solely the employee’s responsibility. Organizations that focus only on forcing employees to “fit in” overlook the systemic changes required to foster true benefits.
Belonging requires an active commitment to the five core indicators of belonging: comfort, connection, psychological safety and well-being. Each indicator is essential in reducing the desire to disengage or quit out of frustration or retaliation.
Pillar 1: Comfort
Workplace comfort is essential for focus, cognitive function and productivity. While physical factors like temperature, noise and ergonomics matter, social comfort is more critical. Social comfort comes from clear expectations, defined workflows and recognizing individual talents within a team.
When the economy becomes volatile, it can force organizations to deviate from their original strategic plans in an effort to stay afloat. When this happens, comfort is the first thing to erode in a workplace, which allows toxicity to go unchecked.
For example, when economic shifts force leaders to pivot, employees may have to scrap their work. If leadership lacks alignment in the new strategic actions, expectations will rise while clarity drops, creating stress and conflict. Leaders should reset expectations, restore social comfort and ensure collaboration rather than competition.
Pillar 2: Connections
Strong social relationships in the workplace can buffer against stress and enhance resilience. Connection is fostered through mentorship programs, collaboration and informal networking.
In remote and hybrid work settings, ensuring employees feel connected to their teams through structured check-ins and virtual social space is critical.
Connections increase engagement and build emotional attachment, which reduces the risk of employees leaving. Employees who experience meaningful interactions with colleagues and leaders are more engaged and less likely to feel alienated.
Pillar 3: Contributions
Employees need to feel that their work is meaningful and valued. Recognition activates the brain’s reward system, which reinforces motivation and increases engagement. When employees feel unappreciated, resentment builds. When this happens repetitively, it can lead employees to disengage from their work, and eventually depart.
Organizations must implement structured recognition programs that celebrate individual and team achievements, ensuring employees know their work is valued.
Equally important is offering opportunities for employees to contribute beyond their job descriptions, whether through special projects or mentoring. A workplace that values and acknowledges contributions fosters commitment and decreases the likelihood of employees resigning.
Pillar 4: Psychological safety
Ensuring employees’ ideas and concerns are met with curiosity and understanding is crucial for retention. In fear-based workplaces, stress inhibits cognitive function and creativity.
Leaders must create environments where feedback is welcomed, mistakes are viewed as learning opportunities and employees feel empowered to express their perspectives.
Employees feel safe when they work in an environment where feedback is taught and encouraged. They are less likely to disengage or engage in retaliatory behaviors like revenge quitting.
Strategies such as clear communication channels, anonymous feedback mechanisms and inclusive leadership training help create psychological safety.
Pillar 5: Well-being
Employee well-being is tied to cognitive function, emotional regulation and job satisfaction. Employees experiencing chronic stress, burnout or work-life imbalances are more likely to disengage and eventually quit.
Workplace programs that support mental and physical health are crucial. Offering flexible work arrangements, mental health and stress management resources, normalizing breaks and setting boundaries helps sustain employee energy and commitment.
More than a checkbox
Revenge quitting isn’t just a series of isolated incidents, but a reflection of a deeper, systemic disregard for worker dignity.
The workforce has changed, with employees now prioritizing workplaces where they feel respected, valued and safe. Companies that fail to adapt will continue to lose experienced, talented workers — not because the job market is more competitive, but because employees refuse to tolerate environments that undermine their dignity.
Leaders need to recognize that creating a culture of belonging isn’t about checking a DEI box — it’s about ensuring employees have every reason to stay and grow within their organizations.
Andrea Carter, Adjunct Faculty in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Adler University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
Higher pay, and better office space aka a quiet comfortable place you want to go in the morning. If that’s too much asked, then just shutdown your company.
Companies have asked employees, for many decades, to be faithful to them. They told them they were part of a “family”. Truth is, those companies will fire anyone on the spot, sometimes just near the end of the year so they can publish better financial results. The kids that have been raised by all those fathers and mothers have learned the lesson : companies pay people for a job, and that’s it. You do a fixed amount of hours, you have a wage. ANYTHING you do “over and beyond” is slavery : you work without being paid. Only slaves do that.
Those employees are NOT SLAVES. They are FREE TO LEAVE the very same way those companies fire anyone without any hesitation. You calling this “revenge quitting” is 100 % bullshit.
When companies fire people, it’s okay. But God, if people exercise their FREEDOM to leave because they are not slaves, suddenly this becomes “revenge quitting”. Who do you think you are trying to bullshit and lie to here ?
If people are not slaves, and are free to leave BECAUSE it is their right, freedom and they will get better pay and better conditions elsewhere (and where they go, for what conditions is NONE of your business) then there is no revenge quitting. This is a free market, and people will leave for better pay, better conditions, better or even NOTHING better but the CHOICE because they are FREE to do so. They are not slaves.
I do not see in your bullshit article anywhere you calling the firing of perfectly working employees “revenge firing”.
We can clearly see here you are on the side of companies. They will ask people to go above and beyond (be nice obedient slaves and work for free). They offer NOTHING besides a wage. They will fire you for any reason, they don’t even need a reason.
But if people do the same, because it is a free market ,suddently, it’s an issue ?
You are not competent or intelligent enough to be writing such articles. I guess you got that job because you got it from DEI and they needed someone to check a checkbox somewhere.
There is no intelligence, nothing of intellectual value in your article. You are fooling no one but yourself here.
DEI is a primary reason people revenge quit. Not knowing if you deserved your promotion or being singled out for being a certain race is unacceptable behavior by an employer. Nobody would feel safe telling HR this is the reason they are quitting. The least inclusive thing you could do as a company is single people out based on immutable characteristics like gender and skin color. Employee resource groups (ERGs) are an exmplae of this and are the opposite of inclusive. “Hey everyone, want to go to a special networking meeting with your coworkers? Oh wait, not so fast Brad, you identify as a man so you aren’t invited. It’s only the womens ERG that has this opportunity”
As an old guy who has been everywhere and done everything , I will say its better to leave Prior to being asked to do so , Although it is fun to train yer replacement
so that they will properly cause disasters and catastrophic damage …
“Although it is fun to train yer replacement
so that they will properly cause disasters and catastrophic damage …”
Ahhh expertise from a veteran ????????
Companies are trying to get USA people to quit so they won’t have to pay severance, and replace them with contractors or AI. They’ll read this article and do the opposite
Quote: “When employees resign as a final act of protest against toxic workplace conditions, the impact on organizations can be significant. One of the most obvious consequences is financial loss. Sudden departures lead to expenses related to recruiting, hiring, training, as well as lost productivity and project disruptions.
Organizations also lose valuable institutional knowledge and skills when experienced employees quit, hampering innovation, continuity and long-term strategy…”
I am retired after decades as a 1St. Reponder, then as an Office-CSR-Mgr, etc., including a couple, ‘O, years at the late, great 1 W.T.C…before a just, prior to the Immolative_Event outsourcing prevented me from experincing that 23 second drop as 800-1000 coworkers did…!
In my direct experince, if any of the issues in the quote, above were relevent in the wrokplace, there wouldn’t BE revenge resignations, etc.
Uh, hate to break the bad news, but, “revenge quitting” has been around for hundreds of years. I love it though … the whole “study” thing. Whenever I hear the word “study” followed closely by “what they found was ….” I know I’m about to hear to leftist b̷u̷l̷l̷s̷h̷i̷’̷ pablum.
This reads as though the author has no first-hand experience or knowledge as an employee. A quick search of LinkedIn confirms the same.
I have no idea what I just read. A lot of jargon and gibberish. Also pretty sure toxic workplaces have been outlawed for a century, and one doesn’t “revenge quit” over one, they simply stay at home until the spill is cleaned up.
In the United States there will never be any such thing as psychological safety in the workplace because under at-will employment all jobs are inherently precarious.
Cutting staff with re-organization contributes to employee uncertainty which leads to good employees looking for better opportunities elsewhere. Communication is key and honesty even more so.
Sadly the people who need to hear this the most will scoff and continue behaving like emotionally immature tyrants. Good luck with that.
So it’s like a 1 person strike. Brilliant.
When workplaces promote all sorts of non-merit-based quotas and create an environment of animus due to their hiring and promotion of those unqualified individuals who didn’t earn it over qualified people who did, what do you expect?
With every new year since the 2000’s I get the impression nobody wants to put an ounce of effort into anything to earn a living and expects a 6-figure salary to fall into their lap just for breathing. Tell you what: You don’t like your job or your company? Tough sh!t, they don’t exist for your benefit and they owe you NOTHING.
Nescient commentary that assumes everyone is in that basket.
You’re probably one of those people who act like a crybaby when employees leave the organization because how shitty it is, and you act like a victim and put the blame on “lazy young people”. Breaking news, if people keep escaping from you, YOU are the problem. Hope you have fun knowing your taxes will have to pay for all the unemployment assistance.