Some of you may be old enough to remember the 1970′s country song, Take This Job and Sh- – - It, popularized by Johnny Paycheck. For some, it became something of anthem, and who hasn’t felt that way about their job at one time or another?
It isn’t hard to feel that way when your employer is reprimanding you, dumping more work on you, passing you over for a promotion or not giving you a raise. It’s all so easy to begin contemplating quitting — and not just quitting but doing it in a way that lets your boss, his boss and everyone else in the company know that they’ve pushed you too far.
Tempting, isn’t it? On some emotional level, it can feel as if you’re getting even. But if you’re thinking about doing something like that, don’t! For at least a half a dozen reasons, quitting your job on good terms will be in your best interests, especially over the long run.
1. It’s not the Christian thing to do.
If you’re a Christian, it’s always important to remember that our first, best witness are our actions, not our words. How we deal with people — especially those who mistreat us — speaks volumes about who we serve: God. It’s easy to be good and kind to people who are good and kind to us. But being good and kind to those who aren’t takes some real spiritual discipline.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs us to be “reconciled” with those around us:
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. — Matthew 5:23-24 NIV
If you quit your job on bad terms, you’re leaving an un-reconciled relationship in your wake. If it’s your employer who creates the conflict, there’s probably not much you can do about it. But you should do what ever is possible to be sure that it isn’t your actions that are the main reason for the conflict. And even if your employer is at fault, you should still do what ever you can to diffuse it and leave on good terms.
There plenty of worldly reasons to quit your job on good terms too . . . .
2. You’ll probably need a job reference.
People change jobs more frequently than they did in the past. That means we’re more likely to be in the job hunt, and more likely to need references who will speak well of us. Previous employers are the most relevant references we can get.
If you quit your job on bad terms, you can just about forget about getting a good reference. And even if you decide to leave names out of the picture — telling a prospective employer, for example, that your previous boss no longer works there — most employers know how to get references from somewhere else in the company. This is especially true if they use the services of an employment agency.
3. Your old boss could be your new boss one day.
Picture this . . . you’re six months on your new job — happy as a clam — but your company calls a meeting to announce that they’ve hired a replacement for your manager. Your new boss is . . . your old boss!
Not only do people change jobs more frequently today, but so do previous bosses! Never discount the possibility that the boss you worked for in the past could become your new boss in the future. It does happen from time to time!
4. You might want or need to come back one day.
You’ve doubtlessly heard the saying “don’t burn your bridges.” Well, don’t. A layoff at your new job could send you scurrying back to your old employer. You may not be welcome if you left that job in a blaze of your own glory.
5. Former employers are potential contract or freelance opportunities.
A lot of people who lose their jobs turn to freelance or contract work, and this is especially true if you’re over 40 years old. The best prospects for freelance and contract work are often previous employers. Even if you were let go in a layoff, they may be able to afford your services as a part time or temporary contractor.
If you turn to contract or freelance work after losing your job, you’ll need to find work quickly, and that will mean finding clients who are familiar with your work. Previous employers will be most familiar — they’re like a ready-made client base waiting to be tapped. But you’ll only be able to do that if you left those jobs on good terms.
6. You never know who knows who.
Any time you’re in the running for a new job, the prospective employer will put out feelers looking for people who know you and your work. Even if you don’t list one or more previous employers as references, chances are the new employer will come across some during the search. All you need is one or two influential people from your past to give a poor reference and your candidacy for a new job could be finished.
The Apostle Paul tells us:
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. – Romans 12:18 NIV
It’s an outstanding witness to others, and it makes good business sense. No matter how much you want to get even with an employer, do your best to contain your emotions and remember the God you serve. In the end, it will go better for you if you do.
Have you ever had a job that you wanted to quit and let them know that they did you wrong? How did you handle it? Leave a comment below!
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
Excellent points, Kevin! I do quite a bit of career and life coaching, and I’m amazed at how #5 and #6 are more true today than ever.
First, many companies hire past employees to do contract or freelance work for them. I’ve done it myself in the past when I’ve felt led to make a career move.
Second, with the Internet and especially Facebook, we’re more connected than ever. I’m often amazed at how many people I know in one context who also know some of my other friends and acquaintances in another context.
The biblical injunction to “live at peace with everyone” is wise advice at all times – maybe even more so in the Internet age when what we say or type lives on forever.
Hi Rich–Those were two of the easier reasons to list. And you’re so right, #6 is especially relevant given the social media. It’s harder to hide these days, if that’s what we even think can happen.
The freelance/contract should always be considered. What it means is that anyone we work for should be seen as a client–they may very well become one soon enough!
In my last job, I was in an impossible situation. I had a job offer and it was one that I believe
God sought for me to move me. The last two weeks I was there, I worked myself to death to
try and catch everything up, going beyond what I needed to do. I knew that when people left this company, they got the blame for years to come but no matter what they blamed me for, I knew I had done everything I could to make a smooth transition. When I went for my exit interview, I truthfully told them I would miss the people I worked with but was excited about this new opportunity that had opened for me.
If was easy and I never once regretted doing anything or saying anything that would have brought comdemnation to God.
Hi Kaye–That’s a sad situation, but if there were any hard feelings when you left, it wasn’t your doing. That’s the best you can do. I’ve worked for companies like that–if you work there and leave you’re blamed for what ever was wrong while you were there. Scapegoating is poor management, but I think we all know that poorly managed employers are an unfortunate reality.
Excellent advice, and I have a story that shows the reverse can also be true. Years ago, my husband’s employer was bought out by a much larger company. In about a year after the takeover, the managers from the bought-out company began to get fired for one reason or another, some of the reasons being incredibly fatuous. Sure enough, after about three years of enduring increasing pressure and unreasonable demands from the new company, my husband was fired for a completely fabricated reason. The fired employees all could have probably gone to court and won their jobs back, but no one wanted to work for the new company, ever again. My husband did not argue, curse, or cause problems when fired; he just left as requested, almost relieved that it was finally over.
Cut to about five years later: my husband is a manager for a small company in another town, on excellent terms with his new boss who is the owner, and doing well for the company and himself. The owner is contacted by the very man who fired my husband before, “Ted”, who was speaking for my husband’s former employer and asking for a meeting to see if the owner would be willing to sell his business property to them. My husband had been honest from the start with the owner about being fired five years before. The owner set up a meeting with Ted, but was not inclined to sell. He disliked the over-confident way Ted talked down to him, and knew Ted was not trustworthy. Let me tell you, the air went out of Ted’s sails when my husband came into the office after being out on a project, and ran straight into Ted and his fellow negotiators. He recognized my husband and saw that he was an important member of the team in this small company, and must have realized that his treatment of my husband had left a bad taste in the mouth of my husband’s new boss, because his sales pitch limped after that encounter. Ted lost the opportunity to buy that property, and his employer had to pay millions more to build on an undeveloped piece of property nearby.
So, don’t quit in a huff, but also, don’t treat good employees unfairly if you are the boss. It could come back to haunt you.
Hi JD–It very much goes both ways. Employers who mistreat employees or badmouth them after departure ignore the fact that the roles can reverse in the future, and are more likely to see that now than ever before.
Unfortunately, I’ve seen the situation you described with acquiring companies forcing out employees from the acquired companies too many times. The sad reality is that no matter what you’re told by the acquiring company, your job will be on the line if your employer is taken over. I was told by an honest manager at an acquiring company that when one company takes over another it’s NEVER for the purpose of acquiring their staff, and especially management employees. You’re almost doomed to a pink slip even if you do the best job possible.
Taken from the other side: what’s the point? How long will you feel good for dissing the old employer? Will you even feel that good about yourself? Much better to just move on. As someone once said: the future is in the future, not in the past… (sounds like Yogi Berra, doesn’t it?
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Hi William–Agreed, it’s a temporary high at best…then you’re left to deal with an uncertain future fall out.
Hi Richard–Yes, that wasn’t something I read somewhere on the web–I’ve seen it happen more than once! Glad it worked for you.
Hi Richard–You did a live demonstration of the effectiveness of the “don’t burn your bridges” doctrine. By following that thinking, you secured your future position with your past behavior. Well done my friend!
Totally agree! It might feel great to burn bridges with a former employer but that will definitely come back to haunt you some day.
You never want to compromise your future for a short term high. Since jobs are harder to get and to keep we have to be prepared to “meet again” in the future, whether it’s employers, superiors or coworkers.
I am also fully agreed with all these reasons. For #5, I would say that is also good for some employees who won’t be able to join the office for some reason. They may do freelancing on their previous company. I heartily appreciate all such reasons. Thanks for sharing it here.
Having a solid job reference is so huge. You don’t want to burn bridges and then lose your reference. Freelance and contract work is huge as well – you will want that reference for potential clients.
Hi DC–That’s true, references can be more important for a freelancer than for an employee, especially when the freelancer is starting out and trying to get a foot in a couple of doors. Equally important though is that previous employers can also turn into clients when you become a freelancer.
I have returned to several places of employment to work a second time! A veterinary office, an animal shelter, a company that produced fibrous reinforcement for concrete, an engineering firm, and a Bible Camp/Retreat Center. At my first interview at my current job, my boss made the comment while looking at my resume, “You certainly don’t burn bridges do you?” When that part-time job changed to a full time position 8 months later I left. When another part-time job opened up 5 months after that – guess who came back! Definitely work hard, be honest, and leave on good terms!
Hi Amy–Well done! We should think of it mostly as keeping our own options open. It’s not so much a matter of keeping our anger under control when we think that we’ve been somehow wronged by an employer, but of thinking in our own long term best interests. And the negative actions we DON’T take aren’t a bad witness either…