Thinking of joining the Great Resignation? First ask yourself these four questions

Before ditching your job to join The Great Resignation, there are four big issues you need to be aware of.

AS the Great Resignation rolls on, and Australia’s employment market continues to run red hot, it may be tempting to jump ship at the first itch of career dissatisfaction.

However, some experts warn that quitting your job could actually trigger even more stress and unhappiness. “You need to do your homework – the grass is always greener until you get to the other side,” says Australian Counselling Association CEO Philip Armstrong. “It helps to sit down and write a list – it could be something within yourself you’re not feeling good about, rather than the actual job.”

It’s a sentiment reflected in the findings of online coaching platform, Hello Coach, where one in seven people who seek career coaching actually require help with their personal lives, and end up seguing into wellbeing coaching.

“Coaching helps people get to the core of their unhappiness and often it is not what they thought it was,” says Hello Coach CEO and founder, Victoria Mills. “Some will end up jumping from job-to-job, blaming the workplace when it is something else entirely causing their frustration.”

Victoria Mills, CEO of Hello Coach, says one in seven people who seek career coaching actually need help with their personal life.

Corporate lawyer, Ria, came close to joining the 1.3 million Australians who changed jobs in the 12 months up to February 2022 – the highest figure in a decade according to ABS figures. Adjusting to a new high-pressure role through the pandemic felt particularly challenging, prompting Ria to consider looking elsewhere.

“I was onboarded remotely, was trying to build relationships with new colleagues I’d never met in person, and was struggling with a high-pressure, intense workload,” she says. “I was not sure whether I’d made the right move.”

After seeking professional advice, Ria realised that job satisfaction was within her power, and required a few simple changes. “We worked on some strategies to manage stress and maintain balance – some of it came down to exercise, diet and self-care, along with communication strategies,” she says. “Putting pen to paper and speaking to a career professional was quite powerful, rather than being alone with all these thoughts swirling in my head.”

Ultimately, Ria says she’s glad she stuck around. “I’ve had time to grow and develop in the role, and I’ve come across opportunities which I didn’t know were possible,” she says.

Quitting can be tempting in a hot employment market, but experts warn that it shouldn’t be the first course of action if you’re feeling unhappy at work. Photo: iStock.

Scenarios similar to Ria’s have become all too familiar to Mills. “Before throwing the baby out with the bathwater, you need to look at what’s within your control,” she says.

As tempting as it may be to tap out a triumphant resignation letter, here are some questions to ask yourself first.

Is work the scapegoat?

A full-time employee spends a large proportion of their waking hours at work, making work an easy target to blame for discontentment. “If work is where feelings of stress first rear, you may point the gun at that, but it could actually be a stress that originates from home,” Mills says. “It requires a life-health check – could it come down to sleep, other sources of anxiety or conflict? If you don’t do a deep dive into what triggers you, you could fall into the same patterns in a new workplace.”

Off to work: The amount of time we spend in the workplace make it an easy target to blame for overall unhappiness. Picture: NCA NewsWire/James Gourley

Will leaving make it worse?

Just as Hamlet’s famous soliloquy ruminates on bearing the ills we have, versus those unknown, consider whether you may be romanticising the prospect of a new role. “Leaving your job can lead to the stress of uncertainty, the stress of being back out in the job market,” Mills says. “Employers don’t want to see good people go. Sometimes all it takes is a single conversation with your boss.” That’s not to say all workplace issues can be overcome. With the average person now experiencing around three career changes before retirement, Armstrong says it’s worth considering whether you’ve outgrown your current field. “You might need to go back to uni or TAFE, but keep your job while you retrain,” he says. “Having a change to look forward to can be enough to make you feel better.”

Do your feel disconnected?

The pandemic has accelerated the trend towards hybrid work arrangements, and although this new-found flexibility has been widely embraced, it has reduced opportunities to blow off steam at the proverbial water cooler. “You don’t necessarily have that colleague there to complain to about ‘Dan in finance’, or issues with your kids,” Mills says. “We are now facing the challenge of loneliness and disconnection. It doesn’t mean you have to fly back into the workplace, but you may need to access more resources to unpack the causes of your stress.”

casual businessman and woman talking and laughing in loft office

What’s your bounce rate?

With employment rates at a record high, well-credentialed professionals may feel cocky about their career prospects. However, Mills warns that being too flippant about changing jobs can catch up to you. “I always look at the bounce rate of people I interview,” she says. “It can be a red flag. If you can skill-up as a valued employee, your career will be on a much more solid footing.” Before calling it quits, Armstrong suggests leveraging the favourable employment market to renegotiate your work conditions: “Would you he happier with a nine-day fortnight, a four-day week, or a different balance between days at work and at home? The power is with the employee, and employers have to be flexible.”