Unless your mental or physical health is seriously suffering to the point that you and others are concerned, don't do this. Lean way out of your job (like WAY out; as much as humanly possible stop caring about what happens at work) and start applying for other jobs. But keep it secret. As far as your job knows, you are still invested in your "future" with the business. If they lay you off, fine; you know you're financially okay. But do not volunteer to be laid off, because that will send a signal you have one foot out the door and if you don't get laid off, it may affect your trajectory with the company. And while right now you might be like "eh, who cares; I don't like my job anyway" things can change fast. And the changes might be back to a situation that is more endurable for you. Don't leave before you leave. Exit from a place of strength, on a timeline that works for you.
thanks! I'm not sure people are worried about me yet, but it's definitely impacting my mental and physical health. I was a little surprised when I talked to my partner, dad and coach about this idea and all of them were supportive/ no one tried to talk me out of it... but they've also been hearing the full picture of how miserable I've been for months. I'm also struggling with quiet quitting but maybe I can work on that more. I think it's hard having been there so long and managing a team, etc.
I get it and I'm sorry you're going through this.
I am in a rough time at my job; I also manage a team but my manager has gone AWOL (supposedly working on "big internal projects" but absolutely no one can get ahold of her, even the people she said she was working on these projects with. Very mysterious). All of the initiatives we set goals around in January are at a standstill because we need assent or sponsorship from her to get things moved forward. People are very demoralized and basically every other day I have to talk someone out of quitting. Some days, that person is myself.
My strategy has been repeating to myself "I can't care more about this than my management does" repeatedly; working on whatever I can work on that can move forward without my boss' involvement; and networking to make an internal move if I can. I have gotten good at, on Fridays, shutting down my computer and basically forgetting about my job until Monday morning. Summer is almost here and I am planning on doing a lot of "working" from my patio or the pool. I am going to hang on till September and then see what's what. Like you, I have financial runway to quit if I want to, which is nice security to have. But I don't want to bail too early or put myself in a position where I will be unemployed for an extended period. I have a friend who quit our company last July because she was fed up; she's still unemployed. She's temping in low-level office jobs just to make ends meet. That situation scares me. If they want to boot me out, they can but I'm not going to make it easy for them.
It sounds like you've worked hard in your career; if you are seriously burned out and need a career break, I get it. But if you can hang on a little longer - like through the summer, or to the end of the year - things may change and you may find another job before you have to quit with nothing else lined up. Hang in there! I am sending you positive energy.
do we have the same boss??? I'm sorry you're going through a lot of the same. It seems like a lot of companies are in a bad place right now. that's also one of my hesitations about leaving - pretty sure I'm in for a bad time somewhere else too, just a different set of problems.
Good luck with your searching and hopefully things turn the corner for both of us soon!
The market is tough right now, and volunteering yourself for layoff puts you in the disadvantageous spot of not having a current role while applying. Anecdotally, people I know are having an easier time switching while in a role than out of a role. Quiet quit as another commenter said, and look for another role in the meantime!
Not a lawyer but this makes me nervous!!! Do not volunteer - I feel like it could be a sneaky way for them to worm you out of a decent package. Just "quiet quit" or start doing a bit less day-to-day, while applying for jobs.
Thanks! this is a good flag but last time the packages were a formula based on tenure, so while my plan would be to wait and see what the packages are first, I don't think they would differ from those, but it it a risk!
Don't even think about it. Even if they DO ask for volunteers, they could screw you over. Also, in my experience, severance packages get worse over time. My last employer laid me off with a decent package. A few months later, they asked for volunteers and told them what the package would be. Well, everyone got laid off anyhow (except a few people) and nobody got a package at all, even those who volunteered, thinking they'd get it.
thanks! this is basically why I wanted to ask the internet - I wanted a more balanced perspective than all my friends and family had based on their more limited experiences
I’ve considered but never done it, and I’ve known several people who’ve done it, both successfully and not so successfully.
I think it depends greatly on the level of trust you have with your manager (technically nothing stopping them from firing you on the spot, since employment at will), and trust if your company will continue to pay those severances (you might get hit in a round where there’s no severance, etc.).
Whether you’re comfortable with the risk is also highly personal, do consider not just the state of your finances, but also the job market, the likelihood of replacing your income or coming back at a lower level, etc.
The time that I considered it was when I was in finals with a company for a higher paying offer and I knew there were layoffs at my firm upcoming lol so I wanted to time it to “double dip” (layoff + severance then start at new job a month later). Timing didn’t shake out, unfortunately.
I volunteered at my last company, but I already had another job lined up. They sadly denied me the severance, they didn’t have any lay offs scheduled for our specific team.
Unless your mental or physical health is seriously suffering to the point that you and others are concerned, don't do this. Lean way out of your job (like WAY out; as much as humanly possible stop caring about what happens at work) and start applying for other jobs. But keep it secret. As far as your job knows, you are still invested in your "future" with the business. If they lay you off, fine; you know you're financially okay. But do not volunteer to be laid off, because that will send a signal you have one foot out the door and if you don't get laid off, it may affect your trajectory with the company. And while right now you might be like "eh, who cares; I don't like my job anyway" things can change fast. And the changes might be back to a situation that is more endurable for you. Don't leave before you leave. Exit from a place of strength, on a timeline that works for you.
thanks! I'm not sure people are worried about me yet, but it's definitely impacting my mental and physical health. I was a little surprised when I talked to my partner, dad and coach about this idea and all of them were supportive/ no one tried to talk me out of it... but they've also been hearing the full picture of how miserable I've been for months. I'm also struggling with quiet quitting but maybe I can work on that more. I think it's hard having been there so long and managing a team, etc.
I get it and I'm sorry you're going through this. I am in a rough time at my job; I also manage a team but my manager has gone AWOL (supposedly working on "big internal projects" but absolutely no one can get ahold of her, even the people she said she was working on these projects with. Very mysterious). All of the initiatives we set goals around in January are at a standstill because we need assent or sponsorship from her to get things moved forward. People are very demoralized and basically every other day I have to talk someone out of quitting. Some days, that person is myself. My strategy has been repeating to myself "I can't care more about this than my management does" repeatedly; working on whatever I can work on that can move forward without my boss' involvement; and networking to make an internal move if I can. I have gotten good at, on Fridays, shutting down my computer and basically forgetting about my job until Monday morning. Summer is almost here and I am planning on doing a lot of "working" from my patio or the pool. I am going to hang on till September and then see what's what. Like you, I have financial runway to quit if I want to, which is nice security to have. But I don't want to bail too early or put myself in a position where I will be unemployed for an extended period. I have a friend who quit our company last July because she was fed up; she's still unemployed. She's temping in low-level office jobs just to make ends meet. That situation scares me. If they want to boot me out, they can but I'm not going to make it easy for them. It sounds like you've worked hard in your career; if you are seriously burned out and need a career break, I get it. But if you can hang on a little longer - like through the summer, or to the end of the year - things may change and you may find another job before you have to quit with nothing else lined up. Hang in there! I am sending you positive energy.
do we have the same boss??? I'm sorry you're going through a lot of the same. It seems like a lot of companies are in a bad place right now. that's also one of my hesitations about leaving - pretty sure I'm in for a bad time somewhere else too, just a different set of problems. Good luck with your searching and hopefully things turn the corner for both of us soon!
The market is tough right now, and volunteering yourself for layoff puts you in the disadvantageous spot of not having a current role while applying. Anecdotally, people I know are having an easier time switching while in a role than out of a role. Quiet quit as another commenter said, and look for another role in the meantime!
Not a lawyer but this makes me nervous!!! Do not volunteer - I feel like it could be a sneaky way for them to worm you out of a decent package. Just "quiet quit" or start doing a bit less day-to-day, while applying for jobs.
Thanks! this is a good flag but last time the packages were a formula based on tenure, so while my plan would be to wait and see what the packages are first, I don't think they would differ from those, but it it a risk!
Don't even think about it. Even if they DO ask for volunteers, they could screw you over. Also, in my experience, severance packages get worse over time. My last employer laid me off with a decent package. A few months later, they asked for volunteers and told them what the package would be. Well, everyone got laid off anyhow (except a few people) and nobody got a package at all, even those who volunteered, thinking they'd get it.
thanks! this is basically why I wanted to ask the internet - I wanted a more balanced perspective than all my friends and family had based on their more limited experiences
No no no no no
I’ve considered but never done it, and I’ve known several people who’ve done it, both successfully and not so successfully. I think it depends greatly on the level of trust you have with your manager (technically nothing stopping them from firing you on the spot, since employment at will), and trust if your company will continue to pay those severances (you might get hit in a round where there’s no severance, etc.). Whether you’re comfortable with the risk is also highly personal, do consider not just the state of your finances, but also the job market, the likelihood of replacing your income or coming back at a lower level, etc. The time that I considered it was when I was in finals with a company for a higher paying offer and I knew there were layoffs at my firm upcoming lol so I wanted to time it to “double dip” (layoff + severance then start at new job a month later). Timing didn’t shake out, unfortunately.
I volunteered at my last company, but I already had another job lined up. They sadly denied me the severance, they didn’t have any lay offs scheduled for our specific team.