The No. 1 Reason You Definitely Shouldn’t Quit Right Now

Are you familiar with the phrase rage quitting? This is a phenomenon where employees, fueled by feelings of pent-up frustration and rage, will quit their jobs on the spot. 

Rage quitting may seem like a tempting prospect for stressed-out, tired workers, but experts are increasingly warning against acting on these emotions. The most reasonable action employees can take right now is not to impulsively quit their jobs amid the Great Resignation. It’s time to pay attention to the signs that now is not the time to make a short-term decision (suddenly quitting) that ultimately has a long-term impact on your career.

The no. 1 reason not to quit your job.

Here’s the biggest reason why you should not leave your job. Ready?

Other people are quitting—and that’s increasing your value.

Kathryn Valentine is the Founder of Worthmore Negotiations where she specializes in negotiating specifically as a woman. Valentine, whose client list includes companies like JP Morgan, Bain and KPMG, says that it costs employers up to twice as much to replace an employee as it does to keep them. 

Exactly how much is that? Valentine’s website states that companies may wind up paying up to 200% of an individual’s salary to replace them.

“Every time someone else quits, your relative value to the company — and the opportunities available to you — increase,” Valentine says.

Rather than quit, Valentine advises taking a step back. Think about what you need to thrive at this employer. Start considering the following areas:

• A promotion.
• Better assignments.
• Flexible work hours.
• Paid backup childcare assistance.

Then, go to your manager or boss and ask for what you need to thrive in this role.

Other signs it’s not the time to quit your job.

1. You’re not financially prepared to quit.

If your current financial situation is one where you’re living paycheck to paycheck or have other monetary stressors, now is not the time to quit a stable job.

Nationally-recognized consumer finance expert Andrea Woroch has appeared as an expert on all things savings and shopping on shows like “NBC Nightly News,” “Today,” and “Good Morning America.” If you don’t have much money in savings and are in credit card and/or student loan debt, Woroch calls this a “big red flag” not to quit your job. Otherwise, your financial situation could get worse.

Those still tempted to quit should first strategize on making a plan to get into good financial health. Woroch advises taking the following steps to solidify your finances.

• Build up savings. According to Woroch, the best way to determine how much you can contribute to savings is to calculate your necessary monthly living expenses. Consider any costly emergencies that could pop up during that time as well. Then, multiply that number by the number of months you think it will take you to find another job. This amount is the adequate savings you’ll need to quit your job. You might need to stay in your current role as long as it takes to build up this savings amount.

• Look for a side hustle. One of the quickest ways to fast-track savings is to work a side hustle. Seek out an opportunity that you have the necessary skill set to do, like freelance writing or tutoring. Create or set aside flexible hours each month to work on the hustle and ensure it does not compete or interfere with your existing full-time role.

• Negotiate bills and compare insurance rates. Woroch is aware of general budgeting tips for discretionary purchases, like reducing eating out at restaurants. But what about monthly expenses you can’t live without? She advises negotiating bills on existing living expenses and looking into comparing insurance rates. Her recommendations include heading to BillCutterz for assistance in saving money on monthly bills and TheZebra.com to pinpoint more affordable homeowner’s and auto insurance rates.

• Pay down debt. Do you have existing debt? Woroch advises paying it down—or off in full—before quitting your job. Another helpful option is to transfer debt to a 0% balance transfer card. This gives the cardholder 12 to 21 months to make smaller monthly payments on debt without factoring in interest.

2. You rely on healthcare benefits.

Most full-time employees receive healthcare benefits from their employer, and quitting your job means instantly losing these benefits. 

If you decide to quit, Woroch advises scheduling in all necessary doctor, dental, and vision appointments. Apply your HSA funds to these costs. 

Don’t forget about your FSA either. The pre-tax dollars you put into this account can be used for a variety of approved, out-of-pocket healthcare expenses ranging from contact lenses to flu shots. Any unused funds are forfeited when you decide to quit your job. Make sure to use it or else you will lose it.

3. You are not fully vested in your retirement plan.

This is one of my favorite pieces of advice from Woroch because employees do not want to quit a stable job mere months before they can keep the funds the employer contributes to their retirement plan.

Remember: you can keep the money that you contribute to your retirement plan. However, any money matched by your employer may have to be vested first.

“If your company requires you to work for a certain amount of years to keep the money they contributed to your retirement plan, make sure you aren’t quitting a few months shy of that time as it could cost you a significant share of your retirement,” Woroch advises.

If you have the financial ability to do it, use this time to max out contributions to your retirement plan. Afterwards, and when you have a better idea of when you may be prepared to quit your job, you’ll need guidance on how to rollover your 401(k). Woroch adds that this rollover is done through a self-directed IRA or brokerage account that allows you to manage the investments. 

Need extra help figuring it out? Follow this guide for transferring an IRA or rollover a 401(k) to a self-directed IRA.

What’s your no. 1 reason why people shouldn’t quit right now? Share your answer in the comments to help other Fairygodboss'ers!

This article was written by a Fairygodboss contributor.

Deborah Sweeney is the CEO of MyCorporation.com which provides online legal filing services for entrepreneurs and businesses, startup bundles that include corporation and LLC formation, registered agent services, DBAs, and trademark and copyright filing services. You can find MyCorporation on Twitter at @MyCorporation.