Boring canteen food, long hours and incompetent bosses are among the most common reasons why Brits quit their jobs, it has been revealed.
Researchers who polled 2,000 workers found employees start thinking about leaving a job an average of three years and six months after starting. The list of reasons for quitting also includes feeling too old in the workplace compared to younger members of staff and not getting a pay rise.
The research, commissioned by working animal charity SPANA, also revealed the typical adult gets through an average of four jobs before finding their โperfectโ role.
It also emerged the average worker has thought about quitting their current job six times already, without yet going through with it โ and the biggest driving factor is hoping to achieve a better work-life balance.
Geoffrey Dennis, Chief Executive of SPANA: โMost workers wonโt hesitate to move jobs if things arenโt right and, as this research shows, people change their minds about their role all the time. A good work-life balance, minimal stress, a decent salary and an appreciative boss are important for many employees. And handing in your notice is always an option if working life doesnโt live up to expectations.”
Other reasons Brits have handed in their notice include falling out or having a physical altercation with the boss, not liking the uniform and hating the position of the desk.
Many have left a role after feeling they had hit the ‘glass ceiling’ or had stopped learning anything new.
Other reasons to leave veer from the reasonable to the ridiculous โ with some workers reporting they have left a job after the free tea and coffee was taken away, and others because their food was stolen from the work fridge.
Not being allowed to take their pet to work, having no air conditioning and not being allowed to change the radio station also feature in the top 40 reasons to quit.
More than half of adults have left a job without having another one to go to โ because they hated their job so much.
Of those who did quit a job, almost half claimed to feel a massive sense of relief, while 28 per cent described the feeling as being โfreeโ. However, of the adults who are still in a job they want to quit, a fifth say the pay is too good to leave, while 22 per cent like the fact their workplace is close to home. A competitive job market puts 15 per cent of workers off looking for alternative employment, and a fifth did not think they would be able to get another job anyway.
TOP 40 REASONS FOR QUITTING A JOB
1. Wanted to improve work/life balance
2. It was too stressful
3. Was offered more money
4. I didn’t like the company culture
5. Thought the boss was useless
6. Felt I wasn’t learning anything new
7. The hours were too long
8. The commute was too long
9. Fell out with boss
10. I hadn’t been given a pay rise in ages
11. The perks weren’t good enough
12. I felt I’d hit a glass ceiling
13. The atmosphere was dull
14. Fell out with colleagues
15. Hated my desk position
16. Boss made a pass at me
17. My ‘work best friend’ quit and it wasn’t the same without them
18. Had a physical altercation with colleague
19. Had a physical altercation with boss
20. Did something so embarrassing I was forced to move company
21. They didn’t offer enough holiday pay
22. The surrounding area of the workplace was boring
23. Colleague made a pass at me
24. Was sick of laughing at my boss’s jokes
25. There wasn’t anywhere to park near work
26. I didn’t like the uniform or dress code
27. People kept saying I was ‘part of the furniture’
28. There was no-one my age in the office
29. Was bored of the food in the canteen
30. All my colleagues were much younger than me
31. No after-work socialising
32. Sick of the radio station that I’m not allowed to change
33. They wouldn’t give me my own parking space
34. A colleague had terrible body odour or bad breath
35. No air conditioning in the office
36. They stopped me looking at the internet / social media
37. They took away free tea and coffee
38. People kept making my tea/coffee wrong
39. Someone kept stealing my food from the fridge
40. They wouldn’t let me bring my pet in
