You’re sitting quietly at your desk when all of sudden you receive an emailed memo acknowledging that a coworker is leaving. If you weren’t privy to the information prior to the announcement, you might feel a pang of panic, dread, or perhaps something else. What is it really about the [voluntary] departure of coworkers that often makes people uneasy? Several factors are involved. Perhaps one of them applies to you…
Fear of “Insider Information”
When colleagues who have worked with a company for a long period of time decide to quit, it sometimes makes people nervous. If the colleague is especially good at what he/she does, you may begin to wonder if that person knows something ominous about the company you work for. A shaky economy can set off a litany of lay-offs in the business world. Sometimes the exit of a coworker from a company may become the seed of rumors that the business is not doing well. Another popular thought is that the co-worker may have been “strongly encouraged” to resign. In many cases this is completely untrue. To that effect, there may be quite a few personal reasons why a person chooses to leave his/her job-reasons that no one is privy to. But the natural inclination people have when someone decides to quit, is that something bad has either happened, or is going to.
Greener Pastures…
Another reason that employees hate seeing their coworkers quit, is born of sheer envy. This especially applies to people who are not that fond of their jobs in the first place. It is a common practice in many workplaces to complain about the status quo; but on few occasions do people actually venture (through their own efforts) to change unsatisfactory conditions. This leads employees to wonder about whether the grass is greener elsewhere. When colleagues quit, employees may begin reflecting about their own careers under the assumed belief that his/her new job will be better than theirs.
Fear of Change
Sometimes when certain employees decide to quit, it creates a ripple effect in the workload. Responsibilities may shift. Some employees may be forced to report to someone else. Sometimes the entire dynamic of a workflow may be overturned completely. All of these things are examples of change—and change is something that plenty of people are afraid of.
Personal Ties
Some coworkers through the course of time develop close personal relationships. The decision of one colleague to leave a job doesn’t necessarily mean that those ties must end. But just as with a divorce, feelings of abandonment may begin to creep in. Again, change is scary. Not having your favorite buddy to grab lunch or gossip with can be slightly distressing. Put simply, many employees will admit that they will simply miss having that person around.
Self-Examination
After the envy of your coworker’s brave departure has subsided, you may begin to feel like your own career path warrants closer examination. This is when a lot of people start wondering what their future holds in terms of both personal and professional growth. This is also the point where some start to wonder whether they’ve become complacent at their jobs. These thoughts are normal. As early as elementary school children start identifying with particular social groups. Similarly, this societal mode continues through adulthood, with many feeling the need to belong or associate with certain sets of people. When someone from that “set” steps outside the comfort zone and does something surprising, it can sometimes set off silent alarms. On the other hand, sometimes these occasions encourage people to make positive changes in their lives.
