Recently updated on: November 18, 2023
Since it is January, it’s time for the annual mass resignation again.
Many employees may want to resign earlier due to various reasons but wanted to claim their 13th-month pay and bonuses first. 😂
Resignation is part of the normal cycle of any company. So, if you think you are irreplaceable, then you are wrong. What I learned from my working years is that everyone is replaceable in the workplace, no matter how valuable someone may be.
But setting aside the feelings of your company, seeing a friend leave (ahead of you) will make you sad or even envious, but it is part of growing up.
Sometimes, we need to see for ourselves if the grass is really greener on the other side.
Whichever the case may be, it will take courage to submit that dreaded resignation letter, especially if it is your first time to resign.
I had friends and colleagues who decided to go differently away from our company for the past years.
Below are some of the reasons that I heard from them.
Related: 10 Warning Signs That It’s Time To Resign From Your Job
*All the names were changed for privacy reasons.
1. Heard a different calling
Derek was one of my first friends when I was starting from my first company. He is an IT graduate and was really hard-working.
After more than a year, he got promoted as expected - that was December, but by February, he resigned.
Most of our projectmates were shocked because of the timing, but not for his reason.
We all know that he was devoted to the ministry of serving the Lord through children and youth and sometimes jokes about resigning and doing it full-time.
He is now back in Bulacan and works in his local church. The last thing that I heard was he is studying theology to become a pastor.
2. Started a new life in a different country
Aubrey is one of those people that you can get along with quickly. We worked on the same project twice, so I know what she was capable of.
So when the promotion period came, it was surprising when she was not included on the list.
I know that she was frustrated and waited for the right time to pass the “letter.”
It was July when she submitted her resignation and went to Europe to partner with a family thru AuPair.
She currently lives with her sponsor family in Austria while her boyfriend is just a few travel hours away. On her IG posts, she looks happy.
Update: They are now married and now lives in Austria.
3. Returned to his home province
Brenan is from Mindanao, but he studied in Manila and started working here.
We were on the same batch of trainees and were also teammates once. So it came as a surprise when he showed me the email declaring his resignation.
He did not say any specifics but said that he wanted to return to Mindanao near his home province and try to work there.
Update: He is now back in Manila and in the company where we used to be workmates.
4. Career Alignment
John and I were also on the same team as Derek (1). When the project concluded, we were sent to the bench (waiting for the next project), where we would sometimes go to the gym to work out.
After a couple of weeks, I noticed that he would sometimes finish his sets earlier than usual.
He will then get dressed in his corporate attire, saying he needed to visit his brother’s building, which was just nearby.
Little did I know that he was already being interviewed in his brother’s company.
When his last day came, he told us that his work is more related to his course, which was ECE.
5. Office Politics
Bart was highly regarded as one of the best technical persons in his team. But he was mistreated by the management during several instances for promotion.
Office politics was widely rampant in his project. So, several times, he was bypassed for promotion in favor of those closer to the manager.
There was also an occasion wherein his contributions were credit-grabbed by his team leader, which he really took personally.
He requested to be transferred to another project and eventually resigned.
The last thing I heard was he is returning to the company after almost 2 years. Maybe time really heals.
6. Work Pressure
John Lloyd is a passive worker. He finishes his tasks, then goes home. He is the kind of person who wants more time to do other things that he loves (obviously not his work).
When the time came when his project required more of his time, which included working on the weekends, he decided to call it quits.
He said that he needed more time, not more money, from overtime work.
7. Needed a Raise
Lee has been with the company for quite a long time. He was satisfied with his work and salary until he started his family.
He found himself needing more money to support his wife and growing children.
This shows that even though you are happy with what you do, responsibility only finds a way to creep into your life. And you can’t just ignore it.
Update: He is starting his own business on the side while still working full-time.
8. Health Reasons
Randy is also my teammate once. When healthy, he can do his tasks as effectively as others.
The shifting schedule might cause why he became sickly; he needed to file sick leaves every time. Because of this, his team’s output has also been affected.
So, he decided to change companies that don’t have a shifting schedule.
9. Travel Time
Ramil lives in a nearby province and travels almost 2 hours going to and from the office. He was okay with the travel time until he was transferred to a different location.
His 2-hour commute became 3 to 4 hours each way. He didn’t want to rent in the city because of his family.
So he transferred to a different company near Makati.
10. Did not like the Office Culture
Kyla already went to several companies. Then she was placed in a team that she can’t handle. She was culture shocked.
Office culture is one of the small details that can cause some employees to leave a company, especially if your personality doesn’t jive well with your teammates whom you have to work with 5 days a week.
11. Work was not challenging enough
Jeff was an honor student. So when he started working, he was expecting a challenging role from the get-go.
Unfortunately for him, he was placed in a project where human decisions and critical thinking were rarely used.
He became so frustrated because he believed that he is just wasting his time on something that he will not benefit from in the long term.
After a few months, he submitted his resignation letter. He transferred to another company where he will be able to learn and grow more.
12. Shifting to Entrepreneurship
Josh believed that the corporate world is not for him. He was saving money to raise capital to start his own business.
He started doing his business from the side until he could grow enough influence, which allowed him to focus on his business full time finally.
He believed that this should be the goal. The ultimate escape from the rat race. Having more time and independence from the shackles of office works.
13. Forced to Resign
This is the worst reason to resign. I can’t give you any details. But a colleague once was about to be investigated for doing something against the company policy.
If proven will cause termination that will impact her employment certificate, so she just decided to resign rather than get terminated.
Final Thought:
There are many reasons why an employee quits. It may be personal, emotional, health, or others. But before quitting, make sure that you have a plan. Before transferring, you should already have a new company. Because resigning without a backup may lessen your bargaining power.
You should also have an emergency fund to assist you in recovering and paying for the bills while waiting.
When you think it is time to go, the bottom line is to pack your things up, walk out the door, and welcome the new chapter in your life.
Never burn bridges. You may never know if a door of opportunity will be opened by someone that you already know.