Dear SaaStr: I Have a Good Job But Am Not That Happy. Should I Threaten To Quit If It Doesn’t Get Better?
If you’re unhappy at work, should you threaten to quit? I think you can do it once.
Once.
- If you are truly a top performer, top 10%, folks will react. You may even get a raise. In fact, this is one of the easiest ways to get a raise in a BigCo. HR always save some budget for a top performer that is leaving. You can get a raise you otherwise couldn’t get “out of band” at the time, at least sometimes, in a BigCo. Because HR policies have an exception here.
- If you aren’t a top performer, well, at least you’ll find out you aren’t. They’ll say Good Luck! We Understand! Time to Spread Your Wings!
Just don’t do it twice. Don’t say it twice. Don’t even half-say it twice.
Too many folks say it too many times. I know if you’re frustrated, it can feel a bit cathartic to allude to quitting several times.
But if you do, you’ll be taken off the critical path, at least in a startup.
No one can really count on anyone that says twice they may leave. They’ll move on to find a replacement. You sort of have to.
A related post here:
(image from here)