My colleagues have all quit: should I stay or should I go?

Has your workplace experienced a mass exodus of staff recently? Should you stay, or should you follow them out the door?

Has your workplace experienced a mass exodus of staff recently? When everyone else seems to be leaving, it can feel very unsettling and the disruption can contribute to your own sense that it might be time to move on and find new employment, too. But does everyone else leaving really mean it’s time for you to jump ship?

If you’re wondering (in the words of The Clash) “should I stay or should I go?”, then this article is for you.

Why you’re feeling what you’re feeling

When a number of colleagues leave at the same time, it is natural to feel a range of emotions.

You may feel like you’ve been left behind, as others go on to new opportunities and you stay where you are. You may feel overlooked, if others have been headhunted and you have not. You may feel your career has stalled, as your peers take the next step in their career, possibly with higher pay, more impressive job titles, and more responsibility.

It's also natural to ask questions about why so many people are leaving. Is the culture poor, or perhaps even toxic? Are the pay and conditions below par? Are you being asked to work too hard, at the cost of your work-life balance?

Then there’s the impact of so many people leaving, on you and your job. Are you having to pick up the slack? Do you resent that? (You should! Don’t absorb everyone else’s job.) Are the wheels falling off everything without a full and experienced team in place? Does it feel like you’re all just limping along? Is this demotivating you?

All of these thoughts and feelings, and many more, are valid and understandable. But they don’t necessarily mean it’s time to quit your job. What matters is the context.

Context is everything

There are two key things to consider before you hand in your resignation.

1. Why is everyone else leaving? Do you know the reasons behind everyone else’s decision for leaving? Are those reasons individual and the mass exodus is a coincidence? Or are there cultural reasons within your company for people leaving, and the exodus points to long-term or systemic problems.
2. Are you happy where you are? Ultimately, what matters is your own happiness. There’s no need to follow everyone else off the cliff, like the apocryphal lemming, if you love your job and your employer and you’re happy where you are. Recognise that others leaving is unsettling, but stay true to yourself. If you’re not happy, then it’s time to make a change—but that change doesn’t have to mean leaving the firm altogether.

Does opportunity knock where you are?

When people leave a company, it not only creates disruption, it creates opportunity.

While former colleagues may have moved on in search of promotion and higher pay, consider whether the vacancies their departure has created might open up the same opportunities for you with your current employer. It may be a good time to put your hand up to step into a more senior role, to ask for better pay or conditions, or finally get that working-from-home arrangement you’ve been asking for approved.

It’s important to stress that this isn’t an opportunity for a little lowkey blackmail (“I’m going to resign unless…”). It’s an opportunity to show you’re a team player, demonstrate your value to the business, communicate your hopes and dreams with your employer, and take the next step in your career to the advantage of both yourself and the company.

It’s your life and it’s your call

You may also feel pressure to stay at you company, or in your current role. Perhaps you’re just a very conscientious person, or perhaps your bosses are putting pressure on you to stick around and pick up the slack. It’s important to remember that you are more than your job and there’s more to life than doing whatever it is you’re doing every day. If you’re unhappy or overworked or both, if you don’t see a future for yourself where you are, if you’re not being provided with opportunities at your current company, if you think you’d be happier or more valued elsewhere, then it’s time to move on. It is your life. If you want to move on, it’s your call. If you’re not sure what to do, get out a blank piece of paper, draw a line down the middle and write out the pros and cons of staying and going.

Get a clear understanding of the job market

If you’ve decided to move on, before you resign get a clear understanding of the jobs market. Speak to your industry friends, colleagues, or one of MPI’s mining industry specialist recruitment consultants.

When you’re ready to move, the best way to find your ideal job is to register for job alerts. You’ll never miss a posting and be one of the first to know about new opportunities.

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