Common reasons for quitting as an employee: the top 10

Feeling sick, waking up in a bad mood, sweating profusely... When your alarm clock goes off on a Monday morning, do you feel the typical symptoms of a work allergy? Tired of your job and thinking about quitting? But how exactly did you get to that point? JobTeaser gives you 10 common reasons for quitting as an employee in the UK.

These 10 reasons are often the trigger for employees to quit their job

People who resign don't usually make this decision lightly – and that's a good thing. Because a permanent job offers you, among other things, financial security as well as the opportunity to gain valuable professional experience. This is why you shouldn't resign without a good reason – especially if you have a permanent employment contract. But hey, ultimately you decide what's right for you and when it's time to quit. Here we give you the most common reasons why employees quit their jobs.

Top 1 reason for quitting: no compensation for overtime

Have you worked hard in the job and kept piling up the overtime, but have to wait a long time for your company to give you appropriate compensation for all this extra work? You're not alone: according to a survey, 68 percent of the employees surveyed would hand in their resignation letter for precisely this reason. Inadequate compensation for overtime is therefore the main reason why employees resign.

Top 2 reason for quitting: bad vibes among colleagues

No job in the world is fun if there is a permanently bad atmosphere in the office. If the chemistry in the team isn't right, this has a significant impact on the working atmosphere. In the long term, office disagreements naturally also lead to a decrease in employee motivation and performance. A negative working environment is a common reason for employees quitting.

Top 3 reason for quitting: excessive demands due to high workload

Do you feel chronically overworked and your to-do list is already pages long? A permanently high stress level, caused by strong pressure to perform, tight deadlines and ambitious company targets, is often a reason for employees to hand in their resignation letter. If you notice that stress at work is making you ill, you should pull the trigger and resign.

Top 4 reason for quitting: unprofessional feedback culture

Criticism shouldn't make you lose heart and feel like you're not good enough at your job. Instead, it should help you learn from your mistakes. If there is no constructive feedback culture in the office, the working atmosphere and the performance of the employees suffer as a result. Offering criticism in a respectful way should simply be part of good manners in the working world. If problems occur here, this can be a reason for many employees wanting to quit.

Top 5 reason for quitting: lack of performance incentives

If you work hard, you want to be rewarded accordingly. In many companies, targets are agreed for this purpose, and employees are rewarded with a bonus or salary increase once they have been achieved. The prospect of a company promotion can also be an incentive to work hard. If such incentives are missing, motivation falls by the wayside and employees look for a new job elsewhere.

Top 6 reason for quitting: an overly hierarchical setup

You no longer want to be faced with a fait accompli, but want to have a say and understand why various decisions in the company are made? Would you like more transparency, cooperative interaction with managers and increased personal responsibility in your area? In this case, an overly hierarchical setup might make you want to quit.

Top 7 reason for quitting: lack of management structure

Hot air and nothing behind it. The company has goals, visions and big plans, but there is no concrete strategy for implementation. Policy shifts are on the agenda and employees lose their focus. As an employee, this can be really frustrating in the long run, and sooner or later it might also become the reason for your resignation.

Top 8 reasons for quitting: standstill and being under-challenged

The fear of treading water professionally, experiencing boredom and being under-challenged make you unhappy in the long run. Have you already talked to your superiors about your professional goals, but still see no further development for you in the company? Then that is a legitimate reason to submit your resignation letter. You're too young to waste your time in the wrong job.

Top 9 reason for quitting: no identification with the company

Struggling even to get behind what your employer embodies? Do you look at the products or services rather critically and reckon the company is only interested in profit? Meanwhile you want to make a difference with your work. Is it important to you that the company you work for is socially committed, operates sustainably and thus makes a contribution to society? If you can't identify with your employer, that is definitely a reason to resign.

Top 10 reasons for quitting: changes in personal circumstances

Has your partner accepted a job in another city and you want to go with them? Maybe you also need to dedicate more time to your family and plan to take over the childcare from now on, or you might be in a period of personal crisis and just want to try something new? Sometimes your private life has to come first at the expense of your job – and that can also be a good reason to quit, offering you a fresh start.

When can you, as an employee, resign without giving notice?

If you want to terminate your employment contract, you must always comply with statutory notice periods. In general, you can resign with a four-week notice period to the 15th or end of the calendar month. Note of caution: take a look at your employment contract, as you may have agreed to other notice periods here.

As an employee you can resign with immediate effect, however, this may be a breach of contract in UK law. In this case, you do not have to comply with the notice period and the employment relationship ends immediately – provided that the termination without notice is justified. You have fourteen days from the time the reason for termination becomes known to submit your termination without notice. As an employee, you can also resign with immediate effect without offering justification – provided you do have a good reason.

Why do employees choose to resign with immediate effect?

In fact, there are no general justifications for resigning with immediate effect and not working your notice period. It is important that the reason for resignation is so serious that it would be unreasonable for you to work the corresponding notice period. However, this is always decided on a case-by-case basis. These reasons can be triggers for resigning with immediate effect.

• Sexual harassment
• Bullying
• Abusive language
• Violence or physical altercation
• Violations of occupational health and safety
• Threat to health
• Crimes committed by management
• Late payment of wages

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