The explanation of the ban on revenge: causes, effects, and how to curb it
The past few years have brought about dramatic changes in the workplace. Remote and hybrid jobs have become commonplace, and suddenly changed from the privileges enjoyed by only a small percentage of workforce. Coupled with major layoffs across different industries, employees have gained a new perspective on work-life balance and how consumable it is for businesses. This led to the phenomenon of “quiet stopping” which made employees emotionally check-outs without officially resigning. However, the trend appears to have changed recently, with more employees deciding to go to work to issue a statement. This has become known as “stop revenge,” and is rapidly rising as a source of interest in leaders. Let’s take a look at what this phenomenon entails, how it turned out, and the steps leaders can take to prevent it.
What will you stop revenge? Why and Signs you should know
The phenomenon of resignation in revenge refers to an employee suddenly leaving work with minimal or notification. This measure primarily aims to imagine the inconvenience of employers by removing the ability of employers to prepare for departure and expressing their dissatisfaction with the terms of employment.
Smoking banning for revenge is the result of several factors, ranging from burnout and withdrawal to serious negative experiences at work. It often takes months or years, not only to occur one day to the next. Employees don’t just resign dramatically as their ideas have been put aside once. On the contrary, there are multiple examples of failure in communication, lack of awareness, and disregarding the ability to lead to such decisions. Other factors have also exacerbated this workplace trend, including rapid technological advancements, conflicting expectations between employees and employers, and the increasing importance of work-life balance.
Given the long-term brewing situation, it is possible for leaders to keep up with warning signs that may indicate that employees are considering quitting revenge. Let’s see what they are.
Lack of transparency regarding professional growth
Employees may feel they deserve a promotion, but even if they are promised, they may not be able to get it. Companies often make the mistake of starting an external hiring process rather than giving existing employees the opportunity to advance their careers, and feel that employees are undervalued and overlooked.
Can’t connect for a deeper purpose
It is essential for employees to feel that their work is contributing to a greater purpose, and is important for the company’s comprehensive goals. If this sense of purpose is lacking, employees feel insignificant in the company’s overall picture, which can lead to motivation and departure.
It will cause a conflict
Workplace conflicts are anticipated and not necessarily harmful. However, many issues can arise if you drive a rift between employees and remain unresolved long enough to affect collaboration. Unmanned such issues can have serious consequences for employee morale and involvement, and in many cases force them to look for other employment opportunities.
Release of non-work-related activities
Employees who are happy with their role and work environment want to form a community with their colleagues and interact with them outside their role. This may include a water cooler conversation, having lunch together, or starting a joint project. The lack of such interactions could indicate that employees do not feel part of the company culture and would not hesitate to leave without warning if the opportunity presented itself.
What is the impact of revenge leaving a company?
At first glance, stopping revenge is a major disruptor of your workflow and can have a significant impact on your productivity for a period of time. But there are more ways that it can have a negative impact on your business.
Increased employment costs
The need to replace employees in a short period of time will allow you to begin the emergency employment process. Needless to say, the pressure to fill your position can lead to lowering your hiring decisions, which could result in a different hiring process much faster than you wanted.
Loss of knowledge
Exchange employees can be a simple process, but exchanging specific skills and knowledge is much more difficult. These employees often do not share important information with their colleagues, especially when leaving without notice. As a result, the remaining team members are left to fill the gaps created by the absence of employees who have departed.
Low employee morale
A sudden exit can generate feelings of uncertainty and frustration among employees who are behind. Team efficiency is affected, workload increases and accumulated knowledge decreases. This could damage the team’s morale and motivation and could cause the domino effect of resignation.
Impact on brand reputation
The negative aspect of revenge is that it may contain public exits and social media posts that can damage your business’s reputation. This can affect your relationship with a client who may no longer trust you, or with potential employees who may hesitate to apply to a company that allegedly forces one or more employees to resign.
5-stage leaders can take revenge to prevent them from quitting
1. Beware of warning signs
As mentioned before, employees do not decide to revenge from one moment to the next. Given that this is a situation that evolves over time, employers have many opportunities to identify warning signs that employees are being released. For example, you may notice employee motivation decreases, long periods of low energy, or repeated deadlines. Paying attention to these metrics allows leaders to talk to employees and understand how they can update their engagement before it’s too late.
2. Build a culture of trust and respect
Employees rarely quit revenge if they work in an open and trustworthy environment. Even if it’s another job opportunity they want to pursue a present, they will give them plenty of notice before they leave. But how do we develop a culture of respect and trust? It all encourages employees to share honest feedback with open communication, more specifically, transparent about goals, expectations and even challenges, not only to reciprocate that integrity, but also to ensure that their voices are heard and appreciated. If achieved through creating such a work environment, employees will be loyal and engaged.
3. Recognize employees
Celebrating achievements is key to keeping employees happy, engaged and positive towards their colleagues and most importantly, supervisors. Don’t forget to recognize your efforts and reward them, rather than focusing solely on the outcome. Even if the project does not occur as planned, it does not mean that employee efforts should be noticed. Furthermore, employees’ perceptions must be specific. Instead of saying “good job” when no one is around, say “something like John, contributions to Client X’s financial report were essential to renewing the contract” and share it on your company’s communications channel. This way, employees feel part of a valuable and supportive community.
4. Supports flexibility and employee well-being
In many cases, the main perpetrator behind resignation in revenge is burnout. In other words, overly overrated employees whose negative feelings about their work peak with a vindictive resignation. To prevent this, reconsider the company’s attitude towards employee well-being and its commitment to protecting it. Specifically, do employees work with reasonable hours? Are they given flexibility options and wellness day? Can they completely disconnect external working hours or are they constantly calling? The answer to these questions determines how healthy the workplace is and how employees may experience burnout and possibly quit.
5. Provides opportunities for growth and development
Stagnation can sometimes make employers feel bitter in their performance, especially when their performance justifies promotions and salary increases. However, even if your company doesn’t get frequent internal changes, employees can still show their gratitude by improving their current skills or learning new skills. Give them the opportunity to participate in training programs that will help you hone your hard and soft skills, including communication and leadership abilities. In this way, when the time comes for the opportunity to make lateral or vertical movements of their careers, they will be better prepared for it.
Conclusion
There are new trends in the business world in 2025, and that’s not positive. As employees feel more grateful for their balance of happiness and work-life, they are more likely to leave employers who cannot express the same respect for these values. Revenge bans are often the result of a work environment that lacks open communication, integrity, development opportunities and a positive corporate culture. The impact can be very important and it is essential that employers take the necessary steps to prevent employees from resigning in such a destructive way. Take the above steps to maintain a passionate workforce and prevent this workplace trend from affecting your business.
