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Writer's pictureHeather Ikin
Jan 20, 2023

Should I stay or should I go? Knowing when to quit...

It was hard to miss yesterday’s announcement that New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern, has made the decision to resign from her role as PM well in advance of the next election. She reported she no longer has “enough in the tank” to do the job, that the challenges of the past five+ years have taken a toll, resulting in burnout. This decision may be one of the best she has ever made.


Being a leader of country is an excessively demanding job. It requires a very high level of accountability, a broad set of responsibilities, the need to make difficult decisions that affect the lives of millions, and expectation to respond to issues 24/7, whilst also facing relentless criticism and pressure from multiple stakeholders. All of these aspects of the job are psychosocial hazards, work factors that increase the risk of psychological harm. Let’s face it, it’s a stressful job.


I’m sure many of us can relate to a realisation we just don’t have the capacity or drive to continue, that perhaps we don’t feel like we can be our best self in our role any longer, or do the job justice. This is often when we take the time to reflect on what’s important and decide to move on. Perhaps Jacinda Ardern’s decision is shocking because of the commitment, professionalism, and exceptional leadership ability she has shown in her role, and the seniority of her post. But I also don’t find it surprising, because in many ways it reflects the strong leadership, authenticity, honesty, and emotional intelligence we have consistently seen from her.



The dilemma of “quitting”


Conscientiousness, tenacity, resilience, persistence, and strength are often revered qualities, but unfortunately "quitting” is rarely so admired. I’m sure in coming days there will be much speculation about why Jacinda Ardern is “quitting” now. Being a quitter is often associated with giving up too easily, it’s synonymous with being a piker, a dropout, a loser, or even a failure… Our society has a very unhealthy relationship with the concept of quitting.

The consequence is that many of us persist with jobs and careers, despite our dissatisfaction, unhappiness, and disengagement. This can ultimately result in deleterious impacts to our mental health. Jacinda Ardern’s decision should be commended for this reason – she is role-modelling self-care and good judgment.


I think quitting may be an underrated quality. Knowing when to stop is just as important as knowing when to persevere. When we quit for the right reasons, such as prioritising our mental health and the things that matter most to us, we are likely to see a range of wellbeing benefits. Instead of focusing on what we are leaving and moving away from, we should consider how quitting frees us up to pursue other goals and desired outcomes.


Making the leap


Nevertheless, choosing to leave a job can be very difficult. We tell ourselves that if we work a bit harder, we will achieve those (unattainable) goals. Or that we have invested so much effort and energy, we should keep going until we see return on that investment. In psychology, we call this the ‘sunk cost fallacy’ – a cognitive bias or irrational thought that sees us incorrectly believing that if we keep investing, eventually we will get a return, even when it’s clear that abandoning our course of action is actually a better option. Of course, for every decision we make, we pay an ‘opportunity cost’ – these costs are the things we give up when choosing between multiple options. For every hour I spend working in a job I hate, I lose an hour that I could be spending doing something that makes me happy or improves my mental health.


A decision such as that made by Jacinda Ardern is not an easy one. It’s critical to look for the signals that tell us it’s time to revaluate and consider change – if you have considered leaving your job, there is an issue that needs to be addressed. The last thing we want is to leave it too late – and suffer preventable impacts to our mental health and wellbeing.


Knowing when to stay and when to go


For individuals, there is a lot we can do ourselves to help protect against burnout and be proactive about decision making in our jobs and careers:

  • Set clear goals and continue to review the extent to which these are attainable – continuing to work towards goals that will be difficult to achieve is likely to leave you feeling unsatisfied and ineffective. If you have found yourself in a job where the workload is just too great to achieve in a standard working week, or your personal goals are constrained by your working environment, it may be time to re-evaluate.

  • Maintain a sustainable workload – we can be our own worst enemies at times. Ensure you are clear about the expectations of your employer and the standards you set for yourself. Don’t take on more than is manageable.

  • Enforce your boundaries – if people constantly interrupt you, ask you to do things that are beyond the scope of your role, have unreasonable expectations, or pile work on you, find the confidence to push back and say no. Appreciate where your limits are and have frank and open conversations with your manager about what you can and cannot cope with.

  • Reflect on enjoyment, satisfaction, and sense of purpose in your role – are you happy? Do you enjoy what you do? Sometimes there are negatives to our work that we have to put up with, like organisational politics and bureaucracy, policies we don’t like, or tasks we don’t enjoy. No job is perfect. It is important that we determine these are manageable because they are outweighed by the positive aspects of our role, like the contribution we make, the things we produce, the people we work with.

  • Check in on your mental health – if you aren’t sure how you are tracking or can see hazards emerging, it’s good to check in with a qualified professional, such as a Psychologist. They can help examine symptoms of common mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and stress, review aspects of your work role that may need to be more effectively managed, and help plan individual wellbeing management strategies.

If your workload is not sustainable, you don’t enjoy your work, you feel increasingly negative about it, and it’s impacting your mental health, it may be time to consider moving onto a better opportunity.


A few considerations for employers


Burnout is a serious occupational health issue and Australian employers are required under WHS law to protect the mental health of workers. A proactive risk management approach is recommended as many of the factors that lead to burnout can be prevented through effective job design and work management. Take the following actions as a starting point:

  • Understand and meet employee needs – consider what conditions need to be in place for employees to feel positive about their work and valued for their contributions.

  • Monitor the work environment for hazards associated with burnout – examples of hazards that may increase the risk of burnout include high workloads, excessive cognitive and emotional demands, unrelenting work pressure, long work hours, insufficient support, lack of resources, organisational injustice, and lack of recognition.

  • Support employees to manage healthy work boundaries – build a constructive work culture around work hours, limiting instances of overtime, ensuring regular rest breaks, refraining from communications outside work hours, and ensuring employees switch off phones when they are off duty.

Reach out for help


If you would like more information about burnout or to discuss how we can support you to address burnout risks in your organisation, please get in contact with us.


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