Mid-level manager learns about impending mass quitting, struggles to keep the company from going under: 'People are actively ready to leave'

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jun 30, 2024 2:00 PM EDT

It's tough to be caught in the middle of a work crisis. It's even tougher when you gain intel of serious office drama that could completely affect the state of things when word gets out.

Here, we have a recently promoted mid-level manager who is on the younger side and therefore has achieved the trust of the folks on his team as well as a strong sense of camaraderie. However, while his team members are happy with his managerial skills, they do not seem to be content with the company at large. In fact, they informed their manager of a collective mass quitting they are planning to carry out. Now, the manager has to decide where his loyalties truly lie, and folks in the comments were quick to give him a hard time about his inaction.

What would you do in this situation? Keep scrolling below for the full story and for the best reactions. For more, check out this post about a bank teller's malicious compliance.

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  • 01
    "My office is about to implode"
    via Annie Spratt
  • 02
    I am a younger manager at my company. I didn't want to be one, but I do my best to respect my staff and give them as much freedom as I can (and they deserve it!)
    via u/XT-421
  • 03
    We're engineers, so the work can be grueling, inconsistent, and unrewarded.
    via u/XT-421
  • 04
    I know that my staff are underpaid - so am I. I plan on writing a letter to our collective supervisor to put pressure on him to elevate the budgets of the staff. But since I've already gotten their trust, they've clued me
    via u/XT-421
  • 05
    in that: 1. They're already shopping around; 2. One already has a "quit-by" date to travel the world; and 3. Some are planning to walk out without a significant pay boost following this review cycle.
    via u/XT-421
  • 06
    I have no intention of telling my supervisors of any of it. The writing's been on the walls for years, and if they haven't figured if out yet by now...
    via u/XT-421
  • 07
    StolenWishes · 4 hr. ago I have no intention of telling my supervisors of any of it. Not saying you're wrong - that underpaid workers leave should be no surprise to your supervisors - but mightn't a general statement that "people are actively ready to leave" give leverage to your budget proposal?
    via u/XT-421
  • 08
    XT-421 OP 4 hr. ago . Good point. I'll drop a few hints with buzzwords they can understand... for what it's worth I kinda hope that my staff leave for their own benefit. There are better places...
    via u/XT-421
  • 09
    Natural-Rub-2463. 4 hr. ago Quit by date, I am stealing that.
    via u/XT-421
  • 10
    DoXXXXXXXXXxx. 2 hr. ago If you all ask for a raise it's "collective action" and can't be retaliated against :D
    via u/XT-421
  • 11
    Smelly 454 3 hr. ago Don't tell on the employees.....Let the company collapse.....They need more money
    via u/XT-421
  • 12
    negative-nelly 2 hr. ago I would drop something (orally, importantly) like "my sense around the office is that morale isn't great and I don't think it has to do with the content of our work, and while I don't have any details, from putting together bits and pieces of chatter I'm
    via u/XT-421
  • 13
    getting a sense that a number of folks are looking to exit and we might some issues in the near future". And from that (1) you can pick up some brownie points and seem like a good company person and (2) from the reaction of superiors figure out where things are likely headed with your department.
    via u/XT-421
  • 14
    trippin113 3 hr. ago You're an idiot for NOT telling him. You don't get what you don't ask for. The squeaky wheel gets the greese....so on and so on. Bosses will let status quo ride for as long as they can. If you don't say anything, then you have as much fault in this as they do.
    via u/XT-421
  • 15
    Existing-Nectarine80 1 hr. ago Why would you actively your self like this? If it ever reaches your bosses that you KNEW people were leaving and you did nothing to ensure that you don't have a shortfall in production then you're going to find yourself with an impromptu extended vacation...
    via u/XT-421
  • 16
    I look forward to your post about how unfair it is that your company expected you to go out and find replacements while simultaneously doing the job of those who left.
    via u/XT-421

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workplace-stories work stories toxic-workplace job work quitting work reddit thread Reddit company quitting toxic-work-environment
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