EMOTIONAL RESIGNATION

Adeyemi Ajayi

I got a call from a friend asking if there was a job opening am aware of and I was stattled. I asked him what went wrong with the new job he just started 1 year ago and he said he’s tired of the environment. Then, I concluded that he’s emotionally resigned from the organization. 

At one point in our career life, we all experience some challenges that make us lose connections with our workplace. We all have moments that we feel disconnected from our employer. 

Emotional resignation is total termination of interests and values for the organization. It is a situation where an employee is physically at workplace, but emotionally out of the workplace. It is a situation of loss of interests. 

Signs of Emotional Resignation

1. Loss of interests in the organization. Total self-ostracization. Nothing looks new nor interesting about the organization. 

2. Decline in productivity.

3. Loss of motivation. 

4. Decline in creativity and innovativeness

5. Pile up of work and procrastination 

6. Increasing complaints 

7. Incessant asking of time off from work 

8. Dissociation from the company’s brand. May be this is why some employees don’t use their companies on LinkedIn 

9. Delay in undertaking activities and reporting. 

10. Lack of concentration 

11. Sickness or slight depression 

12. High push for another job 

13. Increasing error on the job

14. Poor punctuality rate 

15. Failure to use knowledge gained from training on the job. 

The list is endless. 

With these signs, note that this syndrome affects everyone at work. Even some business owners feel like abandoning their businesses for another. By nature, human being want new things and when it is not forth coming, decline in interest sets in. No amount of salary can plug this syndrome. It is just there. I have seen people resign from well paid job to just stay at home to gain their emotional balance before going into other employment or business. 

Causes of Emotional Resignation

1. Longevity at an employment staying in an organization for too long can make employee develop sudden disconnection. Research has shown that an average employee resigns emotionally when he or she has been in same organization for 6 years or more. It is even worse for the Generation Z. This sets in after 3 years at same workplace. 

2. Office Politics bad office politics can employee 

3. Lack of Reward

4. Pay disparity 

5. Sexual Harassment

6. Discrimination

7. Management style

8. Lack of structure to support growth

9. Nature of work

10. Distance from work to home

11. Change in policies 

12. Job substitutions

13. Transfers and deployments

14. NO REASONS atimes the reasons for emotional resignation is difficult to trace. 

Impacts on the organization

1. Decline in organizational performance 

2. Brand becomes weak

3. Loss of employee or customers’ loyalty 

4. Poor policies implementation 

5. Theft and fraud 

6. Circumvention of Processes and procedures 

7. Loss of man-hour 

8. Business continuity is threatened 

9. Diversion of business 

9. Use of company’s resources for employees benefits 

10. Damage to physical assets 

11. Reputational 

Dangers for Emotionally disconnected employees

1. Loss of self motivation to develop your career. 

2. Decline in performance can lead to failure to enhance personal value systems 

3. Lack of career direction 

4. Lost of focus on personal goals 

5. Lack of motivations to help others in need 

6. Developing mental laziness 

7. Sickness 

8. Bad habits 

9. Suicide in some cases 

What should HR do?

1. Be open and ready to listen to employees who have emotionally resigned. Take them through emotional therapy 

2. Engage the management on the need for change in some areas. 

3. Educate employees on emotional resignation 

4. Create fun at work 

5. Commend good efforts and balance politics. 

Last Word

Everyone Emotionally resigns at some stages in career, marriage, or social connection. It is not easy to overcome, but you can champion this course in your organization.

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