Is It Ever OK to Leave a Job on Bad Terms?

Professional “bridge burning” has traditionally been considered a career killer. But with increasing awareness of the toll toxic workplace culture can take on employees, workers are becoming increasingly vocal about why they chose to cut ties with their employers. Is it possible there’s a right way to “burn bridges” in your career? Plus, with hybrid work seemingly here to stay, some workers find that “flex” work isn’t very flexible for carers and other groups.?

Why “bridge burning” may not be a career killer

Professional ‘bridge burning’ can happen in several ways. For some, it can mean stoking tension while still in a job; for others, it can mean quitting without notice, publicly disparaging an employer or any other act that permanently destroys a professional relationship. It’s long been considered a career killer – an act that could wreck?a worker’s reputation, and make it difficult to find employment down the line, especially in competitive industries.

But in a time of shifting workplace priorities, bridge burning may not be the nail in the professional coffin it once was, say experts.

As workers become increasingly vocal about workplace issues and toxic job environments, open discussions about the negative aspects of work are becoming more normalised and less professionally damaging. Experts also say, in some cases, other actions that were formerly seen as career killers may be necessary to change the workplace for the better.

A fear of bridge burning kept public-relations worker Kristen from acting against a workplace culture she felt discriminated?against her due to her disability. In 2016, she moved to New York for a new job, and had to push back her start date as she struggled to find an apartment that could accommodate her specific needs. Her manager, she says, asked her why she’d even want to live in the city if it was so hard to navigate, and repeatedly told her she was “lucky” to have the privilege of occasionally working from home, even though these arrangements were part of her legally mandated disability agreements.

Kristen says she endured what she saw as bullying because she needed her employer provided health insurance. But even when she eventually left in 2018, she followed the traditional advice and didn’t burn her bridges with the manager or the company.

It’s a decision she regrets. “I really wish I had loudly advocated for myself,” says Kristen now. “It took a toll on my self-confidence. When you don’t do something empowering, you feel diminished.”

Read more from Leah Carroll on how professional bridge burning might let workers take charge of their career narrative.

Why hybrid return-to-office mandates aren’t as flexible as they seem

Although hybrid schedules vary, the most common ones strike a balance between three office and two remote days a week or vice versa. Often, these in-office days are fixed instead of selected ad-hoc, with the aim to consistently get teams together, or enable scheduled collaboration or in-person meetings. In theory, this compromise is a fair deal to both the employers who want their workers back in seats, and their employees, as they can hold on to some remote work and subsequent flexibility.

For this section of the workforce, a fixed hybrid pattern confers both flexibility and structure; it enables them to work from home and craft their remote days, while still enjoying the benefits of in-person working, such as socialising and collaboration.

But, those rigid office hours can actually make life more difficult for certain workers, say experts, including parents and carers, disabled or?neurodiverse workers.

Read more from Alex Christian on the potential of AI tools to ease worker burnout.

Plus: Many remote workers thought living the life of a digital nomad was going to be paradise. But what’s the reality for people who tried it out?

As always, visit BBC Worklife?and?BBC Business for the latest.

– Leah Carroll, Deputy Editor, BBC Worklife

?