This is the ultimate cost of not quitting a job you hate: A British teenage apprentice car mechanic killed himself after being bullied by coworkers:
On one occasion, the young man said his colleagues had locked him in a cage at the garage by force, doused him in a flammable liquid and set fire to his clothes.
…
His father told the inquest that the evening before his death, George had been pacing around the house, saying “I have to quit, I can’t go back there” over and over again.
Having told his son not to resign from his job and that things would get better, Mr Cheese said he now realised how “ridiculous” this response was.
First of all, the workplace should be held legally responsible for letting that kind of behavior happen. The supervisor even knew about it:
George’s line manager, Simon Wright, who admitted to playing a number of pranks on George, told the inquest: “I was in the workshop when a prank was played on George and he was set on fire.
“It did not go too far. We knew where to draw the line,” he said.
“It was not bullying.”
Oh yes it was.
The main lesson to take away form this is that if someone you care about is miserable at work and wants to quit, support them.
The correct answer to “I hate my job and want to quit,” is not “You just need to tough it out, things will get better.” The correct answer is “Great idea, how can I help you in that situation.”
Quitting is not an easy choice but sometimes it is the only choice. And the price of not making that choice can be very, very high.
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