"Retaliatory resignation" is on the rise! Where does employee anger come from? A long-simmering workplace counterattack

As the global job market gradually recovers in 2025, "revenge quitting" will become a new wave of workplace trends. This is no longer a simple act of resignation, but an "angry statement."

Due to long-term accumulated dissatisfaction and pressure, coupled with the uncertainty of work in the post-epidemic era, many employees choose to resign to "express protest" to their employers, emphasize their own value and seek new solutions. According to workplace expert Edel Holliday-Quinn, some employees feel "burned out" and "undervalued."

According to Glassdoor's "2025 Career Trends Report", as many as 65% of respondents believe that they are "stuck in their current job," including 73% of respondents in the technology industry. Long-term career obstacles and inner dissatisfaction caused these employees to finally "explode", and retaliatory resignation became a way to vent their emotions. Although some employees still carefully maintain their workplace reputation after resigning, many others choose to publicly express their dissatisfaction with the company's culture, management, or toxic workplace and leave decisively.

The three main reasons for retaliatory resignation: burnout, toxic workplace, and career stagnation

The main reasons for retaliatory resignations come from job burnout, toxic workplaces and career barriers. In recent years, employee burnout has become an increasingly serious problem. Especially after the epidemic, remote and office policies have changed repeatedly, doubling the work pressure of employees.

A report by Businesssolver, a business management consulting company, shows that 42% of respondents said they were in a "toxic workplace" environment, which also accelerated employees' thoughts of retaliatory resignation. The report also showed that as many as 52% of CEOs believe that company culture is "toxic." Holliday Quinn said that the phenomenon of retaliatory resignation is not simply resignation, but that employees choose to leave to "express a certain position."

Career stagnation is also an important factor in triggering retaliatory resignations. As the labor market cools, employees' opportunities for promotion and salary increases decrease. The "2025 Career Trends Report" pointed out that 22% of managers faced a decrease in salary after changing jobs; the proportion of downgrades from management positions to non-management positions was even higher, increasing from 28% in 2019 to 32% in 2024. Long-term career stagnation and development bottlenecks have prompted many professionals to choose to "wait for opportunities." Once the job market picks up, these people will quickly change jobs in pursuit of better career development and salary remuneration.

New trends in the workplace in 2025: Generation Z supervisors, the rise of side hustle culture, and companies paying attention to mental health

This report also points out several workplace trends in 2025. First of all, Generation Z will become one of the main players in the workplace management class and is expected to account for 10% of all management positions.

In addition, mental health has become a focus of modern employees. Since 2024, the proportion of companies providing mental health benefits has increased by 18%, making it an important means for companies to attract and retain talents. In the evaluation of work, the mention rates of "empathy" and "mental and physical health" have increased significantly in the past five years, reaching 76% and 126% respectively.

In addition, as economic uncertainty increases, more and more people are choosing to develop side jobs to increase income and career flexibility. 39% of respondents have a side hustle, with Gen Z's share even higher at 57%. Side hustles not only supplement financial needs, but also provide non-traditional career paths.

The retaliatory turnover phenomenon in 2025 reveals the long-term accumulated dissatisfaction and career difficulties of employees. If employers want to avoid brain drain, they must face up to workplace culture and employee needs, and adopt effective communication strategies.

Source: Business Insider, Fast Company, Glassdoor