How to Decide Whether to Quit or Stay?
Updated: 2 days ago
Is It Time to Quit?
If you are feeling restless in your career, you are far from alone. The current workplace landscape is shifting dramatically:
Recent data from Culture Amp, spanning 5,000 organizations and 88 million responses, shows that 19% of employees are actively looking for or considering a new job in the short term, while another 10% plan to leave within the next two years.
According to Gallup’s 2026 State of the Global Workplace report:
Employee engagement has dropped for the second consecutive year to just 20%. In Europe, the situation is even more alarming, with only 12% of the workforce feeling engaged.
A staggering 40% of workers globally experience high levels of stress on a daily basis.
Engagement among managers and leaders has taken a sharp dive from 27% to 22%. Leaders are losing their motivation and burning out, which directly impacts their teams.
Culture Amp data reveals that employee positivity and satisfaction plummet to their lowest point right between the second and sixth year at the same company.
The reality is that one in five of your colleagues is actively looking for a new job. Feeling stuck in 2026 is not a personal failure, but a reflection of a massive global trend. However, your decision to quit must still be deeply strategic.
The Weight of the Decision
Getting clear on whether to stay or go affects not just your professional success, but your overall happiness in life. If we make a rash, emotional decision to leave too soon, we might miss out on valuable chances for learning and development. On the flip side, staying in the wrong role can lead to stagnation, misery, and even serious damage to our physical and mental health. This is why mastering the skill of career decision-making is so crucial, especially since data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the average person will make such a transition and change jobs around 12 times in their lifetime.
How Bad is "Bad Enough"?
It is often difficult to draw the line and evaluate your current reality objectively. Is your organizational culture destructive, or is your manager just in a bad phase and prone to breaking promises? Because we constantly hear other people complaining about their jobs, it is easy to wonder if chronic dissatisfaction is just "normal" and something we simply need to tolerate. In her article Should You Quit Your “Meh” Job? Or is it Salvageable?, Rebecca Knight suggests taking a step back to evaluate your situation. You first need to ask yourself if the workplace is toxic or just going through a rough patch. It is also important to recognize whether you feel completely emotionally depleted and burned out by the role. Try to differentiate whether you are truly miserable or simply bored with your current tasks. Consider if there is still anything about the job that you actually enjoy doing on a daily basis. Be honest with yourself about whether you are still giving the role your best effort, or if you've already checked out. Sometimes, you just need a shift in perspective, which might mean seeking out different friends or expanding your professional network. Ultimately, reflecting on these areas helps you figure out if the situation is entirely broken or if the job can still be salvaged.
One of the core recommendations of the Designing Your Life (DYL) coaching approach, which I use in my practice, is "Don't resign, redesign", meaning, explore whether your current role can be reshaped to better suit you before you decide to leave it entirely.
The Regret Minimization Framework
A technique that can be incredibly helpful when making a decision whether to stay or leave comes from mathematics and game theory, famously popularized by Jeff Bezos: the regret minimization framework. Project yourself far into the future and ask yourself: when you are much older, will you regret leaving this job and failing in that new endeavour, or will you regret staying and never even trying the alternative you had in mind? This mental shift allows us to see the bigger picture, preventing us from catastrophizing failure and instead viewing it as a natural learning chapter in our broader life story. Often, a temporary risk is negligible compared to a lifetime of regret. People almost always regret missed opportunities far more than unsuccessful attempts.
The Three-Column Exercise
Another exercise that could help your progress with your decision is the three column exercise. This exercise is designed as a quick, three-part self-assessment tool for anyone considering quitting or changing careers but isn't entirely sure what kind of role they are looking for next.
Take a blank piece of paper and fold it into three equal vertical sections.
Write one of the following titles at the top of each column:
Things I want to know how to do
Things I enjoy doing
Things I never want to do again
Without overthinking or analyzing, rapidly write down whatever comes to mind in the first few seconds (e.g., "writing reports," "solving client problems," "mentoring new colleagues").
While it won't magically hand you a complete picture of your ideal job, spending just a few minutes on this exercise provides clear, actionable directions to jumpstart your job search or help you redesign your current role (job crafting).
Pro-Tip for Advancement: Career expert Priscilla Claman specifically advises that in the first column ("Things I want to know how to do"), you should intentionally write down skills required for a position one level higher than your current one. This strategy shifts your focus from making a lateral move to targeting real career advancement and a higher salary.
Defining Your Next Move
Once you have an idea of your general direction, taking a foundational self-assessment can clarify what truly motivates you in a career. As outlined in 6 Questions to Help You Decide What You Want in Your Next Job, you can ask yourself these six science-based questions to determine what you want in your next role:
What are my non-negotiables, personal values, and top priorities? You should identify your fundamental needs, such as work-life balance, job stability, flexibility, or working for a company that aligns with your personal values.
What are my financial considerations? Be honest about how much compensation you actually need/want. You should also consider whether you would sacrifice a portion of your salary for a better culture or greater learning opportunities.
What drives me at work? Determine if you are motivated by factors like power, status, having fun, or working alongside great colleagues.
How much autonomy do I want or need? Consider if you thrive with the freedom to make independent decisions, or if you prefer a structured environment with clear guidelines.
What are my intrinsic motivations? Reflect on whether you expect your job to provide deep fulfillment and joy. Alternatively, you might see work primarily as a means to an end while finding your passion outside the office.
How will I grow in this role? Ask yourself what new skills you want to develop. You should also evaluate if the prospective role prioritizes continuous learning and expertise expansion.
When to Quit (Even Without a Backup Plan)
The reality of the job market is that employers are more likely to interview and extend offers to people who are currently employed. It might not seem fair, but that is how things stand, which is why it's usually best to secure a new job before quitting.
However, there are some exceptions to this rule: if your health or integrity is on the line. If you are asked to do something immoral, or if your physical or mental well-being is genuinely threatened, it is time to leave regardless of your backup plan.
Navigating the Gray Zone
Being stuck in the gray or yellow zone of this decision can be exhausting, terrifying, and deeply tense as you wait for the situation to unfold to see if things improve or if it’s just a passing phase. If you are caught in this dilemma and feel you could use the support of a career coach, you can explore my approach here or book a free consultation to map out your next steps.