Feeling Trapped at Work: Should I Quit to Protect My Friends and Career?

Dear Members,

Today is one of my worst days in my professional life. The reason is that two of my best friends and colleagues have received a bad name temporarily and negative feedback from their seniors because of me. I am very upset about this and am considering quitting my job. The reason is simple - in my opinion, there is no mistake on my part or on the part of my friends, but we are being wrongly accused by other employees. I feel there is no growth opportunity for me in this company, and I do not want others to suffer because of me. Therefore, I have decided to resign. Though I may not have shared the full details with you, I would appreciate your opinions on my decision to leave the job. Kindly suggest me...

Regards,
Amith R.

Hi Amit,

After reading this, I can understand your situation, but don't make any decisions without thinking. You mentioned that your friends have received a bad reputation because of your simple mistake or something.

My suggestion is, if you truly want to quit the job, go ahead, but before doing so, have a chat with your seniors. Explain the situation, apologize, and clarify that your friends are not to blame for your mistake. This approach may save your friends' jobs, and your seniors might forgive your error.

Consider what you would do if you encounter a similar problem in another company. It's essential to think carefully before deciding to quit.

I hope my suggestion will be helpful.

Regards,
Anil

Hi Anil,

Thank you very much for your suggestion. I would like to make it clear that no one has made any mistakes here. It is simply a matter of time now for which I need to sustain this unwanted pressure. Specifically, I am worried about potentially causing problems for others, not considering quitting the job in this context. Moreover, since I do not see any growth opportunities in this company, I am contemplating quitting. I often ponder such situations happening in my next company.

No one has erred in this case, but I am curious about how to handle such situations. I would appreciate hearing views from others as well.

Regards,
Amith R.

Hi Amit,

Until and unless you tell the situation properly, nobody would be able to help you and guide you properly. Be open and discuss with only one person whom you think may guide you the best.

One thing I would like to share apart from your problem is if you want to change your job, hunt for another job first and then leave the company. The situation is such that if you leave the company at present, that would be a black spot on your career. Stay here for some time until the issue settles down. Meanwhile, start giving interviews as well. As soon as you find a good job for yourself, go ahead.

This is what I feel.

Hi,

Thanks a lot for your views on this. I will for sure continue in the same job for the coming few days. When it comes to the problem, it is just a matter of miscommunication that is taking place. To some extent, it is a matter of one person trying to pull the other person down because he/she has been promoted to the next level now, and this is not being tolerated by other people around. The person who has been moved up is my friend.

Now, I would like to know how you would handle people who are trying to do this and also those who tend to believe the words of such people.

Hope it is clear now.

Regards,
Amith R.

Well, Amith, chill out. We are all here to help you. Just now we chatted in the afternoon.

Well, you can consider quitting your job, but this incident has made you think that you would quit your job now and search for a new one. But first, cool down. You can apply for other jobs as suggested by our members.

This issue is common; pulling legs, jealousy, and hatred all come with success. Now, someone in your company got promoted, and some employees did not like it and were not on good terms with your friend. These employees started pulling your friend's leg. Seeing this, the good friends of your friend who got promoted got angry with the employees pulling legs. Consequently, something happened, and an innocent person got entangled in the web.

For the time being, don't apologize to anyone. Support the person who is entangled in the web and free them. Try your best to catch the real culprit by hook or by crook. My best wishes to you.

Hi,

Thanks a lot, friends. For the time being, what we have decided is to be silent for some days and allow things to cool down a bit. I want my friends to settle down with work in the eyes of their senior person. I hope this will solve more than half of the problem.

By the way, I need one answer from the members: how should one get self-motivated during such instances?

Can I have your views on this point?

Regards,
Amith R.

Hi,

I need to tell you that you should try to control your emotions. I know it is difficult, but as we are in HR, we need to be in control of the situation. Just think for yourself, will quitting the job solve the situation? You may feel yes in the short run, but I feel it is escapism.

I feel you should relax and think with your heart and mind and solve by thinking what your decision would lead to either positive or negative. Lastly, to the question of being self-motivated, try to think of any great personality that you admire and imagine how he/she would have solved the problem, and then you would automatically get the answer.

In the end, we are all there to motivate you, so be happy and say cheese now! 😊

Regards,
Karuuna

Hi Karuuna,

Thank you very much! Yes, as I have posted in my previous post, we have decided to stay silent for the time being and allow things to settle down. I hope this will certainly calm us down and also shut the mouths of people who are trying to create problems. I also believe this will close the eyes of a senior person who is believing these fools.

Keep motivating me.

Regards,
Amith R.

Dear Amit,

If you are having lots of job offers in your hand, then I suggest you will quit. But if the same situation comes in the next company, then what will you do? So, it's better to remain in the same job and develop skills to handle such situations. At this time, patience is the best therapy for you. Simultaneously, you should develop your skills to avoid such things in the future.

Best of luck.

Regards,
Vivek

Hi Amit,

If you make a mistake, please show the boldness to admit it. Do not pass it on to anybody else. It always helps you to grow and be firm in your profession.

Hi friends,

Thank you very much for your suggestions. In my opinion, the issue is starting to cool down a bit as we are quite calm on this topic. As I pointed out, no one has made any mistakes here. It is simply a matter of one person trying to tease another.

My main reason for posting this case is to observe how people react to such situations. Apart from this, there is nothing else, and we have seen different people expressing different views on this topic.

Let's consider more cases like this...

Regards,
Amith R.

Hi,

I know if you are deciding to quit, there must be a lot of tension in the environment where you are working. And it is not easy for you to concentrate on work. Whatever the reason, take leave for a few days and relax, then think. Secondly, nowadays the situation in the market is bad for HR. Either the company is small (no scope of growth) or a big company with lots of politics. On average, if you have worked for 5 years, where do you stand?

Please stick to your job because the grass is always greener on the other side.

THINK.

Hi Ranjana,

Thank you for your feedback. I can understand the situation very well because one thing I always keep in mind is that wherever you go, you will encounter some form of problems. The decision to quit my current job is not solely due to the unwanted pressure and office politics, but also because I am contemplating how I can advance in the HR profession. This includes considering what opportunities exist for growth both within this company and elsewhere.

Anyways, thank you again for your suggestions.

Regards,
Amith R.