The great resignation, more typical of the United States, leads many to rethink their work and the weight it has in their lives. The pandemic opened the eyes of a discontent that some capture by leaving. But before doing so, you have to meditate: it is a decision that you can pursue in the future, beyond what is believed. Both for the loss of rights and not finding a job and that it harms when looking for a job. Or have to go back. The intermediate solution goes through a friendly goodbye. Life takes many turns...
Considering the step can come for various reasons. From stress due to work overload, a bad relationship with the boss or a rethinking of life priorities. “After the covid, the desire for greater autonomy, flexibility of schedules, has gained strength,” says Pedro César Martínez, director of the master's degree in human resources at Comillas Icade. If you don't have it, discontent grows, which can lead to looking to leave "depending on your age, vital moment, time horizon and family or economic burdens." But it is one thing to think about it and another to do it. Although some recent studies by Adecco indicate that 25% would think of resigning, "the figure that makes this decision is much lower," says Marcos Huergo, general director of the labor firm LHH.
Putting yourself in that situation, how should the exit be if you want another job? The ideal is to notify in time, give room to find a substitute and be present for the transfer of functions and responsibilities. “The exits must be correct, adequate and leaving the door open”, they say in LHH. Regarding notice periods, two weeks are used as a reference. For critical, more important positions, alerts can be given a month in advance. "More is not advisable." This seeks to "preserve personal reputation", as defined by Huergo. That which accompanies throughout working life and can come to light in a subsequent hiring process.
Above all, it is necessary to assess whether it is worth resigning due to the loss of rights that this entails, hence another great piece of advice is to leave with another tied job. The SEPE makes it clear: “If you leave a job voluntarily, you cannot receive unemployment benefits. In order to collect it, it is necessary that the sick leave has not occurred voluntarily. The safety net that differentiates the Spanish market from the United States is vanishing. There are hardly any exceptions with resignation and unemployment. If the conditions of the contract are substantially modified, if there is a lack of payment or delays, changes in the contract that violate the dignity of the employee or in cases of victims of gender or sexual violence, Lola Justo, a lawyer at Legálitas, reviews.
As in the American case there is no unemployment benefit, when you leave your job there is not so much to lose. And with such a low unemployment rate, the market is much more dynamic. "USA. it is based on flexibility and speed, it adapts better to economic changes. Here we workers are more conservative, to make a career in a company and with a mattress that guarantees income if there is a job break, ”explains Martínez. By leaving voluntarily “you waive severance pay and unemployment. The risks you take on here are greater, it may be more difficult to find an alternative”, insists Huergo. Thus, options such as leave of absence or asking to work one less day gain weight.
In order not to be unemployed, some try to negotiate with the company and dress it up as a layoff. Bad idea. “Agreeing to dismissal is a fraud. The SEPE may not recognize the right to unemployment and both the worker and the company may be sanctioned”, Justo warns. Nor should silent resignation, limiting oneself to fulfilling hours and functions without much effort. It can lead to disciplinary dismissal, which has unemployment but compensation depends on whether the judge values the dismissal unfair or fair. In cases in which it is sought to force the dismissal to collect unemployment, such as not going to work, Justo points out that there are companies that voluntarily discharge the employee, leaving them without unemployment. In this case, the worker would have to go to court to assess whether it is dismissal with the right to unemployment benefit or voluntary dismissal, without.
Everyone loses with the abrupt exit. “The worker must put empathy, elegance. For the company, high turnover is not good, it means starting from scratch”, summarizes Martínez.
