That social networks have become the new indispensable agora for any conversation is not a new phenomenon. However, when it comes to work-related topics, especially those related to a dismissal, things change, or at least they did for an entire generation that considered it shameful and something that had to be hidden even from close friends; “mutual agreement” a metaphor that always hid a silent duel.
In recent months, a new practice has appeared that challenges companies and many bosses, Quit Tok, which involves recording the resignation from a job or a dismissal by the human resources department and uploading it to social networks. It has emerged as a result of a young woman named Britanny who decided to record the call in which human resources informed her of her dismissal. Surely, if you are reading these lines and belong to a generation older than 26, you will not believe it. The underlying issue is not why they record and share it, but what they do it for, and beyond legal or moral considerations, what is clear is that a generation is entering companies with rules of the game, values, and purpose that clearly differ from previous ones. It will be up to ethics to say whether they are better or worse, good or bad, not the prejudices and biases of many older people who do not understand them, as has always happened in the course of history.
The technological revolution resulting from the emergence of the Internet along with the disruption of artificial intelligence, and a health pandemic that put the purpose of life and work on alert, has caused a radical change in the way of being and the consumption habits of younger generations, which is slowly spreading to other age groups. It is not so much the uncertainty as the speed at which changes occur and new trends appear, which show that transparency, personalization, closeness, and immediacy should be the new precepts in companies.
The level of job dissatisfaction in organizations continues to grow to unsustainable levels for productivity and commitment. And beyond questioning whether young people lack values or capacity for effort and love “showing off” even if it is with their own dismissal, the new practice of Quit Tok should lead us to think, as companies and society, whether doing things the same way as always, with the same policies and procedures, in many cases unjust and lacking in transparency, is still valid. Companies and human resources departments should question their consistency with the usual practices, with the people they claim are at the center, and analyze what are the real levers to attract and enamor valuable talent. The dangerous demographic pyramid along with the new behaviors of young people are already sufficient warning signs.
In 2019, and after more than three dismissals, I published my book ‘You Are Going To Get Fired And You Know It’, and one of the pieces of advice was to always have a plan A, B, and C; now would be a good time to write “They are going to leave and you know it… and they will also make it public”. Perhaps this generation has become too aware and wants to communicate their voluntary or involuntary dismissal without fear or shame, with or without reason, because they demand transparency, to be their own boss, and not have human resources inform them. They do it boldly and also with their powerful social media platform. For companies, it is a challenge, many times, to give more explanations than necessary, to go beyond a canned exit interview, in short, to play with transparency and influence, beyond good and evil as Nietzsche would say, which gives the territory of social networks.
