We're all quitters now

WALK out the door, I don't need you, I don't want you any more" was the anthem belted out by avenging females in the 1970s. Now Y2K young Londoners are bringing Gloria Gaynor's 'I Will Survive' sentiment to the workplace, as they walk out the door on their jobs.

We are rapidly becoming a capital of quitters. Throwing in the towel is not the preserve of the likes of Geri Halliwell, Chris Evans or even Michael Heseltine when the going gets tough, or at least not to their liking. A recent survey by TopJobs.net found that 45 per cent of people in Greater London leave their jobs for no other reason than they are "unhappy".

And what makes them mad, sick and sad? Bad bosses. Working Londoners will put up with a lot: long hours, even the wrong job or company culture, but having a pig of a boss is asking too much. The research found that "boss divorcing" is the hot new workplace concept. Out of a choice of 10 reasons the survey gave for quitting, a bad boss came out well on top.

As the figures demonstrate, people don't hang around. The time- scale for quitting shows the short fuse of many employees. After the disenchantment begins, about a third stay between two and four months before walking out, and the under -24s have even less patience - staying just one month.

Glyn Davies gave up a promising career in management with a high- street retailer after a spell under the manager from hell: "This guy spent his entire working life ruffling people's feathers and conniving to set us against each other. His antics brought down the morale of the whole branch - and also the sales figures." Davies recalls, not without feeling, that things went from bad to worse. "When they finally got rid of him, the new boss didn't want to know about the previous problems. He accused me of being crap at my job - it was the last straw. I thought, if this was indicative of management style throughout the set-up, I didn't want to know. I got out at the first opportunity."

So who is most worried about this high turnover of talent? With well-publicised recruitment shortages, it should be the employers. More bad news for companies comes in findings by the London Chamber of Commerce. Its survey data revealed that nearly two out of every three London companies are struggling to find the right staff - especially in west London, where firms are hiking salaries to ease recruitment problems.

The balance of power seems to have swung towards the employees. But what are the reasons behind bad boss behaviour? Professor Carey Cooper, an expert on workplace psychology, observes: "I am not at all surprised to hear that people are quitting. People think bullying is all about screaming and yelling, but it is more subtle than that. It is about humiliating, excessive monitoring of work and nit-picking."

Cooper adds: "We haven't got more psychopathic bullies for managers. They are just people who are overloaded, who become bullies as a management style because they can't cope."

So what can employers do to stem the flow of "stuff your job" quitters?

Professor Cooper suggests that the employee should have a safe place to go - someone to speak to about problems. "Individuals have the option of telling their bosses what they think of their behaviour, but only if he or she is the type of person who will hear them out."

If you like the company and don't want to go, but feel you are on the brink, Cooper recommends asking for a transfer or talking to Personnel. If this doesn't work, he advises getting out. "A bad relationship with a boss can make you ill. It's not worth it."

From the employer's angle, Dr Angela Hetherington, clinical director for workplace counsellors PPC, strongly advises that bully- boy management is something that needs addressing. "The impact will not just be on one employee - there will be a pattern of events. As soon as one person who has been badly treated leaves, the new recruit will probably find themselves in the same situation."

As Hetherington points out, the employer won't just be faced with a high turnover of staff if they don't tackle this problem. "People are working too long, stress is increasing, and we have far more office rage today. If an organisation doesn't address this situation, it won't be just the recruitment costs they will have to foot. They are also increasing the chances of litigation."

So remember, push them too far and London's young employees won't just walk out the door - they may be back, accompanied by a lawyer.

MANAGING YOUR MANAGER * Understand your boss by acknowledging his or her priorities * Win the support of your boss by doing your job as well as you can * Keep him or her constantly informed of what you are doing * Don't forget to highlight your achievements * Present solutions rather than problems * Be a good team player * Keep an eye on the organisation's politics by recognising where the powerbase of your boss starts and finishes

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