Being Supportive
A few days ago, a friend of mine called me and told me about his intention to quit his current job. I knew he has been having a tough time in this job and has mentioned about quitting a few times before.
However this time around, he sounded very serious about it... and he planned to resign without any new jobs in hands.
This reminded me very much about the time when I was deciding of doing the same in one of my previous jobs a few years ago. You know what the funny thing is? The company my friend is in now is the same company I resigned from (without a new job in hand) a few years ago, although we're not from the same department. Goes to show how "wonderful" that company is, eh?
I understood his feelings. I understood how mentally stressing it was to be in an environment that you hated so much. I have been there, I have done that.
I knew he was in a dilemma on whether to take the risk of quitting without having anything to fall back on. I knew he just wanted me to say that I support him with his decision, and that everything is gonna be great.
However I couldn't just tell him what he wanted to hear. When I was jobless during that time, I had such a tough time living off my puny savings and not knowing when I would find a new job. It was not a good feeling at all. I wouldn't want to be in that situation ever again if I have a choice.
So I shared with him my experience and asked him to think carefully of his next step of action. If he has the "bullets" i.e. the savings that can last him a few months, then he has less things to worry about.
Finally after I have made my point, I told him that I support his decision if he has thought about it carefully and rationally, and that no matter what... things will work out fine.
I wanted to be supportive but at the same time, I wanted to make sure that he wasn't making a rash decision.
2 days ago, he informed me that he has tendered his resignation and that he felt like a big load lifted off his shoulder. I congratulated him and wished him all the best. I really do hope he will get a new job soon while serving his resignation notice.
