• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish

1

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish
SuccessGreat Resignation

Millennial and Gen Z workers are fueling the Great Resignation by rage quitting, and they have no regrets

By
Jane Thier
Jane Thier
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Jane Thier
Jane Thier
Down Arrow Button Icon
March 3, 2022, 12:10 PM ET

S. was only a few months into a new job when she quit via email following an upsetting meeting with her manager. The 28-year-old, New York City–based journalist, who asked to remain anonymous because she fears retaliation from her former employer, had enough of the toxic workplace. The final straw came when her boss force-muted her during a Zoom editorial meeting when they were having a contentious conversation about a story she was writing.

“I told him I disagreed with him, and he didn’t like that,” she tells Fortune. “So he, I suppose, decided he’d heard enough from me, and he force-muted me while I was talking. It was like slamming a door in my face.”

S. had never been force-muted before and was stunned. She immediately typed up and submitted her resignation letter. 

“I almost didn’t send it because I wasn’t even four months into this job and was just starting off in a new city,” she says. “I thought, Wow, this is not going to look good on my résumé. But I had to stand up for myself.”

Record numbers of Americans are quitting their jobs, and it’s not always a preplanned exit, a recent survey by online invoicing platform Skynova found. 

The results were surprising—and it wasn’t all bad news. Of the 1,000 survey respondents, “60% of people who rage-quit received a higher salary in their new job—an average of a $7,200 salary increase,” Joe Mercurio, a manager for the project, tells Fortune. 

Some people immediately regret their decision: 41% of rage-quitters tried to get their job back after the fact, and 78% were successful. When they return to their old job, they’re often able to leverage their rage-quit to get a higher salary, he adds.

“With the tight labor market, if a really helpful employee quits, it’s easier for a manager to make it work than to find someone new,” Mercurio says. 

Over the past year, workers were more likely to rage-quit owing to a culture of overwork, excessive stress, and employers having little regard for employees’ mental health: 56% of Skynova’s survey respondents reported improved mental health after they left their job, and 43% said their stress levels improved.

“It’s a clear indication that workers are overworked and underpaid, and job dissatisfaction builds up over time,” Mercurio notes. “The people who rage-quit don’t plan on doing it—it’s spur of the moment.”

The No. 1 reason employees quit was poor management, followed by a toxic boss, excessive work stress, and toxic coworkers. 

Jordan James, 34, rage-quit his job working for a private label credit card company after an executive pulled him aside and asked him to be “less cheerful.” 

James, who is gay, thinks she really meant: Be less flamboyant. Insulted, he put in his three months’ notice on the spot (standard practice for senior employees in the U.K.).

“She was kind of stunned,” James tells Fortune. “I went back to my desk, and throughout the day [some] executives said really lovely things like, ‘We need you, don’t leave.’ But other people said things like, ‘If you leave now, you’ll never work again.’”

By 4 p.m., overwhelmed, James packed up his desk and left. A week later, he received a letter from his former employer threatening to sue him for a number of offenses, including breach of contract. James replied, saying he was happy to go to court and tell the story of why he left. After that, he says, he never heard back. 

“I couldn’t physically have been there for another minute—I regret not leaving the minute she said it,” he says. “I worked on the executive floor, and, out of 300 people, I was the only gay person, and there was not one person of color in the entire headquarters. It was a really strange, sexist, homophobic business.”

James was worried that his sudden exit would damage his career prospects, but he has no regrets. After leaving, he dabbled in journalism before opening Unlockd Marketing, which he’s been heading for seven years. By year two, he says, he was making significantly more than the £175,000 salary he earned at the credit card company. 

And “I’m more cheerful not being there,” he says. 

Never miss a story: Follow your favorite topics and authors to get a personalized email with the journalism that matters most to you.

About the Author
By Jane Thier
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Success

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Success

dimon
SuccessGen Z
Jamie Dimon tells Gen Z to ‘learn how to think, learn how to earn respect’ as he describes ‘great meeting’ with Zohran Mamdani
By Nick LichtenbergMay 29, 2026
3 hours ago
Conan O'Brien holds up a Harvard sports sweater given to him after he delivered the commencement address at Harvard University
SuccessCareers
Conan O’Brien tells Harvard graduates to play down their $250K Ivy League degree—and instead embrace being humble and ‘bad at things’
By Preston ForeMay 29, 2026
3 hours ago
Lisa Su, CEO of AMD
SuccessJobs
AMD CEO Lisa Su tells grads they shape the future, not AI—and the world doesn’t just need ‘people who know how to use powerful tools’
By Emma BurleighMay 29, 2026
3 hours ago
National Spelling Bee champion Shrey Parikh spells 32 words correctly in 90 seconds to win in lightning round tie-breaker
Successteenagers
National Spelling Bee champion Shrey Parikh spells 32 words correctly in 90 seconds to win in lightning round tie-breaker
By The Associated Press and Ben NuckolsMay 29, 2026
5 hours ago
conan
North AmericaEducation
Conan O’Brien’s advice to Harvard grads is to forget Harvard as soon as they can
By Michael Casey and The Associated PressMay 29, 2026
7 hours ago
lentz
CommentaryCareers
I built a Fortune 1000 career most people wouldn’t walk away from. Then I did
By Christine LentzMay 29, 2026
8 hours ago

Most Popular

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
Magazine
As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
By Emma HinchliffeMay 27, 2026
2 days ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
8 days ago
The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish
Environment
The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish
By Dorany Pineda, Brittany Peterson and The Associated PressMay 27, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 28, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 28, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 28, 2026
1 day ago
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
Success
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
By Emma BurleighMay 28, 2026
1 day ago
Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it
Banking
Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it
By Nick LichtenbergMay 27, 2026
2 days ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.