Print This
Email ThisIn any given workplace there are going to be people who are unhappy where they are. There are going to be people who are searching for another job. Or people who just complain everyday.
Then there are the people who threaten to leave on a continual basis. These people confide in not just their workplace friends but anyone who will listen. They say things like “There’s a high demand for my job” or “I was offered a position for 10k more.”
If this sounds like you, I’m going to tell you what people really want to say to you when you tell them these things: Leave Then!
All the people you “confide in” smile and nod when you tell them your thoughts of grandeur. In truth they really just want you to stop pretending to sit on the fence. They know you’re probably not going anywhere. They know you only say these things to make yourself feel better. But, that doesn’t mean they care to listen to it. So please, either actively search for a new job or decide you’re going to stick with it and shut up. 
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All that needs to be said Rachel is: Amen!
I have to admit, I’m guilty of doing this, especially at my last job. Co-workers and I frequently corresponded back and forth about how unhappy we were, and we constantly discussed how, yes, we were really, really going to leave. It took about three months of that kind of correspondence (and reassurances of support) before I actually had the courage to resign, but it was among the best decisions I’ve made for myself.
I think that’s mainly part of the problem — people complain and imagine what could be if they were to quit that awful job of theirs. On the one hand, it’s therapeutic to get all of your complaints out; on the other hand, I don’t see the point in staying with a job that makes you that unhappy. But my sentiments echo yours — if you want to make a change, find the courage and actively pursue it…otherwise, hunker down and shut it.
Great post.
If you can’t stop talking about it, there is always the 2 hour, 3 martini lunches.
Works for me.
Tiffany - I knew I wasn’t alone.
Susan - I don’t mind people complaining about their jobs or job searching. What my post is directed at is people who think that the grass is greener on the other side and that they could have that grass at any time.
Scott - You must have missed my post on alcohol on lunch breaks
I agree, this kind of behavior can get old fast. It’s also self-defeating because the boss usually knows who’s complaining and will be reluctant to assign interesting or additional projects to that person, thus reinforcing that squeaky wheel’s discontent.