As the wise sage of my generation, Adam Sandler, said while playing an Italian Tour Guide, “If you are sad where you are, and then you get on a plane to Italy, the You in Italy will be the same Sad You from before, just in a new place.” Similarly, getting a new job may not address that vague feeling of purposelessness many of us have felt in the past 18 months. 

 

Many times during the pandemic I’ve felt feelings of purposelessness turn to frustration and then to panic. Frustration that I can’t leave my stuffy attic office, meet my friends for coffee, or just go outside without feeling like I’m suiting up for an expedition on an alien world. I’m afraid that these things may never change, and as the panic builds, the need to escape starts to take hold. I want to escape my house, my job, my kids who are struggling as they’re cut off from their worlds just as I have been cut off from mine. Sometimes, I’m afraid that I might never stop feeling trapped. And now with the Delta variant… 

 

But let’s work through it together. If the panic starts to set in, it might not be your life that’s the problem. You might be experiencing what I’ve been calling PSD (Pandemic Stress Disorder). Unresolved, you might just take your angst and anxiety with you when you resign from your job and be, “the same Sad You from before.”

 

We have painful memories that we have yet to deal with. Remember facing grocery store aisles bare of necessities like flour, soap, and toilet paper? We monitored our local rates of infections, hospitalizations, and mortality like our lives depended on it. That was scary! What we experienced fits the classic definition of trauma. Now, individually and collectively, we need to give ourselves the space to process how that trauma felt in order to heal from it and move on.

 

A staggering 95% of working Americans are considering changing jobs, according to a recent report by jobs site Monster.com. Researchers are calling it the Great Resignation, and as a follow up to my interview in Forbes last week, I believe this is happening because of PSD. But before you jump to another company; it might be worthwhile to do some soul searching and healing where you are. 

 

Here are some things to consider before resigning from your job:

 

• Reflect on what you learned about yourself over the past year. Did your experience of the pandemic alter your priorities? Are your personal or professional goals changed or strengthened? What were some of your lowest moments in the last 18 months? What is something positive that happened unexpectedly?

 

• Reflect on what you learned about your employer. Write out a “Love it / Hate it” list about the support your employer provided in the last year. When times were tough and the world seemed so scary, what did your manager do? Did they show empathy? Did you feel listened to and acknowledged? Did your company culture create an environment where you felt engaged with your colleagues and your work despite world events? Were you recognized and rewarded for your work? Were you given the space you needed to deal with what was going on? 

 

Then, put these two reflection lists together and see what you learn: 

 

• Perhaps your priorities are still aligned with the work you do at your current company; and perhaps, on balance, your employer offered you support and flexibility during a pretty tough time. This doesn’t mean everything is perfect, and that’s ok too. We are all adapting as best we can, and you may need more time to heal, or you may need a conversation with your manager or teammates to make adjustments. 

 

• Or maybe you’ll realize you want something different -- whether because your priorities have changed, or because you’re fundamentally disappointed in how your company rose (or didn’t) to the challenges last year created. In this case, resigning and finding a new job may be the right move. 

 

Don’t quit your job because you feel lost or numb.  Reflect, and be intentional about what you really need right now.  It’s tone-deaf for employers to dismiss the mental health implications of the pandemic.  Did your company train your manager on how to support a remote workforce?  Companies who insist employees return to the office and go back to working exactly as they did before risk driving down engagement and driving up attrition.

 

Here at Klaviyo, we have ambitious hiring plans, and as the Chief People Officer, I intend to make the Great Resignation work for us. If another company is foolish enough to show you less than the respect you deserve, come to Klaviyo where we have a great culture, we compensate our employees at the top of the market, and we do meaningful work to support our world as we continue to grow. 

 

And while I’m focused on recruiting talented people to Klaviyo, I’m even more interested in the collective mental health of our national workforce. Please take care of yourselves. Eat what makes your body happy, exercize, and get plenty of rest. Listen to your needs and have respect for what you hear. Find a community where you can ask for help. And if you do decide to move, I hope you find exactly what you seek.

 

Some national mental health resources that may be helpful:

• Identify a provider to treat substance use disorders, addiction, and mental illness at FindTreatment.gov

• Find a Psychiatrist for adults at American Psychiatric Association Foundation or for children or adolescents at American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, use Lifeline Chat on the web

• General information about mental health topics: Mental Health America