Ghosting at work

An increasing number of workers are disappearing on jobs they no longer want. Is ghosting at work long overdue?

You talked, you flirted, you planned to meet up soon – then you never heard from them again. ‘Ghosting’ is a well-known phenomenon in today’s dating scene, but now it’s moving to the workplace. Reports suggest a growing number of employees are choosing to leave roles without the most basic of formalities. Ghosting isn’t just about workers leaving one day and never returning – stories abound about applicants not turning up for interviews, or new hires not showing up at all.

Recruiters say ghosting at work is not a good look and can come back to bite you in later life; they advise leaving a role in a professional manner. But employers go quiet on job applicants all the time, so some argue this is an overdue rebalancing influenced by a tight labour market.

Either way, where a trend emerges, professional services inevitably follow: in Japan, where resignations from long-term employment are comparatively rare, there are companies who will quit on your behalf. One firm, Exit, says it has performed 1,500 ‘proxy resignations’ in 18 months. Ghosting is often rooted in a desire to avoid confrontation – but there are better ways to soften bad news, such as the UK call-centre worker who delivered his notice in a cheeky (and apparently well-received) condolence card. “So sorry for your loss,” it read. “Thinking of you at this difficult time.” 

This is one of the 101 indispensable things you need to know about work today. Click here to see the rest.

Image credit: Piero Zagami and Michela Nicchiotti.