Sometimes people get stressed out about their job and want to quit. The stress is real and can consume their waking thoughts and keep them up at night. That lack of recuperation is as a death spiral, their body and minds don’t rest and they end up in an even more stressed state. In most cases, when in this state of mind they probably don’t even end up doing their best work.
Many are able to realize that it’s hurting their ability to function, either socially or professionally. They snap at their colleagues and family. They know it isn’t healthy, they want it to just stop. They might give off hints that they’re stressed, ask for less responsibility, start getting sick. In the end, they usually submit a resignation.
Making a decision to resign is a cry for help. To a manager, it definitely raises the alarm bells, especially if you believe that person to be worth saving.
As a leader, I try to help them see a bigger picture, take a step back from the ledge and see there are other options available to them, usually options that I can offer to them that they might have thought impossible. A sabbatical, a change of team, a different working arrangement, additional resources, etc. Offering additional compensation is not the solution, it will not solve the cause of the work-related stress. I usually present a few options, tell them to take a weekend or an evening to think things over. Sometimes taking in the options to consider can be stressful too. Ask them, if working at the company is something they still want and if so, in what capacity. If they come back and they still insist on resigning, it’s probably something else.
Understand that people in stressed-out states usually only see a limited set of outs, they put it all on themselves, work harder, longer or quit. They become hyper-focused but myopically so, seeing the wider gamut of options is difficult, as a leader, we can help them see this and that it’s solvable.