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If you feel stuck in your job, you’re not alone. New research sheds light on how feelings of defeat and entrapment in the workplace can not only heighten the desire to quit but can also trigger impulsive decisions to leave.

David Hekman

“We often assume that quitting a job is a rational decision motivated by a better opportunity,” said David Hekman, associate professor of leadership and information analytics and co-author of the study. “But our research shows that, for many, it’s not about finding something better. It’s about escaping a situation that feels unbearable—and that’s often an emotional decision, not a rational one.”

The study, published in July 2024 in the  and co-authored by Ryan Ragaglia, a doctoral student in organizational behavior at the Leeds School of Business, examines "perceived entrapment"—a form of negative attachment where employees feel so bound to their jobs that they see no way out.

“Traditionally, attachment was seen as a positive thing. The more attached an employee is to their job, the more likely they are to stay,” Ragaglia said. “What we found is the opposite … There's a point where you can feel so attached to your job, so stuck, that you actually start thinking about quitting.”

Feelings of entrapment may stem from a variety of factors, such as lack of career advancement opportunities, overwhelming workloads or simply feeling undervalued. But according to the study, the impact of these emotions is more profound than previously thought—it can push employees to make drastic decisions that may seem like self-sabotage.

Parallels to suicide research

To understand why employees might impulsively quit their jobs, the researchers drew insights from suicide research. Ragaglia notes that just like a person contemplating suicide may make an emotional, irrational decision despite no guaranteed better outcome, employees feeling trapped by their jobs may also quit in a desperate bid for control. The decision is often rooted in emotional distress rather than a clear-headed, logical evaluation of the future.

"The idea was based on my own experiences with suicidal ideation,” Ragaglia said. It also sprung to mind during Hekman’s organizational behavior seminar. “We were discussing withdrawal and how employees tend to pull back when considering quitting, and I thought to myself, ‘This sounds a lot like what I was doing when I was contemplating suicide.’”

“That set off a chain of thoughts in which I imagined suicide as a potential metaphor for turnover. We looked into the suicide literature, and that’s where we found the constructs of defeat and entrapment, which seemed very applicable to turnover,” he said.

A vicious cycle

Employees who impulsively quit often find themselves in a worse situation, forcing them to take the first available job that comes along—a job that often doesn’t align with their values or career goals. This leads to more feelings of entrapment, creating a “vicious cycle” of dissatisfaction and repetitive quitting, Hekman said.

The decision to quit can also lead to further emotional and financial instability, and again, makes them feel more trapped, he added.

Ryan Ragaglia

The researchers are currently interviewing “chronic quitters” and studying common triggers and scenarios that lead to feelings of entrapment. So far, their findings point to a few causes.

“We’ve found that boredom, lack of career advancement opportunities and financial pressures are the primary triggers for feelings of entrapment,” Ragaglia said. “While this is still preliminary, we’re continuing to explore these factors in more depth.”

How employers can help

The research has critical implications for anyone feeling overwhelmed or stuck at work. While Ragaglia and Hekman are still studying solutions for employees, they have recommendations to help organizations reduce feelings of entrapment among employees.

“Employers and supervisors should focus on helping their employees feel like they are ‘winning,’” Ragaglia said. “This can be as simple as recognizing successes and setting achievable goals. We also suspect that employees will feel less trapped if there are opportunities for career advancement and if employers provide flexible work arrangements.”