"Take This Job and Shove It" is a Country Song NOT a Best Practice

If you’ve ever wanted to quit your job in a dramatic fashion, this post is for you.

We'll explore when it's best to just say "take this job and shove it" and when you should take an undesirable position seriously. We'll also talk about why "taking one for the team" isn't always the best idea (and what alternatives you can pursue instead).

This introduction is not written as satire.

It’s not written as a joke or to make fun of anyone.

(And, yes, I realize it’s an introduction about quitting.)

I’m actually serious.

I think you should quit your job in a dramatic fashion… at least sometimes.

The Nature of the Beast: One Dimensional People and Two Dimensional Jobs

If you've ever had a job that you didn't like, then you know how it feels when people ask "why do you hate your job?"

Because it's not just my job that I hate... it's my entire life!

(Okay, maybe that's over the top. But, you get my point.)

We’re immersed in our jobs. We spend most of our hours, days, weeks and years working. When we're not there, we're thinking about it and when we're not thinking about it, we're on Facebook or Twitter discussing work issues.

Because work defines us - it's the first thing that people ask about when they meet you (what do you do?) and it's one of the main ways that people try to define themselves... "I'm an electrician," "I'm a computer programmer," or "I'm in accounting."

But that's not how your boss sees you.

According to the bosses I’ve had, and the ones I've consulted with, your main task is a ridiculously simplistic formula:

Work = Do what you’re told when you’re told to do it.

I've heard it described that way by senior leaders as well as entry-level workers. So, don't think this is just an anecdote from a disgruntled employee... this is how our bosses think of us.

"Tell him what he'll do," said Charlie Pillsbury in “A Day at the Races.”

"Do it," said Mr. McAllister in “The Joy Luck Club.”

"Do it," said Archie Bunkers in “All in the Family.”

It doesn’t matter how bright you are or what you think about the tasks at hand... "do it."

So, working for a company is like being a slave. But, more like a slave with no voice, no rights and no freedom.

One of my first jobs was at Sears. While the work was pretty much brainless, I remember feeling so bad about the fact that we had to wear those blue smocks with our names sewn on them in marker (yes, I'm talking about when they still sold actual clothes).

I mean, why didn't we wear red smocks with our names on them in hot pink letters? I couldn't have even been there a week before I realized that the only company I would ever work for would be one that made up its own uniform schematics.

And they don't even make the uniforms themselves... they just buy them off a catalog.

Work = Do what you're told when you're told to do it.

"Take This Job and Shove It" Is Easier Said Than Done

In "Take This Job and Shove It," Tom Hanks' character says this about his job: "They fired me for no reason whatsoever." And he meant it literally... they fired him without any real explanation.

What's amazing is that he even got paid for it!

"I'll tell you how much I hate my job," said Ted Danson's character in "It's a Wonderful Life."

"Two hundred dollars a week," he continues. And, despite the fact that he's doing a pretty good job of being a bridge inspector for the small town of Bedford Falls, his family can barely make ends meet. That didn't stop him from quitting his job in a dramatic fashion!

"I quit... I quit... I quit," said Hank Hill in "King of the Hill." But, as we discussed earlier, it was easier said than done... and it still is.

"What an opportunity for creative self expression I'd left behind me," said Tom Bosley on "Happy Days" as he exited his unemployment office.

I could go on and on with examples, but instead, let's explore why it's so difficult to quit.

Why "Take This Job and Shove It" Is a Best Practice

There are a few reasons why it's often impossible to just "take this job and shove it." The first is that our society is structured in such a way that people have been conditioned to expect to have their voices heard. We believe that we have the right to a voice in how we are treated, so if you don't ask for it, there's nothing wrong with passively letting things go.

"We're always going to be working... it just doesn't matter," said "The Office" character Andy Bernard.

In other words, if you drop the ball and act like you aren't doing everything in your power to get things done, then don’t expect an explanation or a reason why they're doing it.

A second reason is that companies stay alive because they make money. And, in order to make money, they have to keep the lights on.

If the company goes bankrupt, then tomorrow will come and there'll be no one left to take away your job.

So, instead of being proactive about getting rid of you... if you're not a rock star or if you don't get along with your boss... then expect that your only option is either to stay at the company or go work for someone else. It's a survival game that's evolved over hundreds of years.

A third reason is that companies usually prefer it if you're happy and helpful.

Conclusion: Quitting Is Harder Than You Think!

Now that we've covered the basic topics of why people hate their jobs, how to quit and why quitting is a difficult act, let's move on to the best practices for quitting.

The first one is to not quit your job in a dramatic way. Yes, I know that you're thinking about it... but think about this - what would it look like if you did it in a dramatic fashion? You could lose your voice for life or be arrested for trying to leave the company in its most vulnerable state.