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Jobs are like marriages. Sometimes you grow in different directions and sometimes bad things happen and damage the relationship permanently.

So when the economy picks up, many will leave and head off elsewhere. And now, it’s the winter of our discontent.

Over the last 12 months we have seen and heard of many companies decreasing working hours, postponing remuneration reviews, stopping bonus payments, forcing people to go on annual leave and long service leave, winding back graduate and apprentice employment programs, and cutting expenditure on training and development.

Many employees now have itchy feet and would be looking for better prospects elsewhere when the economy picks up.

Which raises two questions: what’s the best way of throwing it in and secondly, what should companies do to fix the damage and hold on to them?

The HaRe group says many employers will have to go to talent management school to learn that they can’t just keep cutting costs. As reported here , many employees in the US are planning to leave their workplaces when the economy picks up.

We can expect something similar here. Wherever they may be, employees have endured too many cost cuts. As Douglas Matthews, president of Right Management says in the piece: “Employees are clearly expressing their pent-up frustration with how they have been treated through the downturn.

While employers may have taken the necessary steps to streamline operations to remain viable, it appears many employees may have felt neglected in the process. The result is a disengaged and disgruntled workforce.”

We are getting similar reports on the IT sector, which will be facing a massive brain drain when things pick up again. This will also happen in other sectors of the economy.

So what are the best ways to quit? Whatever you do, don’t do it this way. It’s hilarious but burning your bridges is not a great career move. You might want to go back there one day.

Steven DeMaio gives his tips on how best to quit your job in the Harvard Business Review blog. He says slinking out the door without explaining why you’re going and connecting with those you’re leaving behind is not a good idea.

If nothing else, there’s nothing wrong with keeping the connections, which you might need again one day. The first thing, he says, is to make sure you are letting people know that the decision is about you, not about them.

You just need to move on. Secondly, he says you need to emphasise continuity and keeping in touch.

You also need to acknowledge the impact it might have on others, particularly if they have to do a whole lot more work. And finally, he recommends putting it down in writing, if only to give you some sort of closure.

Of course, not everyone is going to quit. And companies will have a major task on their hands trying to re-energise their workforce.

Some suggestions here include helping disengaged employees prioritise and get focused again, promoting fun activities as a respite from stress, doling out small incentives including little gifts, trying to promote some team spirit, putting more focus on learning and training, creating flexible work opportunities where, for example, people can work from home.

The great imponderable here is whether it’s too late. Have companies already done themselves too much damage?

No matter what they do, some people will be so peeved that they’ll leave. What do you think? Can the damage be repaired? If so, what should companies do? Are you planning to quit? Why? When and how are you planning to do it?

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