Nearly half of U.S. workers have walked out of a job without any warning, resignation letter, or so much as a heads-up that they wouldn’t be at their desks the next day, according to a March 2025 report on revenge quitting by the job board Monster. The practice—dubbed “revenge quitting”—is driven by frustration with toxic workplaces.

Contrary to stereotype, it is not just young new hires leaving their employers high and dry. The majority of those silent exits were staged by employees who had been in their post for over two years. For employers, that makes revenge quitting less an onboarding problem than a long-horizon retention one—the workers most likely to vanish overnight are the very people with years of institutional knowledge.

Revenge quitting is the latest evolution of a string of workplace trends. It follows “quiet quitting,” the phenomenon in which employees did the bare minimum of work and silently checked out of jobs they didn’t enjoy but financially needed, and “loud quitting,” which is essentially what it says: making a lot of noise about why they’re walking. Revenge quitting goes a step further—workers are so fed up that they ditch their jobs entirely, without notice.

“Sudden resignations aren’t just individual exits, they’re warning signals flashing across workplace culture,” said Monster’s career expert Vicki Salemi. “When workers walk out without notice, it’s often because they’ve lost trust in leadership or feel their voices aren’t heard.”

Why do employees revenge quit?

Perhaps surprisingly, it’s not about money. Monster’s survey showed the main triggers for revenge quitting are toxic workplaces, poor management, and feeling undervalued. Low pay or the lack of benefits actually accounts for only 4% of silent exits, while a lack of career growth opportunities ranks even lower—proving that culture and management drive loyalty, or its collapse.

Revenge quitting also has a ripple effect on those left behind. Nearly 60% of workers have seen a colleague walk out without notice, and the impact on teams is immediate: projects stall, remaining employees scramble to fill the gaps, and overall morale takes a hit. Up to one-third of workers have seen four or more peers abruptly quit without a word.

It may even inspire the next revenge quitter. Despite witnessing the disruption it causes, around 90% of workers reported that revenge quitting is justified in a poor work environment, while half say it’s a valid form of protest.

How to reduce revenge quitting at your company

The antidote isn’t just raises or perks—it’s proactive leadership. Employees told Monster that a healthier workplace culture (63%), recognition for their contributions (47%), and even a new boss (46%) could have kept them from walking out abruptly.

Clear career paths matter, too. Workers want to feel their time and effort are investments in growth, not just a way to keep the office running. Without visible opportunities for advancement, paired with not feeling listened to, frustration builds—and loyalty erodes.

The researchers suggested employers who want to reduce turnover should focus on four things:

• Creating safe, respectful work environments
• Training managers to lead with empathy and clarity
• Recognizing and contributions
• Offering competitive pay and clear career paths

“In today’s competitive job market, addressing these issues proactively could mean the difference between losing talent suddenly—or building a loyal, long-term workforce,” the report concluded.

Have you ever revenge-quit your job, or are you planning to? Get in touch: orianna.royle@fortune.com

A version of this story by Fortune’s Orianna Rosa Royle was originally published on Fortune.com on November 25, 2025.