Ever Walked Out of a Job?

[Plecostomus]

If you do have to walk out, if it comes up in the future at a job interview, all you have to say is, "It was a very, very unprofessional environment."

Just about everyone on the planet has a horror story about a job.

Joe, casting couched

Bingo.

My goto--which is the truth 99% of the time-- is typically "I've found the environment to be unprofessional and not goal oriented" If they pushed for details I'll tell, up to a point. It's actually surprise sometimes how much HR people respect an interviewee that refuses to dish dirt on former bosses or co-workers.

"I don't tolerate being lied to, if I am offered a position I expect a fair trial in that position and then a meeting to discuss my performance. I do not want to be shifted to another area of responsibility without a meeting telling me exactly why I am being shifted. In most situations I am willing to take an alternate position. Communications is key here, I'm a professional machinist/programmer I am not going to be happy being told today that I'm the best machinist ever then tomorrow you hand me a mop."



...that's how I got the job I'm currently in. Sadly the communication thing seems to have failed I'm on the verge of giving two weeks notice.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Now there was a job where I quit to beat the exodus of people quitting. I knew someone else was going to give their 2 weeks notice the next day and assumed three more people would give it within the week, so I gave my two weeks notice before them so I wouldn't be the one getting yelled at for quitting all at once.

 

[John Clark]

No, I haven't. There have been moments, but I'd probably make sure I had another job first.

 

[Finn]

Oh I wanted to at my old job up to the day I was forced to resign. It was crappy and I grew so tired of it. It was the best thing that could happen. The timing was just right- preparing to get back to school, my now fiancée (just an aquitance then) noticing me with my dig one of my visits for a meeting on campus).

 

[Holdfast]

I was once within five minutes of it. Things escalated pretty sharpishly over a disagreement over my pay/contractual obligations. I won the argument and stayed in the job. Would have definitely walked if they didn't back down, and taken the case to an industrial tribunal and/or sued for constructive dismissal and won comfortably either way.

 

[1001001]

I have certainly wanted to a couple of times.

But in my field and position, walking off without notice would be completely unethical. Unless it was under extraordinary circumstances, I would probably get sued and lose my license.

 

[Smiley]

One summer in my college years, I was doing odd jobs through a temp agency. One of them was a job sorting and inspecting various output in a factory. After about a week, I came to the end of the job that I was contracted for. It was the middle of the morning, so I told the supervisor that that work was done, expecting that he/she would thank me and tell me to go home. Instead, I was told to mop the floors. I did mop for a while, but somewhere in the middle of it, I got fed up with it and left. Since the job was never going to be on my resume, and the temp agency was still able to find me work, I don't regret it too much. I've given proper notice at all of the other jobs I've left.

 

[Plecostomus]

You did that wrong. You need to work up an unholy rage (one notch below homicidal) and snap the mop and fling it and the bucket across the plant. While the mop is airborn rip into the nearest authority figure and insult his military background, sexual preference, and parents. Then mention you can't stand working here for X dollars an hour and you quit... then clench your fists and storm out the door.

Make them REGRET hiring you and anyone from your area-code.

 

[TGTheodore]

Yes. Once.

I was hired as a graphic artist for a theater group. One day I'm told I also have to help with group sales for the next show, which involves cold-calling retirement home activity directors to get them to send their seniors to this show.

I saw enough rehearsals and read the adaptation (Sweeny Todd), to refuse to ask the elderly to waste their monthly outing (and money) on a piece of crap like this.

The show closed after two performances.

--Ted

 

[MANT!]

Walked off of 2 jobs..both having to do with the retail automotive business (a business guaranteed to promote the scum of the Earth to positions of power)..in the first case I was a service advisor and had a customer approve the work by FAX then deny he approved the work (so he could get the cost reduced, no doubt) even though I showed him the fax, the manager told me "Well pal, it's your F***ing problem, I'll just have to dock any discounts from your pay." I tossed the file on his desk, stated," It's your problem now, you Ass!" and drove off in my car .. I received my last check in the mail and there were no deductions in it.

In the second, I was working as "Inventory Manager" for the dealership (really General Purpose Office Bitch)..when I overheard the Senior dealership management members making insulting comments about me during a closed door meeting.. I quietly reformatted my inventory hard drive and left.. Again, no deductions from my pay in my final check..

 

[Botany Bay]

Sadly, it never gets better. Experience tells me that you should start looking around for something else, a bad environment only gets worse.

Never "just walk out" though - make sure you have something to go to, or at least half a year's living expenses in the bank if you really just have to get out.

Good luck - I feel for you, it's no fun watching some idiot ruin a place that used to be great to work at.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Yeah, I walked out of my job at BMC. We hired a midwife and a manager to run our doula program and they were abusive to the doulas, both verbally and in terms of work assignments, they fired people unnecessarily and harassed people until they quit, and they falsified documents left and right. I spent about a year and a half in increasingly bitter conflict with the hospital lawyers and HR because they just wanted to cover it all up. It got really bad once the lawsuits started to come in, so I finally just resigned.

 

[Emher]

Yes. It was the crappiest retail job in the world. I would have quite earlier but I had great bosses.