Have you ever handed in your notice, then packed your stuff and...

[Gumbo4x4]

Yes, I once went in to tell my boss that my last day would be "yesterday". Had some hard feelings about the job, but not my current boss. Otherwise, I wouldn't even have come in.

 

[IceSkatingPrincess]

I did. I worked in a really toxic environment. I gave my two weeks notice after my boss punched a wall and called my counterpart in for a meeting to strictly bad mouth about me (which my counterpart of course told me about). This boss did things like this all the time, and I had just gotten to a point of being done with being treated so poorly. I was even called fat by her a few times (I'm 5'11 and was a size 8...) as well as many other very mean names. She just made personal attacks constantly. I told our general manager that as long as my boss was cordial to me for the two weeks I would stay so they wouldn't be down a person since I respected him as a manager. Not even 30min after this, boss calls counterpart in again, being extremely rude and saying terrible personal attacks about me and my personal character. I told the general manager (who was hesitant to believe me over the boss who claimed nothing ever happened in the first place), packed my things, and walked. This is the same boss who punched a wall and routinely threw papers and verbally attacked me regularly and to boot I had been sexually harassed by other higher level employees numerous times. I don't regret it one bit. I also sent back my uniform in a box quadruple wrapped with duct tape and an annoying amount of messy packing material, with the name of said boss spelled in the misspelling that bothered her the most. (That was probably unnecessary but the bridge was already beyond burned and it felt fantastic). Leaving was the best decision I ever made. It was also terrifying, as it was the first position I ever had to quit. My counterpart quit less than a month later for the same reasons.

When you come home from work crying everyday and feeling worthless, it's time to say goodbye. I loved the job, but the work environment was destroying my self worth and happiness.

 

[Tiffylv]

.

 

[Julylady]

No way. I work in a field where everybody knows everybody. A long time ago I had someone who worked for me quit for a better job elsewhere. She gave her two weeks notice, but did and said some pretty ugly things before she left. Fast forward ten years. I am now on a hiring team at another organization and guess who we are interviewing? She turned a bit gray when she saw me sitting there. Never, ever burn bridges. You never know when you might need to cross them again.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Yup - I went to give my notice and was told to get out and never go back - it was payday so I told him I wasn't leaving without my paycheck. It was a small company - while he was getting my paycheck from the safe, I packed up the few personal things I had brought in so I was ready to get out. He gave me my check, I went to the company bank and cashed it so he couldn't cancel it. I wasn't surprised he reacted that way - at 3 months, I was the longest employee he had and they'd been in business for years.

I've also worked for one company who laid off our whole department while I was on vacation. I go into work to find a note on my desk to report to Human Resources when I was informed of the lay offs and that I was one of them - I asked if I could pack up my stuff and she had security go with me to get my personal items which was fine with me. I was in and out within an hour. I wanted to add that 2 days later they were calling me asking for help on how to do some things - I told them my freelance rate was 75.00 an hour and I'd be happy to come in and help train the replacements for that rate - and they went for it! Took a week for me to get the other department trained on my departments work and 2 of their people quit in the meantime because it was too much for them on top of their normal duties.
Three years later I got a call from the new boss wanting to reinstate my department and asked me to run it - I negotiated a fantastic salary and benefits and worked there for another 3 years before I left. It would have been cheaper for them to just keep me in the first place. ROTFL.

 

[bcla]

No way. I work in a field where everybody knows everybody. A long time ago I had someone who worked for me quit for a better job elsewhere. She gave her two weeks notice, but did and said some pretty ugly things before she left. Fast forward ten years. I am now on a hiring team at another organization and guess who we are interviewing? She turned a bit gray when she saw me sitting there. Never, ever burn bridges. You never know when you might need to cross them again.

I remember someone who quit and sent an essay on what he thought was wrong with our division of our company. He used rather harsh language.

I heard that in a year he was unemployed again and asking if he could get his old job back.

 

[Kitty 34]

Not since I was 15.

Just curious........what job were you employed that you handed in a notice, packed your things and left?

 

[tvguy]

I gave 2 weeks notice, and was told to go ahead and clean out my desk (since I was going to work for a competitor) and leave that day. 5 minutes later the big boss came back and said that he would like me to stay the 2 weeks. A week later he told me to go ahead and leave.
I got a letter in the mail from him a few days later telling me how much he appreciated my professionalism. He said he policy had always been to show employees the door immediately if they were leaving for a competitor, but he had absolutely nobody to cover my job for the first week due to vacations.

 

[RedAngie]

I hear it's common nowadays when giving notice to be told to vacate the premises ASAP, but I never experienced it. One time they talked me into staying an extra month, because I didn't have another job lined up and was intending to relax before moving to L.A. When I decided to return back East, my company there was kind of upset and wanted me to stay, (offered me a small raise) but that time I HAD to leave by a certain date.

 

[bookgirl]

double post

 

[bookgirl]

Just curious........what job were you employed that you handed in a notice, packed your things and left?

Hardee's. I worked with a lot of teen age idiots all lead by a just out of teen age idiot. I had enough of the BS walked back at to the manager and quit. Grabbed my things and walked out.

Not acceptable behavior at 15, not acceptable at any age barring safety or illegal activity.

 

[ilovepcot]

Before an opening came available for a nursing job I wanted, I accepted a job at a small rehab hospital. First morning on the job, I went into the med room with the nurse on duty to count narcotics. They were IN A MESS and many items unaccounted for. No way was I going to sign off on that! I walked out without a word and never looked back.

 

[3boymthr]

OP Here. Thanks for all your stories.

My company was sold at beginning of the year and a new office manager was brought in. Office Manager is out of control (I almost wonder if she's bipolar). One minute screaming and swearing and more the next pleasant and sweet to you. I had gotten to the point that several times I almost walked out in the light of the mental abuse she was raining down on the office as a whole. Constantly swearing, telling employees she doesn't have time to deal with issues (ummm, that's your job) and denigrating both current and former employees. She also has announced a couple of times that there will be no raises (okay haven't had one since the company was sold - and now I'm being told no raises for the forseeable future - ummm). In the last couple of weeks I've almost walked out a couple of times but didn't because I can't afford to be without a paycheck. I got called yesterday I got a new job! So, Well, I did it. I quit my job without notice or rather, kind of without notice. I told them to consider my week and half of accumulated vacation time as my notice period. I then sent an email to the owner of the company (my boss' boss) telling of my reasons for leaving - including the denigration of current and former employees, constant unprofessional level of swearing (f-bomb dropped 20 times in a few minutes (there was a client standing a few feet away at the time) but this wasn't in my email), etc. and a separate less detailed email told the former owners who still work for the company. I am the fourth employee to quit in the space of a month, the 5th since May and another employee is threatening to quit and although it's not official yet our receptionist has indicated to other employees that she's not coming back from maternity leave (this will be up in a couple of days). Well, got a call from the new owner - He wanted to know if I thought she should be fired and more detailed reasons for my leaving like this. I got very diplomatic on the first and blunt on the second. A little while later I got a call from one of the old owners and he wanted to know what was going on in more detail. Told me to let him know if things don't work out where I'm going and he'll help me out (this was good to hear) and in vindication - that he'd always told the new owner that she (the office manager) was a liability who needed to be fired. I don't know what happened with the office manager on the firing front but the new owner indicated he was seriously considering firing her. I have the email addresses of a couple of other employees. I'll have to ask how it shook out.

 

[manning]

Several weeks after being let go due to downsizing I got my satisfaction. The boss calls up asking if would help straighten something out. My reply was

" remember you let me go". I then hung up on him.

I really fell on the floor laughing 6 months later. The boss was let go and ended up being a used car salesman. This was back in 1995.

 

[sonnyjane]

No but I definitely wanted to. I did however go in to give two weeks notice, was told I only had to give one weeks notice, and I had paid vacation scheduled for that week already so I only had to work two more days.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I once worked in a small PR agency where the owner ruled with an iron fist. He wanted every single thing done exactly his way. He might as well have hired robots since no one was allowed to use their own brain for anything! What really bugged me was that he treated clients poorly. He was extremely rude to a CEO's assistant at one of our client companies. His excuse was that she was "just an assistant" and didn't matter to him. The CEO proceeded to chew him out in front of a meeting of the agency and clients!

I really had no respect for the guy after that and I went to have a serious talk with him. I told him I didn't agree with the way he treated clients. I said I needed to be careful about my own reputation and was concerned that being associated with the agency may not be the best thing for me. I told him I would stay a week or two to complete what I had been working on. He told me I was welcome to leave immediately, so I did! It was quite liberating! After that, I took a break from PR and got a job as an executive assistant to a bank CEO! I guess at that point I was "just an assistant" and wouldn't have mattered to the jerk. The funny part was a few months after I started working at the bank, I heard his voice in the teller area that was near my desk. He had stopped by to close his account because his company was out of business. So sad!

 

[Tinker'n'Fun]

One time, after 4 hours, went to lunch and never went back. To make it worse I never even called to formally quit. I was younger but old enough to know. Something about the place, employees, and job just felt off and wrong.

I gave 1 month at all other jobs, part-time and full-time.

 

[Bec3b1g]

OP Here. Thanks for all your stories.

My company was sold at beginning of the year and a new office manager was brought in. Office Manager is out of control (I almost wonder if she's bipolar). One minute screaming and swearing and more the next pleasant and sweet to you. I had gotten to the point that several times I almost walked out in the light of the mental abuse she was raining down on the office as a whole. Constantly swearing, telling employees she doesn't have time to deal with issues (ummm, that's your job) and denigrating both current and former employees. She also has announced a couple of times that there will be no raises (okay haven't had one since the company was sold - and now I'm being told no raises for the forseeable future - ummm). In the last couple of weeks I've almost walked out a couple of times but didn't because I can't afford to be without a paycheck. I got called yesterday I got a new job! So, Well, I did it. I quit my job without notice or rather, kind of without notice. I told them to consider my week and half of accumulated vacation time as my notice period. I then sent an email to the owner of the company (my boss' boss) telling of my reasons for leaving - including the denigration of current and former employees, constant unprofessional level of swearing (f-bomb dropped 20 times in a few minutes (there was a client standing a few feet away at the time) but this wasn't in my email), etc. and a separate less detailed email told the former owners who still work for the company. I am the fourth employee to quit in the space of a month, the 5th since May and another employee is threatening to quit and although it's not official yet our receptionist has indicated to other employees that she's not coming back from maternity leave (this will be up in a couple of days). Well, got a call from the new owner - He wanted to know if I thought she should be fired and more detailed reasons for my leaving like this. I got very diplomatic on the first and blunt on the second. A little while later I got a call from one of the old owners and he wanted to know what was going on in more detail. Told me to let him know if things don't work out where I'm going and he'll help me out (this was good to hear) and in vindication - that he'd always told the new owner that she (the office manager) was a liability who needed to be fired. I don't know what happened with the office manager on the firing front but the new owner indicated he was seriously considering firing her. I have the email addresses of a couple of other employees. I'll have to ask how it shook out.

It's too bad you didn't contact the owners before you quit. It sounds like they would have heard your complaints and made changes.

Congrats on the new job.

 

[eh24fan]

Just once - I was working as a title clerk at a car auction and was mainly in the office, but occasionally had to work out in the lanes if people didn't show up that night. I had not been there long, less than 2 months, when I found out I was pregnant. My dr told me I was NOT to work the lanes anymore because of all of the exhaust. They were in a building, with big open doors on each side, but it still wasn't a good idea. I conveyed this to my boss, even gave them the note from the dr. He was such a jerk, his wife too. I didn't like the job all that much but when they said oh well, we need you out there, I was stunned. It was an auction night and they put me out there and did the same the following week. I was upset but not sure what to do. The next day was Friday and payday. I collected my check right before lunch (always did, so we could put it in the bank), went to lunch and never went back. They never called or anything to find out why I wasn't there. It was bizarre. But the best decision I made.

 

[bcla]

Once I was working a contract job (best I could do at the time) where I had a primary person I was working with. She went on vacation for two weeks and in the middle of that vacation our manager was informed that she had transferred to another in the company. Never heard from her again. No transition period or anything, and she didn't make herself available to fix up any loose ends. They were scrambling to find a way to get the work done. I was surprised it was OK to do that. I've been able to contact people who left for another job at another company.