Have you ever just picked up your stuff and walked out of a job?

I'm so on the verge.

Yes. And it was glorious. At the time. In retrospect, I wish I'd handled the thing smartly, and not let my ego get *so* in my way.
I never got my stuff. I threw up in the parking lot, cried my eyes out, drove off and never returned. Never called, nuttin'. I was done it was over. However, I lost 2 weeks worth of a paycheck doing it that way, although I definitely felt a lot better knowing I never had to return.
I stopped showing up. I already had another job and there wasn't that worry associated with walking and out and immediately having to find employment. Don't quite unless you can afford to do it, OP.
OP in this economy I REALLY suggest having another job lined up first. I don't know how long you've been out of the job market, but it can take months to find another position.
I walked into my bosses office and said this wasn't going to work out. He just shrugged and said okay. I went back to my desk, put my coat on and walked out. Never looked back
Yeah, in September 2011. I've been unemployed since. You'd be a fool to do it without another gig lined up. It's really, really bad out there.
I'll take your job. Nothing is worse than being old and unemployed.
Many times, including the time in 1993 I left a temp gig at Arthur Anderson with the parting shot "I don't take money from Satan." I tried to tell the world how horrible they were, but figured no one would believe me. Five years later, I didn't have to say a word. Financially it was a stupid decision, but spiritually it was amazing. Did wonderful things for my love life too. It was this day that I could see all the ridiculous high-priced billing in the b2b sector, concluded it was unsustainable, and that the practices I was witnessing would one day bankrupt corporate America, probably 15-20 years down the road. In late 2008, I gave up on that idea, threw up the white flag, and then... Funny thing is that when I began my crusade, I was the one percent.
Ray Gordon
R6 how have you been supporting yourself since 9/11 ?
Yes. Don't do it. Quit in a professional manner.
Yes and it was a horrible financial decision but great for my sanity. Try your best to find a job first.
Yes. A job in Beverly Hills with the most selfish, entitled, evil, angry mob ever. I lasted 2 years in a position that had a 3 month turnover many times before my hire. Really, best day in my life. They offered me 6 months salary in advance to stay while they searched for a replacement. Not a chance. OP, I happened to land on my feet two weeks later and am still with that job. Life is short.
R9: Unemployment at first, and now I'm living with my parents. Be patient. Take kickboxing classes or something to get the rage out. Find something else before you bail!
Yes. Stupid web start-up that died soon after I quit. Inane pressure to work overtime and "love" the echoey warehouse "office" because there were free snacks in the kitchen and other dumb perks. My boss was a complete jerk who had no idea what he was doing, other than spewing now-common internet cliches. I had another job set up, then started discreetly removing books and personal stuff, then deleting emails and forwarding stuff to myself. Then I brought in a magnet and trashed my computer with it. I had no intention of giving these jackwads two weeks' notice.
http://www.eggsbymail.com
the%20gay%20guy%20in%20IT
R14, that's the way to do it!
Yes, OP. I did it and it was great. I gathered my stuff together and burst into song. In "Hello Dolly," Dolly sings several Goodbyes and then sails right into [italic]Wave your little hand and whisper, "So long, Dearie." You ain't gonna see me anymore..." [/italic] That's what I did. About 40 people were watching. They all thought I was joking. I had called a cab in advance and it was waiting outside the front door. They watched me get in the cab and thought it was all part of some funny "performance." Then they wondered why it was taking so long for the cab to drive around the block to return me to work. Nobody got a thing done the rest of the day. It blew their minds. [italic]I should've said "So long!" so long agoooooooooooooo![/italic]
Um, yeah OP- about 20 times. As a temp and a couple times as a perm. I really can't anymore, though. Too many responsibilitie$.
How do you wreck a computer with a magnet?
Missed%20that%20class
Never, but I almost walked out of my very first real job out of college several times. Many I worked with actually did. The managers, an evil trio of rancid cunts, were truly horrible people. Definitely the worst I've ever worked for. But I'm glad I kept my head. I transferred to another department after two years and everyone I've worked for since has been a breeze compared to Satan's handmaidens. I like reading these stories, though. I came close to doing it so many times, so it's interesting to hear from people who followed through!
Yup. Twice. Nothing spectacular. I just quietly left on my break and then politely informed them that I wouldn't be coming back. In both instances I had wanted to get out for a long time and had contingency plans in place so that I could still earn enough until I could find another permanent job to replace it.
I have. Left the key on my desk and never showed up. They called me the next day all day. They left messages saying they were concerned about my whereabouts. I couldn't give a shit.
Happier%20now
Take this job and shove it!
Anomynous%20
Didn't they screw up your references, r20?
To be blunt--Would your employer care if you left, considering how you feel you're treated? The best revenge is to search for better work on their dime.
Yes... One of the worst mistake of my life. Don't do it.
Twice: once temp, once full-time. The temp job: I actually did not understand the work as it was explained (poorly) and I am NOT stupid. I found out from former employer my (late) OT and vacation check (2 weeks late; stupid nonprofit) were ready; I went to lunch; got the check; went to the bank; called the agency and said I got "sick." Called a different agency the next day; got something right away. This was in NYC in the 80's (yes, I'm old.) Cut to 1995 - been at a full-time job 3 years - labor law - SF - I'll tell you, labor law (defense, i.e, "the bad guys - employers) can make attys into monsters; ANYway: I could not STAND a new co-worker and I was under stress (not the firm's fault!) 'cause my father had died 2 months before and I chose to keep working (he was back East; we weren't that close; my brother took care of everything.) In (at least there) pre-email days, I leftg as uaual; came back at 11:00 p.m., worked till 3:30 a.m. on my own time; left lengthy, probably rambling, but polite and sincere (I hope!) vmails for my 2 bosses and HR; followed up with memos re same. No one called. AND I got my bonus check! ANd had 3-4 jobs (by choice) since; even used one boss as a reference. ANd I am not Jesus H Christ in a skirt. Was a good secretary, but mainly lucky that it was in those days VERY easy to get a job as a legal secretary. Actually, took longer (from Jan 1996 to July, and that through a friend who followed me out the door a couple of months after I had left the labor law firm, hee-hee! SHE also had a new co-worker she couldn't stand); I made do with my share of father's life insurance (my share was only $5,000, but I was lucky enough to be in a roommate situation). Am on perm disablility these last 4 years, so if I were still in the workforce these days? from what I hear from friends on mine in SF, in legal field?: I probably would have lined something up first. SO OP, much as I wouldl LOVE to say, "take this job and shove it" to you, in an encouraging fashion: Depending on your field/$$/family/friends$ to borrow from -perhaps, line something up first. I admire you; best wishes! (Oh, and kudos to the poster upthread mentioning "Satan's handmaidens"; I think I have a crush on you from another thread where you compared swans to similar Satan handmaidens!)
Have something to go to first. I just gave notice last Thursday after nine years. They were absolutely stunned. I was supporting NINETEEN products on my own as the sole technical writer. And they aren't even starting to look for a replacement.
Exactly what R6 said.
Still%20out%20of%20work
I left a new job (two weeks) shortly after I saved a co-worker from committing suicide. I left my boss a note saying that I didn't feel comfortable working someplace where people felt compelled to kill themselves. I left at lunchtime and never went back. True story. I've never regretted it, and it's never appeared on my resume..
Yes. Eh. Next. Next.
Night%20and%20Day
Only once. The box- office of the Albert Hall in London. Day one. No one spoke to me, just grunted and pointed to a desk. Morning coffee time, no one showed me where the kitchen was or offered to get me a cup. At lunchtime, after everybody had returned, someone told me to grab a sandwich at a cafe around the corner. I am still at lunch. I had a new job the next day. (yes, in the 70's in London, you could practically walk from job to job - if you wanted to work.). I did settle, have a lovely career, and have just blissfully retired. There were some tears along the way - but NOT for the fucking queens at the Albert Hall!!
Do NOT do it without another job lined up. Start looking and applying diligently now. It may give you a different perspective on your current company. But absolutely do NOT walk out.
"How do you wreck a computer with a magnet?" Put it nearby (or in my act, inside, near the hard drive) and it fucks it up a bit. Oh, and a few months after I quit, half the staff got canned. i missed out on unemployment, but got another job right afterwards anyway.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index%3Fqid%3D20070403072722AA7m2L5
R14
Yes, a PR firm. My first job out of college. The owner of the firm was a first-class asshole who was a rich trust fund brat who felt he didn't have to follow the same rules of professional behavior as the rest of society - think a male version of Lizzie Grubman and you get the picture. Then the stable of ass-kissers who thought if they acted like him they would do well with the company and be invited to join his social clique - the above poster who used the term "Satan's handmaidens" made me laugh because that was exactly my situation. I left after six months, after the boss and one the handmaidens had yet another temper tantrum in the office. I suspected cocaine was in use, but I was never positive. I just went out to lunch one day and never came back, and when they repeatedly called me I didn't answer. I felt SUCH a sense of relief. I found another job just over a week later, where I stayed for three years with no problems. **Disclaimer** This happened back in the late 90s, when you could literally get a job in a matter of days. It was the complete opposite of what it is today. If I were in the same situation in today's economy, I wouldn't dream of leaving a job, no matter how awful, until I had another one lined up. Hang in there, OP. As you can see from this thread you are definitely not alone!
R26, It's easy to get a job in as a legal secretary when you're young, female, and attractive. Not so for most others (gay guys sure but I'm straight). That's why id didn't matter that you quit. Employers check for gender and looks, not references. They only use protocol as an excuse not to hire. The job market didn't get bad, you just got older. Younger women who are hot get jobs in minutes, just like you used to. It's not like Congress will ever stop this.
Can employers even tell other employers how you left? I thought those days were over. What can an ex employer say about you if someone asks?
Oh, I quit that job, too, R34. Back in the '80s.
Done it. Don't do it. Look for job and let them fire you. Actually, that may take time and you may be able to negotiate some favorable conditions like good references; maybe a lot more. Walking out you get nothing; they actually win.
Try something less drastic first. Put popcorn in the microwave, set the timer for 30 minutes, and leave early for the day.
I gave two weeks notice and they were shocked as Hell that I'd quit. They weren't expecting it, but Thursday, I'm taking off from this dump.
Benedict XVI
Yes, it was the most beautiful, sunny October day. And as r1 put, glorious. All and all, no regrets.
R26 must have had a hell of a rack if she was able to be a secretary with that rambling style of prose and those typing skills!
Yes, I quit and walked out. Liberating.
I don't recommend doing it my way, but it worked for me. I went to a doctor's appointment on a Friday morning & was told I had cancer & should have surgery, which was immediately scheduled for the following Monday morning. I returned to the office, announced that I was having cancer surgery on Monday, & said that I had to leave in 2 hours for pre-op procedures (not true, but I knew they'd want me to stay all afternoon otherwise). Finished the project I was in the middle of, erased personal computer files, left post-its on some work in progress, hugged the secretaries, & took the back staircase out of the building. After using up 6 months worth of sick leave & vacation, I resigned by mail with my keys enclosed. I qualified for retirement benefits, which helped keep me afloat until Social Security kicked in. Almost 10 years later, my health is fine & I'm still relieved every day at being away from that hellhole.
We had a gal who quit one day. She'd been having a horrible time with her boss for weeks. She didn't say a word to anyone. She just got her belongings and walked out. BUT, before she left she picked up the phone and dialed the intercom extension and said "FREE AT LAST, FREE AT LAST, THANK GOD ALMIGHTY I'M FREE AT LAST". You could hear people laughing all over the floor. We all knew she was fed up and didn't blame her one bit. Her idiot bitch boss came out of her office looking like she had just shat her pants and bulled her way down to HR to whine to them. I heard later they told her she had no one to blame for what happened but herself for treating her so poorly. The bitch boss was fired within the next few weeks.
Yeah, but I was young and it was a shitty retail job. I wouldn't do that with a real job.
Yes, several years ago. I had finally had it with the slackass way it was run. I told the person I was working with to call the boss, tell them I left, and was not coming back. I started working there again when a new boss was hired.
The late 90s were fun. I miss them.
So many times I've lost count: -One time I worked at a place in the records department that literally had stacks and stacks of files and papers all over the floors and were up to six feet tall a stack (not joking). We had to sit at desks and chairs that were probably 40 years old and computers that were probably 15 years old. Everything was rundown, the work was hard, at it paid a pathetic $7.50 an hour (this was pathetic even in 2000). After a month, on my birthday, I just decided that I was never coming back and never did. -Another job was a shitty part-time job in the basement of a building with no windows and I had to work with this Mexican bitch who thought she ran the show (even though she wasn't a supervisor) and I quit that job after 3 days. I'd always heard people say that working with Mexicans is awful, but didn't realize how bad it was until I had to work with one. -There have been several shitty temp jobs that were so shitty I quit after a few days; some were so bad I quit during lunch. There was a temp factory job that I quit after a week because whenever one person messed up, we ALL got bitched out. At the end of the week, I handed my badge to a co-worker and asked them to give it to a supervisor and tell them I was quitting and that was that. -One job was a temp call center job where the supervisor was an old fat bitch and they barely trained us, which left us not knowing what we were doing when we were on the phones. After a month, I literally said "Fuck this shit!", threw my badge down, and walked out. Everyone's mouths just dropped. -The most recent job I walked out of was just last year where the job was part-time working for a man who was literally in his 80's and was a COMPLETE asshole and should have retired 20 years ago. After 2 months, he made some shitty remark and I said, "Figure out how to do it yourself", and I got my coat and walked out. He started yelling something, but I didn't even pay attention and just kept right on walking out the door. Of all these jobs, I don't regret walking out of any of them. All of them were jobs that were either temp jobs or part-time jobs and they all paid shitty and had no benefits, so it's not like I was losing much. My sanity is more important than a little bit of chump change.
Only once. An art gallery in California. Before I'd resigned from a couple of jobs because I had better jobs lined up. And I had the ability to stick around long enough to help with the selection process to find my replacement. But I was offered a "great" job that turned out to be a nightmare at this gallery. The owner was truly psycho. All the staff had quit by this time, and I too finally had had it. I didn't bother to quit. This asshole didn't deserve the courtesy so I didn't return. I received and email stating that he didn't recall granting me a leave of absence. Delete. f I was later told by someone I respect that he was glad I quit because I was in danger of being painted by the same crazy brush. And it's not on my resume.
R49 - how do you make ends meet then?
Good DAY to you! I said Good DAY, sir!
OP%2C%20leaving%20in%20a%20huff
R49 has issues, or as they might say in Mexico, 'problemas personales'.
yes.
Pope%20Benedict
I did once. It was my first day and I realized I just couldn't do what they wanted me to do. So instead of making a scene I simply asked, "Where's the Coke machine?" and walked the fuck out.
Yes, in the late 1990s when the economy was good. I worked for a great large magazine company that sold off some of its assets when the market was high. We got bought by a terrible penny-ante company that was trying to make a name for itself. All vacation time was "reset" (meaning longtime employees were "reset" to 10 days a year... if you hung in for 10 years, you'd get an extra week). We got put on a crappy health insurance plan, and domestic partner insurance (which was rare in those days) was dropped. And we had to sign a new letter of employment, which spelled out that we were now working for a "right to work" company that could fire us at any time for any reason without notice and vice versa. Long story short, about six weeks later I went on a monthlong work assignment and found the promised "corporate stay" apartment was actually a skid row motel. On my first day, my new colleagues all left the office together about 10 a.m. I went to lunch, locked the door, and drove home. When the HR department called, frantic, I reminded them that they were a "right to work" company and I could walk out without notice, the same way they could fire me without notice. They were FURIOUS. It didn't hurt me; on my resume I just indicated that I left the original company when it changed hands. My old assistant got my job (and hated it). The economy was great and I had a new job in no time. But I wouldn't do it today.
I worked a management job with 40 people working under me through 3 supervisors. One day I just got up from my work, told one of the supervisors I was out of there. Put my house up for sale the next day and left town in about a month. Had you asked me two weeks earlier if I would ever move away from that city, the answer would have been no. My friends were there, my career was there.
Wow, guess it's nice to see I'm not the only one. I'm getting closer to doing it, although I'm going to try to time it for maximum effect. I definitely get not leaving before I have something else. I do have a part time free lance gig that brings in enough to pay the mortgage. The woman I worked for at a retail thing I did before I got this job said she'd take me back in a heart beat. I'm at the point where getting out of bed is difficult since I have no desire to be at work.
OP
Yes. And was followed by the rest of the staff. (Four men and one woman.) All of us were promptly hired by other businesses in our field.
r45, was the bitch's name Denise? When I worked with Denise, she made my life a living hell but I had the pleasure of seeing her fired. A woman named Gail had been hired about three weeks before. One day, she walked out of Denise's office, got her coat and things, and walked out the door. She looked pissed, and I thought she was just going out for lunch and to cool off. Around 4:00 Denise came out of her office looking for Gail. She didn't show up the next day. Denise told everyone that she called Gail, and "it just wasn't working out, and they're actively looking to hire a replacement." She made it seem like Gail was fired, but I later found out Gail called the owner of the company at home and told him all of the awful things that were going on. It was the beginning of the end for Denise, and she was fired not long after. I never saw Gail again, but I owe her big time.
I've picked up some stuff and just walked out of the store. . . . .and didn't really pay
W.%20Ryder
I'll get you R60, I'm not done yet babe. Watch your back.
Denise
Yes, in a hale of gun fire.
disgruntled employee
Yes, I quit a job in the past and walked out. The job was a waste of my time.
Liberated
Hale = hail
How are you doing OP?
Concerned%20denizen%20of%20DL
When Barbra Steisand worked a switchboard in a garment center office, she got pissed off, pull down all the cords and walked out at lunch time.
In the current economy, it's not a good idea to walk out of a job. You need to line up another job.
When I was 15 I was picked up by a thirty something guy who wanted to give me a blow job. We agreed on $100, but he wanted me to put on some women's panty thing so I got out of the car and left.
In the '70s when I was in college I worked at a pizza place. I was just figuring out that I was gay, I had my (impacted) wisdom teeth out and couldn't eat and was taking classes, working and didn't have a car to get back and forth. I ended up with what I would call a nervous breakdown and just walked out of the pizza place on a Saturday morning. I feel bad about it to this day because I let some people down and caused them stress. I went back an apologized later. It's now the end of my career and I am retiring in less than 4 weeks. I turned the oncall blackberry over to the next in line yesterday. I will never, ever have to be on call again.
IT career
I took a job as a manager at a consulting firm once (in '06). The first day was uneventful. The second day I arrived at 7:45am and there were three voice mails from the partner who hired me, the last one he had just left he was sounding testy and demanded to see me right away. I knocked on his office door immediately and he completely ignored me. No eye contact, no hand motion, no nod. Nothing. I went back to my desk and started going through the overhwelming number of emails in my inbox. The partner came and found me a bit later and started SCREAMING at me. "Where the FUCK were you?! We're the best at what we do because we don't saunter in at FUCKING NOON!" Mind you, it was not even 9am by this point. The ten or so people who were in the same working area pretended to not notice, and all kept their heads down and their eyes glued to their laptops. I actually wondered if: 1) the partner was well; or 2) he was mistaking me for someone else. When the partner stormed off, one of my new coworkers said to me "this is a tough place. you'd better be on your toes." I was more than a little stunned, since I was expecting some level of empathy or at least a little defusive humor. Now I became alarmed that this was the normal course of business here. I walked out. At first it was just to get away and clear my head, but by the time I stepped outside the building and onto Park Avenue, I realized I couldn't, wouldn't go back. I wandered around a bit before stopping to treat myself to a fabulous solo breakfast at The Plaza hotel. When I got home I dialed into the company's voice mail and I had six new messages. I listened to the first two, one from the same partner (apologizing? no he was continuing his rant). Another was from someone I didn't know who told me he emailed me something he wanted looked at right away. I deleted the rest without listening to them. Later that day I contacted my previous employer, begged for forgiveness, said I made a mistake, and they took me back. I am still (very thankfully) with that same employer today. I didn't know how good I had it. The best part? I was there so briefly that I was kept on payroll for 14 weeks before any picked up on the fact that I had already come and gone. When I realized I was still getting paid I made it a point to empty the account immediately after they made each deposit (which was fortunate, since they later tried unsuccessfully to make reversals). A few weeks after that I got a few phone calls from HR followed by some vaguely threatening letters from legal saying I had to give the money back. I ignored them completely, just like that partner did to me when I knocked on his office.
Righteous, R71.