Starting a new job can be stressful. In the midst of trying to juggle all of your new responsibilities, remember your colleague’s names and impress your new boss, it’s hard to even find a moment to breathe. But if you stop and realize that you absolutely hate what you’re doing, it’s never too soon to hit the road.
Redditors have recently been sharing stories of employees who quit just as quickly as they started new jobs, so we’ve gathered some of the most entertaining tales below. Enjoy scrolling through these examples of extremely quick quitting, and keep reading to find a conversation with career coach Twanna Carter, PhD!
#1
My mom lasted about 3 hours as a waitress. Some guy kept snapping his fingers and my mom assumed he was just snapping so she ignored it. The woman training her said, “He wants coffee. That’s why he’s snapping.” My mom said, “Then he can ask for it like a grown up.” It was loud enough for the guy to hear and he called my mom a b***h. She took of her apron and walked out. She was around 17. When she walked in the door my grandmom said, “Wow, you lasted longer than I thought you would.”.
111points
#2
In our warehouse we had a trans guy who ran it better than anyone I have ever seen. New guy starts, sees him and says " I can't work with that. It goes against what god created" Left, never to be seen again. Good riddance.
98points
#3
Me. I was hired as a dishwasher at a restaurant downtown. Buses stopped at midnight, but I was guaranteed I'd be off in time for the last bus
I was scheduled to start on a Friday night, starting at 6, I was told the first shift was a training shift and shorter than usual.
I get there and they tell me "hey there's supposed to be 3 dishwashers, but one guy was at 2 months but didn't show up, and the other guy got pulled to prep chef tonight."
Im busting a*s, the head chef comes by during lunch, I ask what's the plan for when I'm gone at 12 "what do you mean? The shift is 6pm-2am?". He strings me along most of the night saying he'll get me a ride home with someone that lives on my side of town. "one way or another we'll get you home"
At 1130 I go to him "hey so who's driving me home", "oh I couldn't find anyone that lives on your side of town. You'll have to cab or something", "cool".
And I walked out and never came back. Lol.
91points
To learn more about this topic, we got in touch with career coach Twanna Carter, PhD. Dr. Carter was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and discuss some of the common reasons why employees abruptly quit.
"One reason is previous work trauma. Sometimes, people are highly sensitive to the possibility of getting stuck in a job that seems to be going in the wrong direction," the expert noted.
"Another reason is dissatisfaction with certain job roles. They may have been miserable in a similar role before and it took a long time to leave that job," Dr. Carter says. "If a company engages in a bait and switch after onboarding, the new hire may immediately quit to preserve their mental health. It’s all about self-preservation and protecting your well-being."
#4
A coworker was sitting with our three bosses and 4 employees in a conference room meeting, she said: “This is the most disorganized and toxic work environment that I have been in, thanks for nothing because you should be thanking me for tolerating this job, and to you three”, (the employees including me) she said, “I feel sorry if you stay but you should leave too, they are not paying us that well anyway “, she got up and left, I left a week and half later and she is one of my best friends to this day.
Respect ACC! 🫡.
89points
#5
A woman I was training for a supervisor role at my previous job quit before lunch the first day.
I began the supervisor training and she said “I wasn’t hired as a supervisor, I was hired as an account manager”. I contacted my boss asking if there was a mixup with the training schedule, but there was not. Apparently they hired her as an account manager then downgraded her without letting her know. When she met with HR they said “strategic moves” had to be made for optimization. She quit on the spot.
I quit shortly after that because the company was up to other shady stuff.
85points
#6
At the door before he even got clocked in. He parked in front of the building in customer parking and in a handicapped spot. When he was asked to park around back in employee parking, which was actually closer to where his job was, he lost his s**t, went on a rant about his freedoms and that he wasn't working anywhere that made employees use the servants entrance. Pretty sure he heard the laughter erupt when he stormed out.
82points
We also asked the career coach what companies can do to ensure that new employees are satisfied. "An effective onboarding process is crucial for ensuring that employees feel cared for and valued," Dr. Carter says. "We've all experienced jobs where the onboarding process immediately raised doubts about our decision to join."
"For instance, I once onboarded at an organization where the process lasted from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. with no lunch provided and no scheduled break to go and get lunch," the expert shared. "Meetings were literally planned all day long. It was a negative experience that set the tone for my time there. Companies need to show basic care and concern for new employees, which are really easy fixes."
#7
I quit the day before i started. Accepted a job at x amount of pay. The day before I was to start they called me and said "we didn't know you went to nursing school with some of our workers and we told them what you'd be making hourly and they threatened to quit unless we pay you $3hr less than what was agreed upon"
I beg your pardon? F**k riiiight off.
81points
#8
Had the new older guy introduced right before the morning shop meeting. The supervisor started in on his normal "Do what I say or you'll be sorry" b******t he does every morning. My hero (new guy) stood up and walked out. I never saw him again.
76points
#9
I had an interview and was told the salary was X. I was offered the job but I was informed a mistake had been made and the salary was a fair chunk less than I'd been told at the interview. I replied "No problem, when do I start? Tomorrow at 8am? Great, see you then".
I put their number on silent, didn't show up and those time wasting muppets kept calling me for far longer than I ever would have imagined well into the following week..
75points
"Companies that engage in bait and switch tactics risk disappointing and alienating employees," Dr. Carter continued. "They assume people need the job so badly they’ll stay despite the issues. However, savvy employees, based on past experiences, will leave quickly. Two weeks into the job referenced above, and I was already searching for another one!"
#10
Didn’t quit but walked out and waited for the aftermath.
I was hired as a Production manager for a winery. Bottling, warehouse, maintenance. The first day of work was the first day of shelter in place due to Covid. Hr rep did my induction from her home. I was on site. Provided her with scanned copies of my documentation and she asked me to sign paperwork. It showed 15K less than my agreed to salary. I forwarded my signed offer letter and she said it was incorrect. I told her I would not sign.
The estate manager was offsite in Paris, was not a US citizen, and was stuck there due to Covid protocols.
I informed the HR rep that I was leaving and would not be returning. Within a couple of hours I received a call from the Estate Manager apologizing for the mistake and asking me to return the next day. I explained that I was reluctant to return to a company that tried to change terms after agreement. He ended up offering me an additional 10k and I returned. The HR Rep the next day was not the same person as before.
I was hired as a Production manager for a winery. Bottling, warehouse, maintenance. The first day of work was the first day of shelter in place due to Covid. Hr rep did my induction from her home. I was on site. Provided her with scanned copies of my documentation and she asked me to sign paperwork. It showed 15K less than my agreed to salary. I forwarded my signed offer letter and she said it was incorrect. I told her I would not sign.
The estate manager was offsite in Paris, was not a US citizen, and was stuck there due to Covid protocols.
I informed the HR rep that I was leaving and would not be returning. Within a couple of hours I received a call from the Estate Manager apologizing for the mistake and asking me to return the next day. I explained that I was reluctant to return to a company that tried to change terms after agreement. He ended up offering me an additional 10k and I returned. The HR Rep the next day was not the same person as before.
75points
#11
Met a dude at a call center like 5 years ago in New Braunfels, Tx
On the surface he looked like a punk kid. Long blonde bangs, arm and hand tattoos, young looking, wore a hoodie most of the time, could be very bouncy at times if excited about s**t. We went through training together and this occurred less than a week after training finished.
Looking at him closer though I noticed he was closer to my age (I was 27 at the time and he was 25) and he was actually pretty astute, dude was a fast learner and knew his s**t. Turns out dude was a bit of a wild child(one of his tattoo sleeves ended in a skull showing on his hand) before he had a kid some years prior, and that kid settled his a*s right the f**k down. He was employed before, but this was his second "serious job" as he put it. Out desks were next to each other after training and I heard him do very well on the phones.
Now there's a reason I'm focusing on his appearance so much; dude was real respectable but some office staff were put off purely by his look. One of them being HR's manager. When showing off a Doctors note showing he missed day 2 of on-floor work cuz of his baby being pretty sick, he came back to his desk looking mega anxious. I didn't wanna pry and also I was focusing on work, so thankfully he opened up the convo (pretty gregarious dude) asking me if he should do something after he was just treated
Turns out HR manager didn't accept the note and, on top of that, began to:
1. Berate him for not showing up for work
2. Imply that he's making trouble with his simple request
3. Began speaking in a manner I can only describe as 'overlord dressing-down'. Just kept speaking in absolutes, "You're gonna go back to your desk and work." "You don't need to be here anymore. Even so far as to openly tell him to shut up at one point.
1. Berate him for not showing up for work
2. Imply that he's making trouble with his simple request
3. Began speaking in a manner I can only describe as 'overlord dressing-down'. Just kept speaking in absolutes, "You're gonna go back to your desk and work." "You don't need to be here anymore. Even so far as to openly tell him to shut up at one point.
So naturally I say yes to the question he's been trying to pose; you really do need to file a complaint, man.
Corporate took that s**t seriously. Cuz homie made the complaint and literally the next day we get warned by higher ups that corporate is coming by. And those suits went straight to the HR office. Judging by that suits face (we were sat close enough to see the front entrance) and HR lady leaving and never coming back, pretty sure other HR staff present corroborated homies story and either they fired her a*s or she quit on the spot.
Homie unfortunately had a bad taste in his mouth afterward and quit that week.
Red hood, bro, idk if you're out there but hope you and your kid are well.
Sincerely,
-Long-haired native bro.
Sincerely,
-Long-haired native bro.
72points
#12
I quit literally five minutes into a job. The interviewer made it pretty clear it was a delivery job, *not* a sales job.
I go into work the first day and the manager tells us we need to load up the trucks and start selling.
No.
71points
Dr. Carter also provided some advice for jobseekers who want to find a position they'll actually be happy with. "Thoroughly research potential employers. Look at employee ratings and evaluations online. While some reviews might be from disgruntled employees, consistently poor ratings are a red flag," she told Bored Panda.
It's also wise to talk to former employees if you have the chance. "This is where leveraging your network becomes valuable. Use your connections to set up informational interviews and talk to current employees to get a better understanding of the company culture and working conditions," the expert shared.
#13
Me. Arrived 10 minutes early as I always do only to walk on site with an tirade of abuse being thrown at two workers by the director of the company who hired me. He looked me in the eye and try to impose his will and started barking orders. I laughed, did a 180 and started to walk of site. He ran up and ask where your going I said I don't work for d**kheads.
70points
#14
Seen some quit on the first day before.
Funniest story is someone getting fired on the first day. Worked in retail. Before we open we have our daily meeting to go over the plan for the day. The store manager asked another manager to address the team while he stood there and watched.
We had a new guy. It was his first day. While the manager (let's call him Brian) was addressing the crew the new guy kept making fun of him. Like you might make fun of a buddy where you tell inside jokes to each other. The thing is, it was his first day and nobody knew him. He also went way over the line saying things like "Brian is gay" and "that's what she said." Just really cringey stuff.
The store manager noticed. When Brian finished, he called all the managers into the office. He didn't tell any of us what was going on. We just assumed we were making final preparations before opening. He called the new guy into the office (let's call him Glen). "Glen, please come to the sales office."
We are all getting ready for the day. Organizing paper work etc and Glen walks in.
Store Manager: Let's talk about your short time working here NOW THAT IT HAS COME TO AN END.....
All the managers froze and just watched
Glen kept trying to justify his inappropriate behavior during the meeting in the office and he kept getting more and more pissed as none of us had his back (why would we?). He was ready to barge out of the store (the door was locked because it is retail and we weren't open yet). Instead he ran into the door. Now we all f*****g laughed. One of the managers unlocked the door and let him out. He peeled out of the parking lot pissed. Never to be heard from again....
63points
#15
I had a guy from Nigeria start nightshift. We warned him there might be some racism from locals. He said he's used to it from working in kebab shops.
Even I wasn't prepared for the amount of abuse he got. He called the next day to say he can't handle it.
63points
#16
Working at an ER vet, it became so common for people to go to lunch and never return that I began only learning new people’s names if they made it past their 90 days. S**t is not playing with puppies and kitties all day and a lot of people cannot hack it.
60points
#17
I guess me.
A college retail job, I showed up the first day and they said there was a mixup about how much they were able to pay me vs. what they had told me on the phone.
It ended up being slightly less per hour than I was making at my current job, instead of slightly more. Luckily I hadn't quit the current job yet.
I said I was only staying on if they could give me the rate agreed upon...they called or pretended to call somebody, came back and said there's nothing they could do.
Welp, sorry it didn't work out. I think I got a paycheck for the exactly 1 hour of standing around talking about it that we did. .
58points
#18
I was training a lady on the register for her first today, she went for her lunch and never came back. She came through drive thru about a month later and I ask her wtf because my manager had thought I'd explained lunches incorrectly or had done something to make her leave. She said that she saw the customers I dealt with and decided she would rather be unemployed.
50points
#19
I once saw my new coworker quit during their lunch break on their first day. They went out for lunch and just never came back. Turns out, they ran into an old friend who offered them a job on the spot, doing something they actually loved. We all laughed about it later, saying they must've had the shortest commute from new hire to ex-employee ever!
49points
#20
When I worked at Nabisco, at about 10 AM on his first day, another contractor turned to me and asked “Is Nabisco owned by a tobacco company?” I said, yes, but that we really had nothing to do with them. He got up and walked out.
47points