Finding a job is never easy. It takes a lot of time, effort, and courage for you to land a job. However, it would really suck if you had a horrible workplace. Each day would become more challenging to survive.
If you are one of those people who experience workplace drama, then you are indeed not alone! Check out these people who shared their moments of realizing they had to look for another job.
1. Cutting It First
I fractured my orbital socket in an industrial accident. Another employee lost focus at the wrong time and was supposed to wait for a hand signal but didn't.
We had been working over 90 days straight of 13-14 hour shifts and living in a crappy motel a 45 min drive from our worksite.
We were supposed to be on a rotation where we didn't work more than three weeks at a time. It was a close call and could have been a lot worse.
I'm glad I "saw it coming" and had time to at least try and get out of the way. I got sent away after a night in the ER while the rest of that crew continued to work.
After spending 2 or 3 days at home, the boss called to say that he "needed me in Alaska" in 2 days and that my flight was already booked. Told him I quit right on the spot.
Rainydays206
2. Unfair Treatment
My father's story: he was a 22-year-old millwright, and he had been working for the company for 4 years. He asked for a raise because one was given to a coworker who had the same job.
He was told that his coworker had kids and a family to provide for, and that’s why he was given a raise. And since my dad had no children at that time, he didn’t need one.
My dad applied for a job that paid almost twice as much with great benefits. He gave in his notice, and the manager said, “Will you stay if we give you the raise you wanted?” He declined and worked for the second company for 35 years and retired last December :)
belovedbegrudged
3. Great Pretenders
Joined a call center with an obviously shady pay structure. They said the calls are inbound, so I thought, hey, that’s not too bad then.
Turns out the inbound calls were generated by their robocall system, indirectly implying that they were Google but never saying so, and we were directed to use some dubious answer if someone asked, ‘Are you Google?’
After getting yelled at and cussed out and constantly getting people who had been called many times before and were clearly irate, I just got up and left in the middle of the day.
I also complained to Google that these guys were pretending to be Google. And these guys were crap scared of getting complaints like that. Seriously messed up people.
notahopeleft
4. Watching Out
My first job was at a fast-food restaurant. I only lasted about three months. The manager was sleazy, and the employees were straight-up lazy.
I had to mop up one day. There was an area in the kitchen where you kinda have to lean forward so you could slide the mop under the counter.
The manager decided to come out of the office and just stand behind me and watch. I looked at him and asked, “Is there something wrong?”
He said no, but he just wanted to make sure I cleaned correctly. Right, because there was no worry about how well I cleaned the rest of the kitchen, but now that I’m bending over, there is. I immediately stopped and walked out.
HouseofRias
5. Sleepless Nights
I was a truck driver working a regional route that required me to work nights. So basically, I would drive all through the night, deliver a load, sleep through the day, and take a load back to my original place the next night.
The thing is, sleeping during the day at a warehouse where yard dogs (the guys that move trailers around the lot of the warehouse with little tractor deals) were constantly moving things around, knocking into my truck, and often literally waking me up to move my truck.
I was barely sleeping, and the only time I had to get a good night's rest was during the weekend. So, driving to my first delivery, I told my manager I was taking an extra day off because I was exhausted and had to get a few days of sleep.
I was getting maybe 3-4 hours of solid sleep a day, and energy drinks were worthless. They gave me the go-ahead, and I dropped my delivery, slept as best as possible at the warehouse, and picked up the load to take back with a message from my managers telling me to have a good weekend and rest up.
When I was about an hour and a half away from my destination, after driving all night for about 8 hours, reaching pure exhaustion, I got a message saying, “Never mind. We need you to work this weekend.”
Mind you, I know this stuff happens, and you sometimes have to pick up the slack of other employees. Things happen, and I get it. 99% of the time, I’m all for helping out other employees and my managers if they need it.
But this was about the third time this happened. I hadn’t slept well in 3 weeks, and I kept trying to call my managers or anyone who would answer me, but it was the weekend, and no one would respond to their messages or phone calls. I was being ignored, and I just snapped.
Luckily, the demand for truckers is massive. I get texts non-stop asking if I’m in the market because a company needs drivers. I haven’t been in the industry for two years, and my phone still gets blown up with calls and texts asking if I want to drive again.
So literally, all I did was call one of the numbers that would contact me constantly, and I was immediately hired after 5 minutes of talking on the phone. Sent in a message saying I quit and good luck.
Funny enough, they started responding to my messages and tried calling me. I know it was probably a bad move to mess them over, and I normally would never do that, but I just broke and could not take it anymore.
[deleted]
6. Vacation Worth
My mom’s: I was studying overseas, and my parents booked a trip to come out at the end of the school term, bringing along my two siblings - 1 who lived away from home, the other who was about to start college.
It was a month-long trip, with lots of pre-paid flights, trains, and hotels, plus it would likely be the last big trip we all took together.
Obviously, both my parents requested and secured approved PTO months in advance. It was the month of June - a typical summer vacation.
A couple of days before the trip was to happen, my mom’s boss handed her an assignment. Mom hands it back, saying she can’t take it on as she has a month-long vacation about to start.
(My folks don’t believe in hyperbole, but the trip of a lifetime would be a fair description). The boss says, “Oh yeah, sorry, you can’t take vacation anymore.” Mom says, “If you cancel my PTO, I quit.”
The boss's blank stare. Mom handed in her notice and left. We had an amazing trip. She got a new job on return.
letsgocactus
7. Dodged A Bullet
I worked at a little Greek restaurant early in high school. Got hired and spent the first two days cleaning everything. The owner and son were too lazy to clean.
Years' worth of old grease was in the deep fryer's interior, and mold was in the fridges, there were stains in the bathrooms, etc. Just freaking gross.
Ask about payday at the end of the second day, and it went something like this:
Me: So, how does payday work here? Is it weekly, bi-weekly, what?
Him: You are on training, and if we like your job, we will hire you with pay.
Me: So you're saying that you're not going to pay me for cleaning year's worth of mold, grease, and bathroom stains?
Him: No, you will be paid for work once your training is done.
Me: Oh! Ok. Fudge this, I quit.
advocatus_ebrius_est
8. Wrong Gear
Got a summer job while I was in high school at a place that made fiberglass tanks. I was told I'd be doing groundskeeping and yard work. Figured I'd scored an easy gig of bombing around on a ride-on mower and whatnot.
NOPE.
The first day I showed up, in a t-shirt and jeans, I was told the yard equipment wasn't ready. So they had me cut raw fiberglass for 8 hours with an exacto knife and no PPE.
Being a dumb kid, I didn't immediately quit and did this for three more days. At least after the first day, I'd brought my own gloves and long-sleeved shirt.
However, on said fated day three, they were doing tank coatings. So about ten feet away from me are two dudes in full PPE. We're talking coveralls, rubber gloves, glasses, face shields, and respirators.
Ten feet away from me. In a poorly ventilated room. Spraying the exterior of a tank with presumably fiberglass coating. I only made it a few hours before having to go to the bathroom to puke.
I was told to quit being a wimp and go back out on the floor, so I, fortunately, had a moment of not being a stupid kid and said I quit and walked home. Both parents were mad when I told them I'd quit.
The joke's on them, though, because a few years later, that company ended two dudes. A guy asphyxiated while working inside one of the tanks, and the person who tried to rescue him also ended up dying. The whole place got shut down permanently.
QuinoaKhmerRouge
9. Outside of Responsibilities
My first job... I was assigned to a specific area and thought I was doing my job well. On Monday, I was pulled into the office and asked why (whatever thing it was, I don’t remember) hadn’t been done for the last two weeks.
I replied I wasn’t aware it was part of my duties. My supervisor said he was putting me on a “mandatory non-paid vacation” for two weeks.
There was no warning or explanation on why I suddenly had to work for a different department. So I said, “Don’t worry about it. I quit.”
It was a lousy job, anyway. I was only getting paid 18 hours a week but was doing more than that! Sixteen and stupid, I guess!
metrosphoenix
10. The Forgetful Boss
The manager claimed to have called me to change my schedule (my phone didn't show any missed calls from his number; he was lying) and then, on the same day, scheduled me to work a shift that afternoon without confirming that I was free or willing to pick up the extra shift.
When I came into my next shift, he asked why I didn't come in for my scheduled shifts, showing me my work schedule that he'd printed out. I told him I hadn't been scheduled for that shift.
I showed him the screenshot of my original posted schedule from two days after it had been officially posted that showed I hadn't been scheduled for that day, and he said it was fine, smiled, nodded, and sent me back to my shift.
Next week's schedule comes out, and I have no shifts. I ask what's up, and he says that since I missed a shift and didn't call in to say I'd be missing, I had to lose two weeks of hours.
I again asked why that would happen if I had come in for my scheduled hours, reminding him we had talked about it, and he said it was fine. He pretended that he didn't remember that conversation.
He was absolutely shocked when I quit before the two weeks were over. I got a voicemail three days later asking why I didn't show up to my scheduled shifts that week, and when I called him back asking what about "I got a new job and will not be back," it was unclear.
He claimed that he had never called me or left a voicemail, and I must have just been confused! Yeah, sure, some guy with your voice took your phone, called my number, claimed to be you, and used my name in the voicemail.
That manager got let go a few weeks later. Found out he had been pulling the same crap with other employees. They erased his name from the front of the building and everything.
[deleted]
11. Working Zombie
I worked 3rd shift. My normal hours were 10:30 pm to 9 am. Four days a week. About six months into working there, they did a massive layoff.
They went down to the bare minimum staff-to-student ratio each shift, with nobody extra to call in if needed. That meant if someone called out, a person on the previous shift was forced.
It got to the point where I was being forced to work 3 out of 4 shifts per week. And not just a few hours. I worked from 10:30 pm to around 4:30 pm the next day and still had to come in for my following shift. I had an hour's commute each way.
So I'd get home at 5:30 pm from a 16-hour shift and have to leave the house again four hours later. Managed that for about a month.
Then, one morning, I was told at the last minute that I was being forced. Told them I was freaking done and walked out. That month took a huge toll on my mental health. Swear it took me like a year to recover.
amphetaminesfailure
12. Other Way Round
I was getting screamed at in a meeting by some marketing jerkward who was literally demanding my technical group perform magic on a completely unrealistic time schedule with almost no resources.
Literally screaming at me in front of about 8 of my peers, calling me incompetent, “Just do your job,”....all of that. I stood up, refused to be talked to like that, and left the meeting.
Normally, if you just get up and leave these types of meetings, you’re fired. After hearing about it, the boss scheduled a meeting with me later in the afternoon. Figured I’d be walked out.....was told they fired the marketing guy.
That was my “eff it, I quit” moment. But the company kept me on and fired the other guy. Pretty happy. It’s been a solid place to work ever since.
sadpanda___
13. Outside Job Description
I worked for a big chain tire store in a very rich part of town for a while. I was overqualified for the job, but it's what I was hiring. One day I got a call saying another tech got fired for failing a piss test.
I get in, and our lead tech comes in with a torn bicep and has to be gone for a few months. So I'm now the most knowledgeable person in the shop, taking on a ton of extra duties and extra hours.
So, working 60+ hours a week as the only tech with ANY diagnostic abilities, I ask for a raise/promotion. The guy who was hired a week earlier was an amazing tire buster.
However, he can't do any mechanical repair past changing an air filter and got a double promotion and a dollar-per-hour raise. Put in my notice on the spot.
xJD88x
14. The Bosszilla
I was a manager at a company where the executives were ineffective. I worked 60 hours a week most of the time and had to do all of my director’s duties because he didn’t understand our systems.
The work environment was also pretty hostile and passive-aggressive. People cried on the job daily in other departments, slightly less in mine.
Managers and staff would snap at other departments the same way the executives did because of the stress. I tried to take care of my department and make sure they weren’t being abused or taken advantage of.
I had three days' leave for a death in the family, but I had to work every day from home and the funeral itself. It was especially vexing because it was to re-do the same thing every day that my boss would just forget to complete and need to be done the next day again.
I brought this and all the other issues to his attention, and he said he would try to do better. Months went by, and it got worse. Finally, our team sat down with him and told him things needed to change.
I told him that the environment was more hostile and aggressive than ever, and the team agreed. He told me that was my perception and we needed an attitude change, then left for a meeting (for which I had provided him the data). I cleared out my desk and left, quit with HR.
For me, the kicker was that he kept assigning me tasks and insisted that I was still working there for days. Never been more relieved to quit in my life.
FidgetyGidget
15. Horrible Surprise
My first job (at a pizza delivery place), I was almost 18, and I overheard my manager (in his 40s!) and a few delivery drivers talking about throwing me a birthday party.
They planned on spiking my drinks so they could "do things" to me. They had no idea I was around the corner listening. It was so darn weird.
Maybe they were joking, and maybe they were not. I didn't care; I quit right then and there. And I never regretted it.
emohippiechick
16. Useless Statistics
I had a job that had flexible hours. I worked seven to three. Our clients leave at two, and I usually wrap all my work up before three.
Well, our manager quit one day, and this enormous jerkward took his place. He came in and began ranting that people weren't putting in 8 hours.
He started saying that he was going to report our department head to upper management and the people who worked 10-6 he would try to force them into the office by 8
This guy was a massive witch. I actually completed the most tickets and mentored people. One day, he pulled me into the office and told me he wanted me to stay later and that I was doing a terrible job.
Asked this piece of crap to check the metrics, to which he said he didn't care. I just stood up and yelled at him. Turned in my notice
[deleted]
17. Terrible Liars
I used to be a server at a restaurant a quarter mile from a large concert venue in northern Michigan. Concert nights were always freaking crazy but paid well, so it was all good.
I was assigned a patio with 13 tables split between two servers. My other server didn’t show up, so I had the entire patio to myself for ZZ Top night. On top of this, I had a 21 to come in and take up half of my section.
They weren’t attending the concert, and I told them that food would take at least an hour due to it being super busy and them being a large group. They were fine with this. I’m with them every 3-5 minutes, filling drinks and bringing booze/wine.
It took about 1:30 for them to get their food, and everyone was in good spirits the entire time. They ended up staying for 4 hours, raking up a four-digit bill (thank you, booze for that), and everything was fine until I was that out.
It was like a switch flipped. They started yelling and complaining that I was horrible, and all went inside to speak to my manager, whose mind had not helped out a bit during the entire ordeal.
She comped everything but alcohol, removed the 20% auto gratuity, and the table ended up leaving me 12 bucks. My manager then pulled me aside and gave me a warning, telling me she didn’t think I could handle being a server. Yeah, I was pretty well freaking done.
Jesse0016
18. Loyal Employee
I was doing a manager's job without the title or pay. I was asked to train all of our new seasonal staff without any additional pay. I was pulling 12-hour days without being paid for all 12 hours.
Then I had my yearly evaluation. She gave me an average rating, and when I asked what I could improve to get a pay raise next year, she said there was nothing I could do.
Let slip that they would only be giving an “exceed” rating to 1 person per store. Performance didn’t matter. The minimum wage also happened to be bumped this year. I was making more because I had been there for five years.
But we were informed that those of us who had been there and were earning the new minimum wage would continue to earn just the same amount.
Meaning a person who had started a week prior was now making the same as someone who had been there for ten years. Then, one day, my alarm didn’t go off.
So I missed my first day in 5 years. I panicked, called my assistant manager, and told him. And got to work. We had just hired a new manager, and she toured the store with some higher-ups.
She took that opportunity to chew me out in front of them. I apologized profusely for being late. But that wasn’t good enough. She decided to scream at me for “only” telling my assistant manager and not telling her.
I called the store. He picked up, and he told me he would tell her. She decided she didn’t like me, so she cut my hours in half.
The only reason why I kept the job after all of that was because they were still giving me full-time hours, and I knew I wouldn’t get that anywhere else. Well, if they’re just going to give me 20 hours a week, fudge it.
So, I handed in my two weeks to a manager I had worked with and loved. The new manager took personal offense to this too, and started talking bad to everyone who would listen.
So, instead of working out my last two weeks of shifts, I just stopped coming in. I was going back to school anyway, and I didn’t need their reference. I heard that a month later, there was a mass exodus. So glad I got out when I did.
[deleted]
19. Huge Sacrifices
I worked at a well-known pizzeria in my city for a while when I was younger. Definitely put up with a fair amount of crap for the year and a half I worked there. Terrible managers and lazy co-workers for pretty much minimum wage.
Well, a couple of months before I was planning on leaving to go to school in a different city, they were having an issue with hiring and firing new people because they kept hiring anyone with a pulse regardless of how many brain cells were between their ears.
Back in January, I had requested the time for spring break off, as I was planning a surf trip out to California. Had the time approved in writing, and that was that. Fast forward to March, they hired and fired three people in the same week, so it became apparent staffing was an issue.
The schedule came out for the week I had requested off, and I was surprised to see myself on the schedule almost every day that week. I approached the store manager with the schedule and my written approval of the time of request and was like, "What the fudge, dude?"
He then proceeded to tear up my request in front of me and said, "We don't have enough people right now, so you're gonna have to make some sacrifices. You're just going to have to deal with it."
That week was about three weeks out, so I made a snap decision then and there and replied, "No, you're gonna have to make the sacrifice. I'm giving you two weeks. I've had this trip planned for months, and you can't even ask if it's okay to cancel my trip."
The last two weeks went the smoothest I've ever worked there. That manager was trying everything to get me to stay, and I kept saying no while he decided to retaliate in small, irritating ways. I'd had enough and decided not to go in on my last day to close the shop. I'm starting my spring break a day early.
About 10 minutes into the start of my shift, I got a call from said manager asking where I was. So I tell him, "Oh, I'm on I-10 heading west right now." "Well, when are you going to get here?" "Dude, if you haven't gotten it yet, I'm not coming in."
He started going off about how he would have to close and work extra since he opened the store that morning, etc. So I finally snapped.
I told him, "Sounds like you're gonna have to make some sacrifices and deal with it. Remember that? I'll be in when I get back to pick up my last check in two weeks." and hung up. The most satisfying way I've ever quit.
punkrockpizza
20. Unreasonable Tasks
My first job was working at a well-known distribution warehouse. Granted, I had no idea what I was getting myself into, but I figured, "Hey, I need the money for bills."
Starting off there was "interesting," to say the least. Hundreds of isles on two sides of the warehouse with a single conveyor belt separating them all. All of us workers huddled up into groups for stretches every time a shift started.
The buzzwords throughout the cafeteria made it feel like I was in a cult. Our demographic makeup was a mix of young and elderly men and women from all walks of life.
As time passed, I was overworked, and I quickly realized the managers didn't care much for us. They only loved the new expansions to the building with more racks and conveyor belts. They tried little things like rewards and catering from Chipotle and Boston Market.
Still, the workers who've been there since the building opened noted various complaints about working conditions (working in 90+ degree temperatures with no ceiling fans, spillages, overflowing isles, shifting 50+ pound boxes, scanners not working, etc.)
My final straw was when I was assigned to shift 24,000+ packages on the new split conveyor belts with a pregnant woman during Prime Week. The belts overflowed that night.
I realized if this was the type of thing I was going to do, then I didn't want it anymore. By that point, I lost more than 20 pounds. I weighed 175 pounds when I started, and I was 151 lbs when I quit. I quit after five months with no regrets.
[deleted]
21. Go Down With Me
Worked for a boss who micromanaged everything and was just a jerkward about everything in general. I came into work at 6:56 AM, and clock-in time was 7:00.
Instead of clocking in and going to the bathroom, I went first instead of using company time. I clocked in at 7:01 AM, and he went off on me for being one minute late.
He saw me sit my stuff down and go to the restroom, so he knew I wasn’t truly late. This wasn’t the first time he yelled about something so small, but that day was the last.
I didn’t say, “Screw this, I quit!” I said, “Screw you, I quit!”. I reported him to Human Resources two days later for the ridiculous behavior.
I came to find out that this was not the first time he had been reported for a toxic work environment. My friend in that department told me he was fired that next week. Happy ending to my “Screw this, I quit!” story.*
MononokeHD
22. Woman of Dumb Questions
After taking a few days off work while my father was having a brain tumor removed (and still checking emails and attending conference calls from the hospital), my boss gave me a new project.
On a Thursday afternoon, she gave me a Monday morning deadline for a project that would take 6-8 days to complete. I worked 16 hours a day to get it done.
When we met on Monday, she asked how my weekend was: "I worked all weekend." Then she asked if I got to visit my dad in the hospital. "No, I didn't get a chance because I worked all weekend."
A couple of weeks later, she pulled me into a meeting and said, "I feel like you were resentful because you had to work, and I feel like I was really good when your dad was sick. Maybe you're just tired. Are you tired?"
She'd also make comments when I would leave the office on time - not early, on time. "It's great that you just get up and go when your day is over like I have to go because I have a daughter, but you don't have any kids, and you just leave at the end of the day."
Um, yeah, witch, I don't live here. I don't go home and sit in a dark room counting the hours until I get to come back here. I'm also not curing cancer.
Nothing we do here matters to anyone outside of here. I give you 100% when I'm here, but when my day is done, it's freaking done. I no longer work there.
Blairtony96
23. Dirty Ways Gone Bad
Asked for a small raise after one year, $1/hr, and was making $20. I was underpaid, and we all knew it. They offered me 50 cents.
I showed them I was saving them 70-100k/year, but they would not budge. I gave my notice right there. I really had enough of their crap.
Got my last check - no yearly bonus. I was owed $1000. They told me they would not have to pay me since I quit. It was just full of crap.
I said, “Oh, that’s cool. I’ll call OSHA later today and cite five big violations they hadn’t addressed.” I think that worked so well. Suddenly, I got my bonus.
rperkins146
24. Workplace of Bullies
I was a waitress at a crappy diner. The fellas there were always flirty and handsy. They'd talk about me in Spanish, so I only understood a little of what they were saying.
One guy tried to follow me home, so I went to a friend's house instead. The customers would complain about the cockroaches.
The owner would yell at us for relaying the message. The waitresses all did a lot of illegal substances and would try to pressure me into their lifestyle.
One day, while I was filling the rice pudding cups, one of the Boh employees mopping walked up and demanded I move. I asked him if he could ask instead of being rude.
He didn’t like that, so he hit my legs with the mop and knocked me over. I went to the bathroom and cried privately for a minute, pulling myself together. Handed my tickets to the manager and walked out.
Floorp88
25. Ice Cream For Everyone
I was working as an ice cream vendor at an amusement park. It was the kind of ice cream that comes in tiny little flash-frozen pellets.
So I was selling my tiny, overpriced cups of frozen ice cream balls and had a line of a half dozen people when a manager came over and said he saw someone walk by with a cup that hadn't been leveled off.
I acknowledged his comment and then continued preparing the ice cream cup for the next customer. After filling the cup, I use the scoop to scrape across the top and level off the excess pellets because God forbid people almost get their money's worth.
The manager said I didn't level it off well enough, snatched it from my hand, dumped it back into the bin, and made me do it again while standing over me. The customer and I were both now silent and uncomfortable.
So I filled the cup and leveled it off again the same way because that's the only way to do it. This time, he apparently approved and said, "That's how you should have been doing it the whole time. It isn't hard!"
Then he stormed away. The previous day, I had worked my entire shift without a break because the manager forgot to send relief to cover my stall while I took lunch,
So I was already annoyed at the company. But being yelled at and belittled in front of customers was over the line in my book.
So I handed the customer back his money and then similarly handed out free ice cream to the other people in line. Then, I simply left.
I didn't lock the ice cream freezer, empty/power down the register, or let anyone know I was leaving. I didn't stop to turn in my nametag or polo shirt. I just left. And I've never regretted that for a second.
Knuckles316
26. Not A Robot
Had a catering job at this restaurant. We had a big event and had to move all the furniture downstairs. The event lasted until about 2 am.
Then they made us move all the furniture back upstairs while all the servers were literally sitting there counting their tips from the night that we didn't get any of.
Ended up getting off work at 4 am, and they expected us to be back at 8 am for a breakfast event. Said screw it. I quit and never went back. It sucks when you are the hardest-working person at a job and gets no recognition.
robs33314
27. Unreliable Boss
Worked as a valet during the summer between my senior year of high school and college. The location was in the busiest part of my city, and parking was limited.
I made $400 a night on weekends easily. I worked in one location, and my boss (owner of the company) told me to park in the alley where our stand was so there was room in our lot.
At some point, when I was running for a car, I got a ticket for $80 for parking in a No Parking area. I was pissed and annoyed as this was the first ticket I ever got. To make it worse, my boss refused to pay.
I was 18 and still naive, so I paid it and went. In July, I am at one of the locations, and the boss tells me to move my Jeep and block a side entrance where people are sneaking into our lot.
I park it inside the lot. When I went to leave, I saw there was another ticket. The boss refused to pay. I was pissed, so I ripped off my shirt (he technically owned it, I hadn't paid) and said, "Screw this, I quit!" The only job I have ever quit.
Spartan2842
28. Everyone, Let’s Go
I worked as a server at a fancy theater. We were all students but were expected to be professional servers even though they hired everybody without experience because of the high turnover rate.
So, New Year's Eve comes by. Nobody wanted to work, and my best work friend (female) volunteered to work that night. The night was a huge clownery.
The manager already had some anger issues, and because of a misunderstanding, he thought my friend was trying to steal money.
What could have been talked out easily escalated to him pushing her against a wall so hard that she dislocated her shoulder (she went to the hospital after because the police told her that she needed a doctor's confirmation if she wanted to press charges).
One week goes by, and she decides she will not press charges, and the guy still works there. She is getting no shifts, and when another server gets sick, she just takes the shift and shows up.
The manager who pushed her and a higher manager who also worked there called her into the office and told her she was fired.
I just took off my apron and walked out with her. After one month, about 3/4 of the staff also quit, which really messed them over.
verzweifelterkellner
29. Great Partner
I’m a nurse, and I was working in a nursing home two years ago. I need a liver transplant from medication used to help treat my arthritis. I was still healthy and able to work at the time.
One of the downsides to my liver decompensating is the inability to control my blood sugar, which would drop down into the 50’s.
Low blood sugar can be dangerous, makes it very difficult to focus, and makes it seem like you’re drunk and high at the same time (at least for me). During one shift, my sugar dropped twice.
The first time, I ate some protein and took a break to get it back up before I started passing meds/narcotics. The second time, it was in the low 50s.
I asked for someone to come take over for me so my husband could pick me up and take me to the hospital. After an hour, they came and told me that there was nobody available and that I would have to stay until the end of my shift, even though four RNs were sitting on their asses in their office.
I called my husband, crying because I felt so bad and frustrated. He freaked out and drove to my work while on the phone with the state board of nursing and the county health department.
He packed my things, helped me walk to the supervisor's office, and went ballistic. I have never seen my husband angry. We’ve never fought, so seeing this was scary for me.
After lots of swearing while still on the phone with the county health department so they could hear the exact conversation, he told them I quit, and we left.
OllyPolly
30. My Hair, My Rules
Back in ought-one, I worked at Blockbuster as a cashier. My boss called me up and said that there was some new policy that said men were prohibited from having long hair.
My hair was around my shoulders, and I had been growing it for about a year or so. I was not about to cut my hair because screw that, so I told my boss I was not cutting my hair.
He said something about how it was policy, and they could work with me if I cut it a little or something. I was like, nah, man, I'm not doing that. I quit. And that was that.
WolfsLairAbyss
31. Lone Guy
Worked at a game store and had a weird situation. We had a PlayStation 1 in the back that never hit the shelves many years before and kinda just sat there.
After almost a year of working there, we talked about this PlayStation, only to find it didn't show a normal price in the system.
A month passed, and we were still discussing it when a fellow employee of PlayStation died. Another employee sold him the one from behind at a price listed in the system.
6 months later, get a list from corporate to return items, and sure enough, somehow, this many-year-old item was on the list. The Source came in and cleared the house of anyone who interacted with the transaction.
I was the only employee remaining. They had me run a store solo for a week (impossible) before bringing a manager from a neighboring town.
The manager walks in and starts running his mouth about everyone and everything while having me do every task by myself while he yells.
By lunch break, I had enough. Walked out back, grabbed my things, sandwich in hand. I walked out, told him to have a great day, and returned to my previous tech job. Worth it.
Jagdane
32. Family Committments
I was working on a drilling rig in northern Canada and had just worked 92 night shifts in a row without any time off. I booked my flight home for Dec 23rd as this was the day told to me by our driller.
Dec 23 came, and the manager said we would have to work an extra day. It was all because the day shift crew did not get enough done.
Switching my flight would have cost me 1000$ extra for a last-minute booking on Christmas Eve. Again, I hadn't seen my wife or kids in 3 months.
I said, "Screw y'all, fire me if u want. I'm getting on that plane. I never went back. Got fired. The positive side of this story is I went back to school the next year and became a medic, so now I don't go away anymore. Win-win.
itsYourLifeCoach
33. The Signs
Worked at a call center. I was good at what I did. Troubles came, and I was told specifically by my team lead and one of the assistant managers that they reviewed my performance subjectively.
Just a heads up, the manager didn't like me. AT ALL. He told me that I was being demoted. I figured, take the lumps, ride it out.
Clock in, do my thing. Let them be nit-picky. It will pass; maybe it'll take a while, but it will pass. The new team lead told me in a way that those types of managers tell you that I needed to choose between my pregnant wife and the job.
Later that night, a friend took me to watch Spiderman: Into the Spider-verse and the part where he says, “How do you know when you're ready to jump?” “You don't, you just do.” It hit me: why was I fighting so hard to keep the job? So I quit.
Donnersebliksem
34. Just Some Bored People
I always showed up 10 minutes early before my shift, but they only allowed us to clock in at the start of the shift because they didn't want anyone claiming they were owed extra.
I got written up for being "Late" to my 7:00 AM Sunday shift because I clocked in at 7:00:23AM or so. So, I was 23 seconds "late," even though I had been there for about 5-10 minutes.
When I advised them that I was already there, it took me 23 seconds to navigate through the menus to clock in, and if they didn't like that, they should simply let me clock in when I actually arrived. They got extremely pissy.
They went on to tell me that in addition to being late, the fact that I didn't immediately apologize was insubordinate and that if I was late once more at any point that quarter, I'd be fired.
It was a crappy retail job. I advised them that I wouldn't be late ever again because I wasn't going to come in any longer.
Ferelar
35. You Asked For It
I worked at a well-known ice cream store in high school. We were constantly understaffed - there were only ever four employees there. We were all teenagers, and the “shift lead” was in charge.
There was one working in the front, one working in the drive-thru, one making the food, and one doing chores in the back (trash, dishes, refilling freezers, etc.).
The register hadn’t been replaced since the 1970s. All around, it's not an ideal work environment. But I was 16, and this was my first job; I just needed to save up for college.
I was new. I worked at this job for maybe a month. A lady wanted a New York Cheesecake Royal Blizzard. It had a strawberry filling. We were out. More came in the next day.
I informed her that we could put something else in if she’d like. She said no problem. She’d like some peanut butter sauce. I brought out the blizzard, and she thanked me. Five minutes later, the shift lead called me back by the grill, and she was on the phone. The owner called.
The lady, who was still in the lobby, somehow had the owner’s number and called him and told him that I got her order wrong and that she was allergic to peanuts, and I could have ended her.
I explained the situation to the shift lead as quickly as I could because there was an angry line forming up front, and the other two employees were mad that there was no one up there.
She asked for the peanut butter since we were out of strawberries. I went up front and took a bunch of orders from more angry people who waited 60 seconds longer than they’d have liked to, and my shift lead kept getting calls again from the owner to get “clarity” on the situation.
I think I broke my record for getting yelled at by my coworkers and customers that night. I finished my shift and cried in my car. I decided that night to look for a new job, and I did.
toothpastenachos
36. Crappy Karen
I used to help an elderly couple, "Grandpa" was frail of health, and I'd do general nursing (bathing, feeding, and just keeping him company for the most part).
Their daughter would constantly come in and scream at the top of her lungs at them for the pettiest stuff. I was no maid; I'd help clean the kitchen and Grandpa's room, but it was neither my obligation nor part of the service my agency offered.
One day, Karen (false name) comes in about the mess "I had to clean." It was a bunch of bottles of wine she had that she dropped from a cabinet near her room while drunk.
I wasn't even in the house, but Grandma told me what had happened. She was screaming as usual, and I just couldn't take it.
I felt really bad for Grandpa and Grandma as we did grow into each other, but I refused to work with someone who couldn't treat me as a human being, so I left.
I told the agency what happened and told them not to blacklist them as the grandpa does need help, but rather advise whoever might go that Karen is a massive witch.
conhela
37. The Driller
Sixteen and working minimum wage at a movie theater. For a while, it was great fun. Got to go see movies for free on my off days free popcorn from whatever was left at the end of the night.
Then a new manager came in. I'm sure a lot of us have had this type. Overnight, no more free movies, no more free popcorn. She drilled a hole in the wall between the office and the concession line.
It was to make sure we were constantly working and never talking to each other. She was a huge fan of the phrase, "If you don't like it, then leave. You're all a dime a dozen."
The final straw came when I was working the box office with a line out the door, and she walked in with her six-month-old screaming kid, put her in the box office, and told me to watch her while she counted drawers.
Nine of us quit the next week. The day before Phantom Menace came out. He might have been lying, but a co-worker claimed when she was near tears about what she was going to do without half the staff, he handed her a dime and told her to go hire some more.
Roland_T_Flakfeizer
38. Internship Times
As part of a college course, I had to get some work placement hours at places related to the field of study. Because it was hard to find available places, they allowed charity shops.
We were allowed a maximum of 16 hours a week and needed 500 hours to pass the course. When I started, I was averaging 10-12 hours.
However a month in, I needed a minor procedure on my foot, which meant I had to miss a couple of days, after which I would have been fine to return to my normal hours.
When I came back, I was scheduled for an hour and a half. They told me they didn't want to push me too far. I thanked them, let them know that I was fine to return to my normal number of hours, and showed them the information pack that said such.
Next week, the same thing happened. An hour and a half for the whole week. There were others from my course volunteering there who were still getting 10-16 hours a week. In the third week, I asked for my hours to be increased, only to be told that "It wouldn't be fair on the others."
I stayed for five weeks after my hours were cut before I said screw it. If I stayed, I wouldn't have met the course requirement.
It wasn't the only reason I left, but it was the final straw. The general manager was a bit of a witch, but the assistant manager was cool.
EL1TE1NFERNO
39. Mind Disturbing System
I worked for a Deli. Started at 2. Worked 45 hours a week when they were short-handed. I got full-time in three months. Worst mistake ever. The difference between a full-time and a part-time is they treat you like crap.
Now, I have a great set of managers. 95% of the managers were amazing people. The job itself was hell. Once you become full-time, you work ridiculously 10- 12-hour shifts, and sometimes you don't get lunch until 9 hours in.
I started having some health problems (mental illness related and recently diagnosed with IBS with a couple of food intolerances). I started slipping, working 12 hours, sometimes no lunches, getting out at 12am, and returning at 8am-6pm.
They just threw ridiculous shifts at us. One day, they called me to the office, accused me of a few weird, ridiculous things, and asked why my performance had been dwindling.
Well...I broke down and told them about my recent health issues and that I had been experiencing issues recently and told them I'd been thinking of stepping down from full-time or asking to leave Deli to be cross-trained in an easier department.
They immediately say, "If you step down, you lose your health insurance." They told me they couldn't guarantee me over 30 hours to keep my health insurance.
This is BS because the minimum you get a week is 32+, so we are short-staffed. I told them I needed to be out of the deli. They said they would get me in the bakery for a different pace.
A month later, more 10+ hr shifts. A week straight of getting out at 1am every night. I asked when I would be switched over, and they kept saying oh, next week.
The final straw was like the end of that insane 1am shift because I had to be back from 9 am to 7 pm the next day. I walked out the next day in the middle of a shift after spending 20 mins in the freezer crying because my manager basically told me to get myself together. Yeah, would never go back.
stargaze326
40. Snap Time
Argument with my boss over me working every weekend/never paying me on time/never paying overtime/and a bunch of other things, "Your replacement is only a phone call away."
Ring them, and I walked. Felt really good. I had already lined up another job as I saw the writing on the wall after he'd finished building his house, and I wasn't covering for him as often.
Took him a full week before calling me and asking if I was ready to talk and another month before finding my replacement, whom he also messed over. Don't stay at a job you hate or with a boss you can't trust.
daytonakarl
41. Don’t Make Me Choose
Not quite so dramatic, but I was working at a plastics factory (in the maintenance department) after I got out of the Navy and before I went back to college.
It was one of those 90-day temp-to-hire deals, and in the interview (in late May), I mentioned that I was going back to school in the fall and I'd be happy to do just 2nd/3rd shifts once that happened. No problem, etc etc.
Come early part of August, and I'm signing up for classes, and I figure I should make sure I speak to the maintenance manager to make sure there were no surprises.
He tells me they can't let me do that, as I'm not trained enough to be working on my own. I reminded him that this wasn't something I was dropping on him.
He just replied, "You have to decide which is more important, this job or your education." I literally laughed at him and told him I quit. He was actually shocked that I made that choice.
Khaymann
42. Important Ceremony
My first job was in my senior year of high school. Four months in advance, I requested my graduation date off, as did two other employees who were seniors at my school.
The week of graduation came around, and I was scheduled on my graduation date and at the same time as my ceremony. I spoke with my manager and very calmly explained why I needed the day off.
Still, my manager got very irritated, saying, "I don't have anyone else who can cover." I kept calmly explaining that I requested off four months ago. However, my manager began to raise her voice and called me an unreliable employee.
After that, I called my uncle about working for his roofing company. He said I could start ASAP, so I went back in and said, "Just go ahead and take me off the schedule. I quit."
SpicyDaddyKyle
43. I Own Me
I worked as a web developer during the early days of ordering on the web. The company that I worked for loved to show how they owned you by calling you in on weekends and late hours for things that were really trivial.
I had another job lined up, so when my manager called to demand that I come in to fix a monthly report right now (even though the report would not run for at least 2 weeks).
I told him that I quit. His response ranks as a classic management response. He asked, "Does that mean you won't come in now?"
Retro-programmer
44. Jokes On You
Working at a Thai restaurant. The boss is constantly belittling me for not memorizing the 88-item menu.... that's okay.
My coworker one night overhears the boss telling me I suck, and she tells me when I come out of the kitchen, "I really appreciate you, you know that? I do. I appreciate you." I thank her and continue the shift.
At the end of the shift, my boss came up to me and she said, "Your coworkers don't like you and don't want to work with you."... obviously BS because of what my coworker had just said a couple hours ago. That was my last night.
Banterscc
45. Just No Consideration
When I was a teenager, I worked on an Air Force base in what would be the equivalent of a very large 7-11. This place sold a ton of cold drinks out of the open fridges.
They sold so many that a couple of guys had to constantly reload them from behind. I worked in a fridge loading drinks for entire shifts.
One day, my car broke down about a quarter mile from work. I walked in the rain and still got to work on time. I asked the boss if I could not clock in right away to dry off.
He said, "No, I need you in there right now." Soaking wet, I said, "Screw this, I quit!" Then I had to call a friend to pick me up because of the entire car problem.
TheRealHardrada