1. Justin Phillips

    Justin Phillips Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2016
    Messages:
    232
    Likes Received:
    152

    Reasons for quitting a job

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by Justin Phillips, Apr 12, 2016.

    Have you ever just up and quit a job? If so, what were the reasons? anything is good, but looking for more along the lines of boss being a dick or co-worker doing something atrocious. Basically, this ties into my WIP, i want my MC to quit his job and go on an adventure, something that he feels he's been missing for a long time. It's a paying adventure, mind you. But I want him to be likable, and thought it would come off better if he had a good reason (or excuse) to take the plunge.

    No answers are wrong! this is really more a discussion topic anyway
     
  2. JennaPeterson88

    JennaPeterson88 Member

    Joined:
    Nov 7, 2011
    Messages:
    48
    Likes Received:
    21
    Location:
    Newfoundland, Canada
    I left my job at a bakery/deli after only 2 months, with 0 notice (pretended I had a better offer and was needed right away). I was hired under the impression that I would be working no more than 40 hours a week, mostly Monday-Friday mornings, and that all of the laws and guidelines for a food service workplace were being followed. As it turns out, I was working mostly evenings and weekends, sometimes completely alone on the front with only a single chef in the back, and every shift was 10 hours with a single break at the 5 hour point. (This added up to 50+ hour work weeks. I was constantly exhausted and accomplished nothing on my days off.) Add on top of this the delivery driver felt the need to micromanage everyone else between deliveries, and everyone gossiped about everyone else's eating habits. (We all made our lunches there, for cost, because it was cheaper and easier than bringing a lunch.) I was told at least 20 times in my 2 months there about a former employee who had been asked to leave because of how much she would purchase to eat from the lunch line during her lunch breaks. Oh! And my one request for time off, to attend a concert, got "forgotten" and I missed half of it. I had told them about it during my interview, and every week afterwards, and each time I was told it wasn't a problem.
     
  3. Justin Phillips

    Justin Phillips Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2016
    Messages:
    232
    Likes Received:
    152
    that is so crappy, but unfortunately a huge problem across the world. How can someone own a business but not instill a sense of trust in their employees. especially you should know not to screw with their schedules haha.
     
  4. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2014
    Messages:
    10,462
    Likes Received:
    11,689
    I've quit jobs due to overwhelming boredom. It was like the boredom was actually a pressure in my chest, like I could possibly explode if I had to do another meaningless, repetitive task.
     
  5. Justin Phillips

    Justin Phillips Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2016
    Messages:
    232
    Likes Received:
    152
    this is exactly his underlying reason, very well put.
     
  6. BayView

    BayView Huh. Interesting. Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 6, 2014
    Messages:
    10,462
    Likes Received:
    11,689
    For my taste, if you can describe that boredom well enough, I wouldn't need anything more to sympathize with him!
     
  7. Justin Phillips

    Justin Phillips Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2016
    Messages:
    232
    Likes Received:
    152
    very true, and I will probably try both ways, but it needs to be somewhat condensed and get the ball on the roll. It's not even anywhere near the main plot, just a catalyst.
     
  8. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2010
    Messages:
    6,541
    Likes Received:
    4,776
    My word, that sounds awful :(

    My husband quit his job at an international bank after 2 weeks. He got hired as an IT Security Specialist, thinking he'll be dealing with well, IT security. He got in, and his task was to read up on the latest national IT security laws and match it up against what the bank is already doing, and within the documents find as many loopholes as possible so that the bank would need to change as little as possible to meet the new national requirements. It was a legal administrative job, basically.

    So he applied for more jobs very quickly, got hired in at Amazon as an IT guy, and left the bank :D

    So you could say it was boredom - but I'd say it's really a case of false expectations. The job wasn't what he imagined and turned out not to be what he wanted to do.

    As for myself, I've never been brave enough to quit - however that doesn't mean I performed well at jobs I hated, which simply resulted in me being fired or, in the case of freelance work, being dropped (no more communication from my student, and I did not seek them out myself either 'cause I wanted to drop them anyway). The freelance jobs I've managed to keep inevitably led to me befriending my student. The only job I've ever loved was at the Japanese Elementary School - I worked hard for that one - and then I had to quit because I got pregnant :bigfrown: However there's a chance I might get my old job back, which was extremely appealing, until recently when I've started thinking of all the time I'll be away from my giggly baby and I sorta wonder... :bigfrown:
     
  9. Lea`Brooks

    Lea`Brooks Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    May 11, 2013
    Messages:
    2,968
    Likes Received:
    2,007
    Location:
    Virginia, United States
    I quit one job after one day. I was in for computer training, and I could tell just by watching the other employees that I wasn't going to enjoy it. They weren't working, continually gossiping, complaining that they had too much work and not enough time, blah blah. I got sick the following day with vertigo, so I couldn't go in to continue training for a while. But when I called to reschedule my training, the assistant manager said, "I'm busy right now, you'll have to call back later," in a super snotty voice, then hung up on me. I called the store manager the next day and quit, giving her a full list of grievances (because she asked).

    I also quit another job because I was bullied. I never did figure out why they didn't like me, but it was very clear. They'd talk about me behind my back, they wouldn't do their job, making me have to finish their projects, then blame it on me when it didn't get done. One supervisor got fired for not doing his job and, again, everyone blamed it on me. If I needed help, they'd ignore my pages and pretend like they were busy with something else. They would hold me to a higher standard than everyone else. For example, some people would stand around and talk and do nothing. But the second I went to join them, I "wasn't doing my job" and was told to get back to work by the supervisors, while they continued to stand and gossip. I would tell the store manager these things, but he either didn't believe me or didn't care. He finally stopped listening to me all together. They would also make plans together right in front of me, rubbing it in my face that no one liked me. When I got passed up for a promotion that should've been mine, I quit. The store manager asked if there was a reason, and I lied and said I'd just found something better. Should've told him the truth, but it wasn't worth it to me to complain. I'd already told him all of the issues and he didn't listen the first time, so why try again? I still have nightmares about that place. Literally.
     
  10. Guttersnipe

    Guttersnipe Member

    Joined:
    Mar 7, 2016
    Messages:
    40
    Likes Received:
    40
    Location:
    Vancouver, BC, Canada
    How about for being passed up for a promotion (for which the protag was next in line, and eminently qualified for) in favor of the boss's brother-in-law/nephew/son/friend, who is a totally unqualified yet arrogant PITA, and with whom the protagonist has had run-ins with in the past. Add to it that the protag came out on top, and the PITA has made it clear that there will be payback.
     
  11. Justin Phillips

    Justin Phillips Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2016
    Messages:
    232
    Likes Received:
    152
    wait, do you live in Japan? and there are no maternity protection laws there? could've misinterpreted that.

    this is one direction I was considering.
     
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2016
  12. Justin Phillips

    Justin Phillips Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2016
    Messages:
    232
    Likes Received:
    152
    sounds like you worked at walgreens or something equivelant
     
  13. Justin Phillips

    Justin Phillips Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2016
    Messages:
    232
    Likes Received:
    152
    *oh crap I can't delete posts can I? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
     
  14. Mckk

    Mckk Member Supporter Contributor

    Joined:
    Dec 30, 2010
    Messages:
    6,541
    Likes Received:
    4,776
    Nah I don't live in Japan. I live in Prague, Czech Republic - maternity laws here are actually really excellent. However, the Japanese school is registered as a non-profit organisation (no idea why - they charge international school fees) and I only ever got a yearly contract, not a permanent contract, so maternity laws didn't protect me based on the kind of contract I had :bigfrown: The principal was a bit of a jerk and said nothing about the possibility of return. However now there's a new principal and my friend who replaced me is leaving, so the new one's asked me to please apply for the job come June/July. He's seen me teach before and has heard good things about me from the staff and children, so it's almost a certainty I'd get it back I think, if I applied.

    By the way, you can delete your posts. Just hit "edit" and then within that there's the option to delete.
     
  15. KhalieLa

    KhalieLa It's not a lie, it's fiction. Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 11, 2015
    Messages:
    653
    Likes Received:
    445
    Location:
    United States
    When I was in High School I quit my job at McDonald's by turning in my uniform via the drive-through window.

    My reason: not enough hours. When McDonald's opened it's first restaurant in our county, one town over from where I lived, they over hired, thinking people would soon loose interest, quit, or be fired. In an economically depressed area, that wasn't the case, which means they ended up with 3 times the number of employees they needed. Anyone under 18 ended up only being scheduled one day a week, for a whopping four hours. I landed a janitorial job which offered one, eight hour shift every Sunday and another after school position with the Veterinary Clinic, so I quit McDonald's.

    That was the only job I ever quit with a bad attitude. My other jobs I left gracefully when I went to college, etc.
     
  16. SadStories

    SadStories Active Member

    Joined:
    Apr 2, 2016
    Messages:
    120
    Likes Received:
    100
    I quit a coveted part-time journalism job in a fit of passion because they didn't let me write whatever I wanted. I'm a dork, lol.
     
    doggiedude likes this.
  17. Cave Troll

    Cave Troll It's Coffee O'clock everywhere. Contributor

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2015
    Messages:
    17,922
    Likes Received:
    27,173
    Location:
    Where cushions are comfy, and straps hold firm.
    I quit one job because, they were only paying me gas to get to and from work. And at around 100mile round trip, that is unacceptable. :(
    Just walked, and picked up my final paycheck. Basically said FU, and went on my merry. :D

    This is not what I would recommend you do, by any means (unless your getting pinched in the wallet):D

    Otherwise quit the correct way, and put in your 2week. And if your lucky, get a recommendation letter to show the model employee you are to the next potential boss.

    Though where I am at, this means F-all. Might as well have never worked considering they don't seem to recognize my work in another state. Either that or, Snowflake is just that bloody inept when it comes to these things. :p
     
  18. Jack Asher

    Jack Asher Banned Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2013
    Messages:
    3,545
    Likes Received:
    2,083
    Location:
    Denver
    I quit a job because the boredom was causing me to freak out and get really deluded about what was happening around me.

    When you're certain that the pilasters in the room are trying to find a way to kill you and everyone in the building, it's time to quit your job.
     
    Cave Troll likes this.
  19. Justin Phillips

    Justin Phillips Active Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2016
    Messages:
    232
    Likes Received:
    152
    perhaps you were a little TOO bored. and took some shrooms?
     
  20. mrieder79

    mrieder79 Probably not a ground squirrel Contributor

    Joined:
    Jul 3, 2013
    Messages:
    544
    Likes Received:
    377
    Location:
    Uyumbe
    A few years back I left the hospital I worked at for a different company. The reasons:

    -Poor compensation
    -Lack of recognition for specialized skills
    -Poor raises
    -Long commute
     
  21. Greenwood

    Greenwood Active Member

    Joined:
    Dec 10, 2014
    Messages:
    169
    Likes Received:
    134
    Location:
    Ruins of Old Aar
    While boredom would stand out as the number 1 reason, the only time I left a job is because of this;

    When I was 18 I worked at a distribution centre specialized in deep-frozen wares. Starting time was saturday's at 05:00 AM. Worked there for about 2 months.

    My job was to pick orders and assemble them on a cart, walking around the DC while enduring temperatures of -40 C in a big Eskimo suit. Tears or drops of snot would literally freeze within seconds. However, there were these guys constantly taking out the big orders with a long list of items needed. Now, there, they judged you by the number of items you picked in 1 hour, so because of these guys, I only got the short lists, much to my frustration.

    One Saturday, this jerk of a manager comes up to me and says: Hey dude, if you don't have 400 items by 07:00 AM, it's off to the showers with you (It's a Dutch expression, basically meaning you're out, and very rude in this context)

    So I was like, hey f*** this guy. But alright, I'll do my best. No luck, obnoxious guys keep stealing big orders.

    So at the end of the day, jerk of a manager comes up to me and says: We'll see how you do next week.

    When I finished work, I went up to the contracting agency and delivered them my card. Told them they would never hear from me again. And they didn't....

    Ah, the freedom of being 18-years old. Where have the times gone? :D
     
  22. Jack Asher

    Jack Asher Banned Contributor

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2013
    Messages:
    3,545
    Likes Received:
    2,083
    Location:
    Denver
    No, I'm bipolar II co-morbid ADHD, with a tiny history of maybe a little psychosis, sometimes, perhaps.
     
  23. Lea`Brooks

    Lea`Brooks Contributor Contributor

    Joined:
    May 11, 2013
    Messages:
    2,968
    Likes Received:
    2,007
    Location:
    Virginia, United States
    Ooo, I remembered another. I promise, this is the last one. lol Though I actually put in my two weeks notice at the second place I talked about, just forgot to mention that.

    Anyway. I got a job at Macy's as the mark-down team leader. They told me in the interview it would be part time and that, since we were a team, I'd occasionally have to help other people with their work. I thought, okay, so if they get backed up unloading the truck, I'll step in and help.

    Wrong!

    I basically did everybody's job but my own. Turns out, we always worked as a team, so when one of us was working on something, we all were working on it. We unloaded the truck. We prepped the freight to be stocked. We stocked the freight. We fulfilled online orders. We changed prices. I think in the entire two months I worked there, I only did my actual job of marking down products maybe a week total. And the funny thing was, it was one of the only things that was monitored in the system. How quickly we put out new merchandise wasn't monitored. Unloading the truck wasn't timed. Obviously online order fulfillment was important, but so were the mark-downs. At the beginning of every week, we had to print out a huge list of products to mark down. Then, we'd get to work... doing something else. We had a goal of how many mark-downs were we supposed to do in a day, but we rarely met that goal because they never let us work on them. And being the team leader, it fell on me when it didn't get done. My manager would ask me what happened, and I'd tell her I just didn't have enough time. She'd tell me that I needed to work around the time. If I didn't have enough time, get more help. But they kept cutting people's hours, so there were only four of us each a day, trying to do over a thousand mark-downs in a huge store. And since we worked before the store opened, it's not like I could recruit sales people to help. I was stuck with what they gave me, having no other options, yet it was still my fault.

    I was also part time, working less than fifteen hours a week. How was I supposed to make a dent in anything when I barely even worked? Also, I took vacation about a month into working there. But my boss got the dates wrong, even with the post-it note I left for her, and scheduled me to work. It wasn't until they called me Monday morning, while I'm sitting on the beach in Florida, that I realized I'd even been scheduled. They laughed it off, no big deal. But then the next week, I wasn't scheduled a single day. They had mistaken my vacation time to be the week after. So I had two full weeks off from a brand new job. I get back to work and everyone assumed I knew everything about the job since I'd been there for a month and a half... even though I'd really only been there a month and had no training at my actual job.

    Anyway. They kept throwing me solo into jobs, telling me exactly what to do. Then they'd come behind me and tell me I did it wrong. Well, I did it exactly how you told me! This one lady in particular, Cleola, told me one day... "Put this sign on every rack." So I did. Two hours later, she came up yelling at me. "You're not supposed to put that sign on every rack!" But... That's what you told me to do! "Yeah but THESE brands are different. They never get those signs." Okay well, I didn't know that. "If you don't know something, then ask. We're here to help you." ...How am I supposed to ask you about a rule I didn't know about in the first place?! You told me EVERY rack. Not every rack but this one. If I asked you if it goes on that rack, you'd just say, "I said every rack!"

    I soon got tired of their attitudes and walked out one day without telling anyone. Never talked to them again.
     
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2016
  24. Malisky

    Malisky Malkatorean Contributor

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2012
    Messages:
    2,606
    Likes Received:
    4,822
    Location:
    Recalculating...
    The first job I quit (and the more dramatic quit I ever did) was at an ice cream shop. I was 18 at the time and looked somewhat like a delinquent, but I was very kind and polite. I did everything they told me without complaints. Took off my piercings, wore their ridiculous uniform which was a leftover of the previous owner who was about 40 pounds heavier than me and overall acted politely. It was summer, Saturday night, very crowded, very hot and the employees were very few. I did all the hard work because I was new (about 3 weeks) and still learning. From cleaning everything by myself, taking out the tables and chairs, putting them back in, moving them around, taking orders, etc. So, I was running like crazy all around the place trying to keep up and the space between the front of the counter where all the people were standing, waiting to get served and the wall, was veeery little. I was holding 2 discs filled with things and there was no possible way to get passed through them. My employer was screaming at me to get in and hurry with the dishes. The shop was full. So there was a very narrow gap on the right of the entrance, between the side of the counter and the window wall. I juggled through it successfully and walked behind two other employees that were serving. Everything was cool, until midways I stepped on water and almost made a back-flip while falling, landing on my neck. The discs flew in the air and then everything smashed down. Everybody stared at me like I had just killed their mothers. Not even a fake concern or a helping hand. "Are you alright? Can you stand? Let me help you." Nope. Not the slightest. I got up, apologized for my clumsiness, cleaned up and continued with my work, although I was feeling kind of dizzy after the fall. (Until then, I had never once fucked up). At some point, I told my employer that I needed to get an aspirin from the kiosk right across the street and I'd be back asap. Half-heartedly she gave permission. When I got back she was gone.

    (Before continuing, let me explain something about working in places like this. Speed is of the greatest importance, especially when you are alone on a task. In order to keep up the speed, things are placed very methodically, to avoid accidents and delays. You don't have the time to look for something. Everything should be placed were it belongs because there's no time to do something leisurely. You are on amphetamine autopilot). After some hours, while putting into the cleaner another set of dished and knives, spoons, etc. (endless stacks of dishes), I cut my finger on the blade of a very big and sharp knife that was placed upside-down, that shouldn't have been there in the first place. It was placed in the cup among st the spoons and knives that we had for serving reasons and surely I hadn't placed it there myself, because I hadn't used it and generally, I knew that this knife was supposed to get cleaned by hand by the ones that served, in the sink behind the counter. It was a deep cut and the blood almost spat out into a mini fountain. A little child that saw this started crying. Quickly, the second in command took me at the basement and gave me a towel to wrap around the wound while all the while preaching to me. He was very rude and getting personal. I tried to reason with him at some point (while I still kept my shit together) and told him that I wasn't the one placing this knife there and that of course I hadn't noticed it because well... I didn't have the time too. Would I self harm myself, for what? He said many rude things which I can't really recall now, but what made me explode was when his crooked mouth said that: "...it doesn't matter now. The day after tomorrow you'll be dismissed anyways. Another set of new employees are coming." Man, it was the way he said it. Like he didn't give a fuck about a lowlife like me and I was destined to get fired on the specific day from the start. I was just a tool with an expiration date and had only found out then. All the times that I was so co-operative and humble, working my ass off to get recognition went straight into the dump. And for what? To maintain this crappy job under this little bitch? I snapped.

    I threw the bloody towel in his face and told him "No need to wait until then you fucking asshole, I quit". The look on his face was priceless. He was shocked. A little man like that couldn't believe that he would ever experience a confrontation like this in his life. After a few seconds with a dumb, frozen expression, he smiled at me and while stuttering he approached me and said "You can't possibly mean this. It's hell upstairs. At least stay for the night. It wouldn't be right to leave like this" and grabbed me by the arm. I stared at his frightened face and then at his hand like I was about to bite it off and he got the message. Then said in a drop-dead serious manner, "I'll come by on Tuesday in order to get my pay. Now get the fuck out of here! I want to get changed." I left without the slightest feeling of remorse and felt very angry but also cool like Alice Cooper. No more mister nice guy, no more mister clean.

    Koniec.
     
    A man called Valance likes this.
  25. Pauline

    Pauline Member

    Joined:
    Mar 26, 2016
    Messages:
    82
    Likes Received:
    70
    I quit after nearly ten years with a company that hired a new manager that hated women. One by one nearly all the females left. Usually after a targeted bullying campaign. I was actually trapped in an office with said manager and owner and yelled at over a completely fabricated customer complaint, my first ever. Stood my ground, and told them where they could stick the job. Now work half the hours for the same pay and rediscovered my love of writing
     
    A man called Valance likes this.

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice