Have any of you ever spontaneously quit a job? Was it worth it?

[Engineer]

I'm strongly considering giving a notice this week. I'm tired of the expectations....no matter how much I give, more is expected. Customers love the work....boss can't stand my 'slowness'. Wants a 'get in - get out' type and no matter how many hours I do at home at nights / weekends, it's just not enough.

I'm just worn out to the point of crying now.

Anyone else ever felt this way and just quit? Did it work out ok?

 

[Regs]

Sounds like they're going out of business anyway to be honest. Of course, everybody has been to their wits end. Stress presses your emotions and you need to vent. Happens everyday. Your managers don't know how to speak and motivate their employees correctly. I don't know your particular case, but 99% of the problem appears to be perception. Either your perception of how they try to motivate you or appraise you is skewed, or their perception of you is skewed. Before you quit, at least get clarification and try to communicate with them. Do it after you sleep-on-it for a few days you're not as upset. Think it over clearly and try to figure out what they really want from you and make sure they give you clear and definitive instructions on how to achieve your goals.

The choice is ultimately yours on how much stress you can handle, but me personally, I've been chewed up and spit on a lot so I can suck it up a lot easier.

 

[smackababy]

I did once. I showed up and just was tired of that place. Told the boss lady I was done and left. Was it worth it? Not really. Leaving employment for no employment isn't a good idea, especially in this economy.

 

[Engineer]

Sounds like they're going out of business anyway to be honest.

I can't say yes or no. At times, cash flow is an issue and other times now. He has managed to keep it going pretty well for 11 years. I'm so ready to find something else....even with less pay.

I don't live to work....I work to live and I'm just beaten down......*sigh*

 

[lxskllr]

Make them fire you so you get unemployment. Stop working nights and weekends. When the bosses perform their inane bitching, think happy thoughts, and promptly forget it. Do your job, eight hours per day, and fuck the rest. Look for a new job with your newly found free time of not not working late or weekends.

 

[Ns1]

My buddy did the whole "fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, you're awesome, fuck you, i'm out" bit.

 

[mmntech]

I did once. Was doing contract work for this staffing company one summer. They were my "employer" and sent me out to various places to do work. I was with them for two months, of which they only found me two jobs. First job was okay. Boxing pool supplies for a couple weeks. The second one they lied about what the job was. Was supposed to be a two week gig in a factory packaging line. It turned out to be a one day job at a hot warehouse transferring boxes from one truck to another. Toughed it out for the one day then called the staffing agency to quit the next. I also yelled at the boss lady for being dishonest with me about the kind of work, and how they had failed to offer me consistent work as they had promised. Went back to working for my parents' company the next summer.

 

[Sonikku]

Sounds like they're going out of business anyway to be honest.

Not necessarily. Typical "Work more, eat less" mentality of a lot of very profitable companies these days.

 

[Engineer]

My buddy did the whole "fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, you're awesome, fuck you, i'm out" bit.

I'm not bitter....just beaten. It's a small company..10 people including two 'summer helpers' and the owner. The owner used to do what I now do. He never put his time on jobs before (he owned the company so he doesn't have to) and now quotes the jobs so insanely low that there is no way to do them. Even nights and weekends aren't enough anymore. I was also taught differently....I learned to do the job right the first time so I didn't have to go work on it a dozen times. He leans toward get in, get out and if you have to work on it, do as little as possible.

Today isn't the first time he's been on my case....It's been going on for the 3.75 years, even if only in the form of a joke.

Worked 200 hours in 2 weeks time earlier this year, along with a co-worker. I'm salary and was told "it's appreciated". He's hourly and was told not to do it again because he brought home more than the owner did for those 2 weeks.

 

[Ns1]

 

[dmcowen674]

YHPM

 

[IndyColtsFan]

You don't work for a company, you work in a sweatshop. Find something first and then quit. I don't work more than 40 hours when I'm salaried unless it is the rare project where I may need to work a few extra hours for a couple of nights.

 

[drebo]

I walked out on a job once. Ended up with a 50% raise. Worked out OK for me, but your mileage may vary.

 

[Kadarin]

Worked 200 hours in 2 weeks time earlier this year, along with a co-worker. I'm salary and was told "it's appreciated". He's hourly and was told not to do it again because he brought home more than the owner did for those 2 weeks.

I agree, time to GTFO of there in order to keep your sanity.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

Yep. I did it once. I was a selling cars. I was pretty good at my job but hatted the inconsistency(no base, only commission) and so my manager asked me what I needed to stay when discussing an offer from a different employer(we got along well so he knew I had the offer). The next week he came back with half what I stated I NEEDED to stay. I gave notice right after he told me. He/management thought I'd just roll over but instead I left. That car lot no longer exists...

 

[Alienwho]

You're a sucker for working so hard. If you hate it so much that you want to quit then just start working a solid 40 hours a week so you can get your life back. If they don't like it they can lay you off and you get unemployment and a bit of a vacation.

 

[kranky]

Engineer, I remember some of your job-related threads. You're a hell of a worker and go way beyond what could be reasonably expected.

I would tender my resignation but not in a non-negotiable way. Perhaps the owner would realize a 50 hour/week Engineer is worth more than a zero hour/week Engineer, and you could come to some agreement - if that would work for you.

If you are prepared to walk, and the owner wants to talk about it instead of saying, "OK, good luck to you", you should be completely up front about your expectations. You can do that without saying that the owner is a moron. Don't say he quotes the work too cheap, say that you are no longer willing to work more than X hours/week. It's unfair to you that you're putting in the hours for two people on one person's no-overtime salary. Draw a line in the sand and make sure he gets it.

Of course, all that is IF he wants to try to work something out and IF you feel likewise.

I once worked for an idiot who thought employees were serfs, I know what it's like.

 

[sportage]

I did exactly this many years ago to move to the west coast which turned out to be the best decision I ever made. Im still reaping the benefits. Although Im back in the midwest now, but thats another story with another happy ending...
Unlike the op, the company I worked at for seven years and suddenly left, that company was very disappointed that I chose to leave and offered me much to stay. But I just had enough of the midwest and the weather and the gloomy daily go nowhere bump and grind.
And I seen people get stuck in not only a job but in a location they hated. And as they grew older they became more and more stuck, depressed, and basically very unhappy people.
The best action is to make the necessary changes while you are still fairly young, because once 15-20 years pass by it becomes almost impossible to go after something new.
Especially for those married with children, which I was not.
I always think of change as a plus whether your decision or not your decision.
Yes it can be scary, but here is when you need a little faith in yourself.
After all, no one was born just to serve a company. Well no one except for the Walmart family, that is.
If you are married with children, yes it can be very scary.
If you are single foot loose and fancy free, I say don't be a pussy. Go after something better.
And while at it, also chose someplace, some city you'd really love to live in.

 

[Genx87]

Go find another job. Then you can tell your boss to cram it without worrying about bills.

 

[Jeeebus]

In this economy, hell to the no. Find another job and then quit. You'll be much unhappier if 6 months goes by and you're still unemployed.

 

[CADsortaGUY]

In this economy, hell to the no. Find another job and then quit. You'll be much unhappier if 6 months goes by and you're still unemployed.

His skills are in pretty high demand. Maybe not in his exact area but I know he could land a pretty good gig if he really wanted to. But yes, it's easier to find a job when you have one. Hell, update your linkedIn and you have recruiters hovering because they see "action".

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Op, time to hit the road. I would tell him exactly what your expectations are and the next time he expects you to go above and beyond, hit the road.

Years ago, I worked for another Chef in a large hotel. He had a habit of throwing things in the kitchen, knives, pans, pots whatever came to hand when he was pissed. I told him it was unacceptable once, twice and, the third time I walked out in the middle of Saturday night rush. I've grown less tolerant in my old age.

 

[Paladin3]

A job is what it is. Employers rarely change who they are and how they do business, even if they say they will. They will ALWAYS consider their needs above yours.

You can speak with your employer to try and improve your job situation, but those energies will probably be better spent finding a better situation. Cut back to 40 hours per week and don't walk out until you have something better to move on to.

 

[Engineer]

Go find another job. Then you can tell your boss to cram it without worrying about bills.

I'm not worried about bills. Only have monthly stuff (food, utilities, etc). If I knew I could live off of it until I could reach retirement age (both my pension at 55 and SS at 62), I would take a stab at it but I don't think I have enough, especially with kids in college (or going to college in a few years).

 

[Engineer]

His skills are in pretty high demand. Maybe not in his exact area but I know he could land a pretty good gig if he really wanted to. But yes, it's easier to find a job when you have one. Hell, update your linkedIn and you have recruiters hovering because they see "action".

I have recruiters calling often and I've not updated my Linkedin in years. I just don't even know if I want to do what I'm doing right now. It's a truly thankless job (other than a paycheck).