Quitting a job on the first day/week

NorthWestJ · 11-05-2021 7:37am #1

Curious to know if many people quit their job on the first day or week , what was your “I’m outta here moment”

Johnrazz · 11-05-2021 7:43am

NorthWestJ wrote: »

Curious to know if many people quit their job on the first day or week , what was your “I’m outta here moment”

Done it many times in my younger days. Always on the first day, if I made it past that then I always stuck a job out for a good while.

Main reason was just the vibe, if I got a bad vibe about the place or staff I was out the gap. Like I said that was always in my young days when I was carefree and single, now I’m in my late 30’s with 3 kids I probably would give it a little bit more time should I change jobs and not like it again!

Tom Mann Centuria · 11-05-2021 7:44am

NorthWestJ wrote: »

Curious to know if many people quit their job on the first day or week , what was your “I’m outta here moment”

I lasted a day and a half at Milton Keynes council tax debt collection office. Was shown to a computer, and never spoken to again, by anyone! I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing, so Tuesday lunchtime I just went for lunch and never went back.

Lasted a week at a private care home for people with brain injuries. Terrifyingly under staffed and under trained.

Axwell · 11-05-2021 8:01am

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

I lasted a day and a half at Milton Keynes council tax debt collection office. Was shown to a computer, and never spoken to again, by anyone! I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing, so Tuesday lunchtime I just went for lunch and never went back.

Did the follow up with you to see where you disappeared to or had they forgotten about you so much no one ever checked?

Hodors Appletart · 11-05-2021 8:14am

did it in Australia, spent a half day walking around some suburb of sydney trying to sell gas heating

it was the middle of their summer

got on a bus at lunch time and never went back

[Deleted User] · 11-05-2021 8:27am

Used to work in restaurants during college in London, back when you could show up at a restaurant when they were putting out the awnings and ask "any jobs?" – it was like working the building sites, but for nerds.

It was a bit Dickensian too, since the pay was so bad, and the best part of the job was being paid with food. There was the occasional Mr Bounderby kinda boss, but most people were extremely nice. In one busy kitchen in Croydon, I remember walking out because the chef kept going on about the IRA, this was around the time of the St Andrew's Agreement. He just kept barking about them, as if I was expected to defend them. I didnt feel like putting up with that, and left.

Apart from that, everyone was very nice. Kitchens are great places to work. People are usually so busy, and the work is somewhat repetitive, that they usually just want banter.

retalivity · 11-05-2021 8:38am

Door to door sales in Canada.
Cant even remember what i was supposed to be selling, went to the induction on the first day, they mentioned that it was commision only and started on the hard sell techniques. Left at lunch time.

Tom Mann Centuria · 11-05-2021 8:45am

Axwell wrote: »

Did the follow up with you to see where you disappeared to or had they forgotten about you so much no one ever checked?

Hehe. I think I played it wrong and could have got paid for weeks for doing nothing! I got a phone call on the Thursday (so maybe I could have got paid for the Wednesday too!) asking where I was, I told them they needed to sort out their management and my co workers were ignorant cnuts (in a more polite way).

When I say no one spoke to me, I mean literally not a single word after I'd been shown to my computer. I said good morning to people on my first day and didn't get any actual words in response. Whether they thought I'd murdered their previous co worker or something I'll never know, and tbh didn't care!

Sirsok · 11-05-2021 8:52am

Hodors Appletart wrote: »

did it in Australia, spent a half day walking around some suburb of sydney trying to sell gas heating

it was the middle of their summer

got on a bus at lunch time and never went back

I spent week outbounding calling trying to sell funeral insurance in Melbourne

It was not the job advertised! I just put on an accent and tried to have fun with it, but ended up moving to Sydney on the fly.

phill106 · 11-05-2021 9:20am

Went for a marketing job when i was out of work after the crash. Interview on the phone, they said i sound great, can i come in for a onsite meeting to see what the role is like? Sure
5 minute interview and told that its going door to door trying to sign up people to a charity direct debit, think it was for some blind charity?
Anyway pure dodge. Told we get X amount of money from each sign up, but no actual wage, but i could still sign on the dole, so that should be fine?
They drove us miles away to another town, walking around with a "leader" who had been doing this for ages. All i could remember was wtf is going to give direct debit details to a guy walking around with his toe literally sticking out of a hole in his shoe!
I noped outta there at the end of the day, taking it as a lesson and never went back.

Tchaikovsky · 11-05-2021 9:25am

Tom Mann Centuria wrote: »

I lasted a day and a half at Milton Keynes council tax debt collection office. Was shown to a computer, and never spoken to again, by anyone! I had no idea what I was supposed to be doing, so Tuesday lunchtime I just went for lunch and never went back.

Lasted a week at a private care home for people with brain injuries. Terrifyingly under staffed and under trained.

I don't blame you. Those 7 words together are as bleak as one can get

Tchaikovsky · 11-05-2021 9:27am

phill106 wrote: »

Went for a marketing job when i was out of work after the crash. Interview on the phone, they said i sound great, can i come in for a onsite meeting to see what the role is like? Sure
5 minute interview and told that its going door to door trying to sign up people to a charity direct debit, think it was for some blind charity?
Anyway pure dodge. Told we get X amount of money from each sign up, but no actual wage, but i could still sign on the dole, so that should be fine?
They drove us miles away to another town, walking around with a "leader" who had been doing this for ages. All i could remember was wtf is going to give direct debit details to a guy walking around with his toe literally sticking out of a hole in his shoe!
I noped outta there at the end of the day, taking it as a lesson and never went back.

I got an interview request with one of those 'companies' back then, summer of 2010 so I was desperate for work. I checked it out online afterwards and didn't bother showing up for the interview.

Chuzzle7 · 11-05-2021 9:35am

I never felt the need to walk out of a job until last year (aged 38).

Walked out after two weeks in a job. First lie they told us while starting was that we will be wearing face masks on the job. To me wearing masks made sense with others around and them being mandatory in shops. But because we weren't working in retail, they were going with the main advice of distancing.

The second week I was there, they introduced masks in the common areas with a motto of "I protect you, you protect me". But they weren't required on the floor despite staff not actually distancing. They kept dangling face masks in our faces saying the wearing of them was going to come in. No rush with them whatsoever. I didn't like how they could play with our health like that, so I left.

begbysback · 11-05-2021 9:43am

2 days, on the second day the foreman had the audacity to request I take my feet off the table and not sleep during working hours, was their loss.

Lollipops23 · 11-05-2021 9:47am

Back in the depths of the recession I did a day 'training' with a door to door crowd. They'd totally bulls**tted the nature of the job until we got the bus (not kidding) into the middle of Finglas.

I faked a phonecall from my mother saying my sister had been hospitalised (I have no sisters) and left.

Hodors Appletart · 11-05-2021 9:49am

Sirsok wrote: »

I spent week outbounding calling trying to sell funeral insurance in Melbourne

It was not the job advertised! I just put on an accent and tried to have fun with it, but ended up moving to Sydney on the fly.

I also ended up cold calling selling credit cards too, lasted a half day in that one too.

But, a job that I stayed in for 3 months (the longest allowable on a WHV) was for TimeLife, taking calls about the SuperSwinging 60s CDs, Jessica Fletcher DVD collections and all that stuff.

I absolutely bossed that job, decent hourly rate and also hourly competitions for supermarket vouchers for most sales, most calls taken in an hour ect - most of the callers were older people who had moved from the UK or Ireland in the 70s and LOVED hearing the accent from "back home" - I never took advantage but once I mentioned the upsell extras most were happy to take the extra from me.

I ended up with so much in vouchers I was able to pay for a rake of slabs and ten or twelve bottles of spirits and mixers for 7 of us to share on Xmas day in Coogee.

Hangdogroad · 11-05-2021 9:51am

Catering crowd that does fast food at GAA matches, or at least did late 00s. Boss was an absolute bullying pig, took off my apron, threw it in his face and told him to shove it, then walked out.

hynesie08 · 11-05-2021 9:53am

I lasted 1 shift and 3 hours in a call centre in the early noughties, got offered another job and just left, I'm not sure I was ever officially on the books there.

Session2019! · 11-05-2021 10:00am

Day 1 induction started at 8am, I left the site at 3.15pm same day. Major pharma employer. Started with a different company 2 days later. Joined that company over a year later again. Was brought up in interview and we just laughed it off. They didn't give a ****e

lapua20grain · 11-05-2021 10:15am

Started in a job in the 90s called diamond express one of these companies that at the start of the day they high five each other and shout and roar how good a team they are, walked in at 8:30 saw this s**t turned around at 8:35 and walked out f**k that there to work not do that ****e.

Sebastian Dangerfield · 11-05-2021 10:20am

NorthWestJ wrote: »

Curious to know if many people quit their job on the first day or week , what was your “I’m outta here moment”

Long time ago but I left a Supervalu job at lunchtime on my third day. I was hired as a trainee store manager in a shop they were still building in my local town. They said they wanted me to work in their other shop for training while the building was being finished. That was 2 hours over the worst roads away, so I said no problem so long as I was actually training.

I got there on day one and they had me doing work the part time kids wouldn't be asked to do. The second morning I asked what Id be at the rest of the week, and was given a brush and told to sweep the huge yard out the back. Day 3 the manager, the dryest human child you will ever meet in your life, pointed to the senior manager and said "my dream in life is to be him. Your dream in life needs to be to be me".

I handed him his brush and went on my way.

Beechwoodspark · 11-05-2021 10:26am

Didn’t quit myself but saw it a few times

From around 2003 I was working in a very busy bar in a hotel

New young fella started. Around 17/18. You just knew by him he was not interested in work. Slouched in, arsed around the place. Look of boredom on his face.

Anyway the manager gave him a bit of a quick introduction lesson to the bar then had him going around collecting glasses.

Then later in the day he was asked to help another bar back to lift empty bottles down to the cellar. It’s physical work but nothing crazy.

He lasted until around 6pm then more or less got ratty with the manager and left on the spot.

His father came in a few days later to collect his salary for the day!

tommybrees · 11-05-2021 10:27am

lapua20grain wrote: »

Started in a job in the 90s called diamond express one of these companies that at the start of the day they high five each other and shout and roar how good a team they are, walked in at 8:30 saw this s**t turned around at 8:35 and walked out f**k that there to work not do that ****e.

I find people doing that kinda thing is always so fake and an act. Anybody that isn't miserable going into work every morning is an alien.

Sebastian Dangerfield · 11-05-2021 10:33am

I also took a job out of college as "trainee manager for an emerging electronics company".

It was selling Kirby vacuum cleaners door to door. I did the weekend demos for family and friends to get paid for my first week, and politely returned their hoover.

I heard after they were sending people down some of the roughest estates in Limerick to do cleaning demos, in order to hook people on €3k (nearly 20 years ago) hoovers. One fella got robbed in his first full week.

Beechwoodspark · 11-05-2021 10:34am

Another one from around 5 years ago

Spar I deliver to. Was delivering stock one morning.

New man there mid 30s standing with his hands in pockets at the door with a gormless expression.

You’d almost take him to be a tourist or something the way he was standing there watching everything completely chilled out.

Standing well back watching me and my colleague putting a bit of effort on bringing in boxes of food, bottles of minerals etc

I’d mentioned we were under pressure time wise and the Boss asks him to give us a hand.

I’ll never forget it. He was stuck in his phone engrossed in some video or something.

He looks almost startled to be asked to do something.

Rabbit in the headlights “work???moi??” Attitude almost !

He’s very awkward type. Boxes falling as he tries to stack them up and bring them in etc. Frustrated cursing under his breath.

Almost doesn’t want to get the hands dirty type of approach. God forbid he put a bit of effort in.

Anyway later that day I had to call back to the shop to collect something. Asked the manager how the new guy was doing he said

“Oh him, he quit at lunchtime. He snapped at me and said he wasn’t going to be worked like a horse and just left.”

The irony is the manager is an absolute gentleman and actually too quiet for his own good, if anything.

Certainly not a tyrant like some others I would know.

Heard the backstory after. Yer man was one of these “eternal student” types who enrolled in multiple courses in the local IT and never finished them. Multiple failed past careers.(from memory, failed actor, failed journalist, failed local politician)

Very high opinion of himself and his abilities. working in a retail shop would be very much beneath him

Anyway, he quit and Havnt seen him since

Mister Vain · 11-05-2021 11:31am

I never did it myself but saw it a lot in my last job. One guy walked out after half an hour. I think that was the record. Another guy stuck his head in the canteen at lunch time and shouted, "yis are all a shower of bastards" and walked out.

Motivator · 11-05-2021 12:51pm

I lasted a matter of hours in a job that I’m not even sure I actually had. Did three interviews and got awful vibes off the place and the people in the first interview but I needed the job so I went back for the second and then the third was a one to one meeting with the CEO. I got a call the day before that meeting from the recruiter saying the job was mine, anyone who gets to round three more or less has it and it’s just a final sign off from the CEO if he’s happy.

I went in to his office and put out my hand to shake his, he ignored me. I sat down and put my CV on his desk. He picked it up and put it in the bin. I sat there not knowing whether to laugh or cry so did nothing, I just sat there. He looked at his phone and then started talking. “We’re only advertising this position because our contract with the suppliers means we need to have a person employed with the title of XXXX. I don’t want anyone in the role, I think the title of XXXX is a total waste of time and I don’t believe in it. If you want to work for me, you need to be able to pitch in and help out with anything and everything”. I said fine no problem, I’m here to work but as long as I get the actual work done in the position that I applied for then I would do anything, I’m a team player etc etc. Very brief chat about the company and he told me to go in and talk to Frank.

I went and saw Frank who was an equally cold and rude bastard. I was told I was to sit there until he came back. He put on his jacket and took his keys off his desk and walked out. The receptionist came in to me after an hour apologising saying he was a pig etc. I asked what the hell is going on and she said “this is how this place is”. I was there probably 3 hours and different people were in to talk to me to welcome me to the company. I asked if I had the job and they said I must have because I was sitting in Frank’s office....I didn’t even know who Frank was or what he did.

It was hitting lunchtime so I said I’d go and ask the CEO what was going on and did I have the job. I walked in and he said “you knocked but didn’t wait to be told to come in”. My reply was that if I had the job I wanted a contract in front of me in the next 30 seconds. If there’s no contract then I’m going home and I won’t be back. He said he hadn’t made up his mind whether I had the job or not. I basically asked what was he playing and why was he expecting me to wait around sitting on my arse all day. His reply was “because I can”.

I turned around, walked out and rang the recruiter and ate her out of it. I also sent a lovely email to the supplier the CEO mentioned and explained what happened. I never got a reply but I did find out that about 6 months later the company lost that supplier and have never replaced them which has hurt the company in a big way. Absolute pigs in the company, every one of them and I spent quite a bit of time blackening their name to all and sundry for a long time afterwards out of sheer pettiness but I enjoyed doing it.

[Deleted User] · 11-05-2021 1:05pm

I lasted one day in a very well known department store in North Earl Street, in Dublin.

I was 17. I interviewed for and was offered an office admin job, but when I turned up on my first day I was told there was no admin job and I would be on the sales floor.

But not doing sales. I was then told to sweep the building from the top to the bottom, all 6 sales floors, including the stairs, with a sweeping brush as the hoover was broken, and then clean the staff canteen.

I phoned in and quit on the second day and only went back a fortnight later to collect my pay for the one day I did work, which totalled 4 punts.

paw patrol · 11-05-2021 1:16pm

lasted 1.5 days in Accenture.

The lads who interviewed me gave the family-friendly guff and for sure I could start early and finish early to get to the childcare. So I was hired.

anyway went on site and on Day 1 was leaving at 16:15 and boss man calls me over - usual passive aggressive sh1te. Where are you going? type questions when it's abundantly clear what's going on.

explain I'm off to get my kid. And he is spluttering "but this is an important client, we stay till after 6pm". Explain about what was agreed at the interview and he said that wasn't him (in fairness it wasn't - he was just wheeled in at the final bit)
Anyway I left explaining i'd a kid to pick up

Next day at 10am was called in for "a chat". After the chat I got my coat and left.

Luckily I had interviewed a few spots before that role and one of the late responses got back to me and I started there on the following Monday

the purple tin · 11-05-2021 1:27pm

I remember a young lad who got the boot before he had even started.
The boss was on his wayin on the Monday morning and caught him smoking a joint outside and sent him packing.

AlphabetCards · 11-05-2021 2:30pm

I've had about 5 steady jobs and ~20 random filler-type jobs to get me by in between these jobs and travelling.

Only quit one on the first week, because tbh I quite like the 'crappy' jobs (cleaning, lifting, driving, count me in) but the worst and most abysmal job I ever did was working for a furniture delivery company outside of Swindon. It was like something from 'On the waterfront' by Arthur Miller, tonnes of lads employed to turn up, hoping to get a days work, hoping to secure a constant contract. You turn up at 7am, wait for 45 minutes, and then you find out if you are needed. You are guaranteed 2 hours pay, but many lads were sent home. The company paid the full timers a 'liveable' wage (£12/13 an hour in 2017) and these poor chaps were champing at the bit to get taken on. The company were obviously ****ing them around, so I came in the next day to see if I was correct, and I was. Told them it wasn't for me, and found another company.

Quitting a job on the first day/week

Comments