Just walked out. Weight lifted.

Just walked out. Weight lifted.

Author
Discussion

MrC986

3,481 posts

190 months

Monday 16th May 2022
quotequote all
Sadly the attitude of some line managers and employers appears to have gone seriously "south" from what I've seen in the last few years. I was made redundant when one company that went in to administration, then whilst at another in effect demoted a one company merger (& then left via a compromise agreement) before being made redundant at another!!

I ultimately went self employed having done various contractor roles but still do the odd contractor role in the public sector when things are slightly quieter but even working for local authorities now it is now pretty cr4p & they are hemorrhaging contractor staff!!

As many have said, your health should come first & you should listen to your body & if on your day off you dread going back to work, it is time to look for another job/leave. A bad manager will never improve & they'll blame their shortcomings on their team.

vulture1

12,125 posts

178 months

Monday 16th May 2022
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There are alot of bad employees as well. Suffice to say both sides (it shouldn't be sides) have room for improvement.

mattyn1

5,728 posts

154 months

Monday 16th May 2022
quotequote all
Congratulations!

Now you have had the weekend how do you feel? Hopefully that euphoria has blended into sensible positivity especially as you have a couple weeks off and work to go to. Hopefully you are even more certain it was the right thing to do!

I certainly admire people who leave stable and reliable employment if they are unhappy. It takes nerve but as said at the very beginning, life is too short.

Well done again, enjoy the now and best of luck for the future.

anonymous-user

53 months

Monday 16th May 2022
quotequote all
Well done and good luck! smile

I've walked out once, about 8 years ago.

I was working in a pretty decent, and extremely critical 'middle management' position (within Compliance) for a large and well known social housing provider, and I was just fed up of their bullst. The Heads, Directors, and CEO were just a bunch of utter incompetents who regularly ordered restructures and sacked people, just so they could blame them, to cover up their terrible decision making. The CEO protected the Directors and the Assistant Directors, and the Directors/AD's protected the CEO. It was all just a cosy arrangement of people on £150-300k a year covering for each other, all whilst the business was performing terribly and most of the staff were miserable.

I was sat there one day, and got a really arsey email from the Director above me, I didn't like his tone, and decided I just couldn't be bothered with their crap. My patience had ran out right at this point. I sent my manager an email saying I was not finding my job enjoyable anymore and that I was leaving on Friday (it was Wednesday), pointing out that I had not used much of my holiday entitlement that year, so they could put me down as annual leave for the next 4 weeks if they wanted, but whatever happens I was going.

There was radio silence for the next hour or so as I just carried on with my work, but I noticed huddled meetings and glances in my direction, and then the Director walked over to my desk, trying to play it nonchalant, and casually leaned over the partition behind my monitors to talk to me.

Him: "So, we just got an email that you are leaving? Is that right? You are leaving?"

Me: "Yes. I have decided I'm leaving and I'll go on Friday unless you want me to go now"

Him: "Well, you can't just leave right away, you have to give us 4 weeks notice. You must know this. We might choose not to authorise your leave. Where are you going anyway? Do you have another job?"

Me: *letting out a laugh* "What are you going to do? Lock me in the office so I can't leave? You can't force me to come to work. I'm leaving because I didn't like the way you spoke to me earlier. I don't have another job to go to, and I certainly don't need the money, so I'm just going to enjoy some time off"

It was at that exact point the cocky attitude drained right out of his face. He suddenly realised he had absolutely zero influence, power, or authority over me. None whatsoever. He had spent 15 years speaking to people who would do and say anything to hang onto their 'cushy' housing association job for the pay, the benefits, and so on, that he was just knocked for six that someone would basically say "You don't speak to me like that and I don't need this job".

Him: "Erm, oh well, if this job isn't for you, then thats that I suppose" and he walks off in a huff.

I finished a few emails, mostly telling people I was leaving and who to contact in my absence, set my 'out of office' message, closed down my PC, dumped my ID card on the desk, walked out of the office, got in my 911, and floored it out of the car park. I remember it was a glorious sunny day.

I then started my own business and never looked back. Best thing I ever did for my career and my sanity.

105.4

4,065 posts

70 months

Monday 16th May 2022
quotequote all
Lord Marylebone said:
Well done and good luck! smile

I've walked out once, about 8 years ago.

…..*my boss was a tt*……

I finished a few emails, mostly telling people I was leaving and who to contact in my absence, set my 'out of office' message, closed down my PC, dumped my ID card on the desk, walked out of the office, got in my 911, and floored it out of the car park. I remember it was a glorious sunny day.

I then started my own business and never looked back. Best thing I ever did for my career and my sanity.
clap

You’ll get extra points from me if you took a piss against the foyer doors, then flicked them the bird whilst doing a burnout out of the car park.

Fat hippo

732 posts

133 months

Monday 16th May 2022
quotequote all
Lord Marylebone said:
Well done and good luck! smile

I've walked out once, about 8 years ago.

I was working in a pretty decent, and extremely critical 'middle management' position (within Compliance) for a large and well known social housing provider, and I was just fed up of their bullst. The Heads, Directors, and CEO were just a bunch of utter incompetents who regularly ordered restructures and sacked people, just so they could blame them, to cover up their terrible decision making. The CEO protected the Directors and the Assistant Directors, and the Directors/AD's protected the CEO. It was all just a cosy arrangement of people on £150-300k a year covering for each other, all whilst the business was performing terribly and most of the staff were miserable.

I was sat there one day, and got a really arsey email from the Director above me, I didn't like his tone, and decided I just couldn't be bothered with their crap. My patience had ran out right at this point. I sent my manager an email saying I was not finding my job enjoyable anymore and that I was leaving on Friday (it was Wednesday), pointing out that I had not used much of my holiday entitlement that year, so they could put me down as annual leave for the next 4 weeks if they wanted, but whatever happens I was going.

There was radio silence for the next hour or so as I just carried on with my work, but I noticed huddled meetings and glances in my direction, and then the Director walked over to my desk, trying to play it nonchalant, and casually leaned over the partition behind my monitors to talk to me.

Him: "So, we just got an email that you are leaving? Is that right? You are leaving?"

Me: "Yes. I have decided I'm leaving and I'll go on Friday unless you want me to go now"

Him: "Well, you can't just leave right away, you have to give us 4 weeks notice. You must know this. We might choose not to authorise your leave. Where are you going anyway? Do you have another job?"

Me: *letting out a laugh* "What are you going to do? Lock me in the office so I can't leave? You can't force me to come to work. I'm leaving because I didn't like the way you spoke to me earlier. I don't have another job to go to, and I certainly don't need the money, so I'm just going to enjoy some time off"

It was at that exact point the cocky attitude drained right out of his face. He suddenly realised he had absolutely zero influence, power, or authority over me. None whatsoever. He had spent 15 years speaking to people who would do and say anything to hang onto their 'cushy' housing association job for the pay, the benefits, and so on, that he was just knocked for six that someone would basically say "You don't speak to me like that and I don't need this job".

Him: "Erm, oh well, if this job isn't for you, then thats that I suppose" and he walks off in a huff.

I finished a few emails, mostly telling people I was leaving and who to contact in my absence, set my 'out of office' message, closed down my PC, dumped my ID card on the desk, walked out of the office, got in my 911, and floored it out of the car park. I remember it was a glorious sunny day.

I then started my own business and never looked back. Best thing I ever did for my career and my sanity.
What do you do now, if I may ask?

Fat hippo

732 posts

133 months

Monday 16th May 2022
quotequote all
OP - well done.
I walked out of a banking job in 2008 having been there for 9 months.

From day 1 it was a disaster, covering high yield credit Desk in Aug 2007 at the atart of the financial crisis. Couldn’t stand the people (bullying, swearing shouting), the hours (I wwsn’t allowed to leave before 11pm), the work and the culture/attitudes of people.

In Feb 2008 they put me on performance review. This made things easier. I knew I had to leave. However…given this is PH, its worth pointing out that I’d just put a holding deposit on a 993.

In March 2008, for my 30th birthday, myself and my girlfriend went to Tokyo for a week. I was a miserable sod on that holiday but fired out my cv to numerous recruitment agents and made loads of calls telling them I was going to leave.
Made the decision to leave whilst on holiday and tried to enjoy the rest of the break.

When I returned, the dealer called me asking what was happening about the car. I had applied for a loan before my holiday and hadn’t noticed any mail regarding the loan so went to my bank and they sorted the loan out on the spot. As the application went through I noticed that my account balance was substantially higher than I expected. Turns out the first £20k loan had been paid in already.
Anyway, I went along with the second £20k loan and now had £40k available.
I subsequently bought the car that weekend and handed in my notice the following Monday.
Like the OP, it felt a massive relief. Despite the financial crisis I was fortunate that I had already started interviewing elsewhere and one of the jobs is one where I still am now.

After I left the job, I had an £8k repairs demand on my flat (payable within 28 days). Fortunately the second loan kept me afloat here.
Also, my mum got news she had cancer. The NHS operated quickly and it was caught relatively early, however, I told my new employer that I wanted to defer my start date so I could help her and my dad at home without having to worry about work.
As I get older I think to myself the timings of these events were meant to be.

anonymous-user

53 months

Tuesday 17th May 2022
quotequote all
Fat hippo said:
What do you do now, if I may ask?
I went self employed/Limited Co as a consultant to the Housing sector and local government. I used my knowledge and experience gained to advise and help Housing Associations and councils on projects, problems, interim positions etc.

Essentially, I was able to carry on working in the industry I like, but without having to be directly employed by a Housing Association, or involve myself in the office politics, the power struggles, the petty squabbles, dealing with staff, having to answer to people who shouldn't be in the position they are in, dealing with team members who go off on long term sick or need 'managed out of the business' and so on. All the absolute nonsense that is so pervasive in the industry.

I get to go in there, manage a project, report on performance, shake up a particular team, deliver the required results, and then leave again, all whilst getting the opportunity to have a crack at all kinds of different roles, positions and projects that I would not have had the opportunity of previously whilst stuck in the same role as an employee for years.

12 months ago I accepted a job offer to become an employee again, but for a large property/housing/government consultancy group, and it's the same work and same arrangements, I get to choose my assignments and so on, they are really good people and are very supportive, but leave me alone 95% of the time to work with clients and build my portfolio of work. I really enjoy it.

As a side line, I also work with my dad and brother. We buy up fields and sites, obtain planning permission for housing, engage architects and engineers, install the roads, pavements, sewers, utilities etc, then do a mixture of selling self build plots and build the odd house out to sell.

98elise

26,372 posts

160 months

Monday 23rd May 2022
quotequote all
dundarach said:
sunnygym said:
Enjoy time with your family and fk them, life’s to short to work with s
Excellent, this I predict will be one of your greatest moments in life!
Agreed. I have never regretted walking away from crap situations.

BEP

346 posts

204 months

Tuesday 24th May 2022
quotequote all
I did this in 2015. Clearly recall standing in a Timber yard in Romania having a full on hair drying down the phone from a Director over a problem not of my doing.
Thought to myself I really don’t need this anymore, so came back, told them exactly what I thought and have been running our own business for 7 years.
Well done on doing it

Edited by BEP on Tuesday 24th May 07:15

Dog Star

16,079 posts

167 months

Wednesday 25th May 2022
quotequote all
lrdisco said:
Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and not getting up at 4am every Monday and the hell that is Leeds Bradford airport security.

So to anyone else thinking about it, just do it.
I last had this on my very last contract - almost ten years ago to the day. Leaving home at 3.45am every Monday to drive to Surrey - it made my Sundays absolutely miserable, knowing I had to go. Then when I was there I had this nutcase boss who had an apartment literally next door to the office - if you tried leaving before 7.30pm he'd be pulling his face, calling you a slacker. Lived and breathed his job, although he was a good guy. Getting out of the office on a Friday could sometimes be difficult, they hours and hours of jams to get the 220 miles home, getting home at midnight sometimes, so get up tired Saturday, day off, then the day of dread on Sunday.

Final straw was him telling me he was moving me to the other office (where he had had me visiting at company expense in company time in stabby Stratford) full-time. I walked back to my desk, wrote him a resignation letter and gave it to him two minutes later. He called me a c--t.

It was very liberating, and a week later I walked into my new, more local contract which I went permie in a year later which has morphed into a WFH role. Great timing.