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People Confess Why They Quit A Job On Their First Day

Man holding briefcase
person walking holding brown leather bag
Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash

There are few feelings more frustrating and disappointing than realizing that a job simply isn't a good fit.

To some people, a job is a job, so they'll force themselves to go to work to earn the paycheck until a better job comes along.

Others however will come to the decision that the pay, be it big or small, simply isn't worth the monotonous, soul-sucking, or downright toxic atmosphere they need to report to, and quit with no prospects in sight.

Most people do this after a few months, or even a year, giving ample notice so as not to burn bridges or potentially harm their reputation.

Then there are the extreme cases, who leave the office for the very last time on their very first day, never looking back and not having one ounce of doubt or guilt about their decision.


Redditor itsangelinahepburn was curious to hear the things that lead people to quit their jobs after exactly one day, leading them to ask:
"Anyone here who decided to leave their job on the first day? What made you decide to run right away?"

Questionable Ethics

"They wanted us to make our first sales to friends and family members."

"F*ck that."

"If your first option is for me to make money off the people I care about most, there's really nowhere to go but down (morally)."- Mxysptlik

Thrown Into The Deep End

"They sent me to a room to do a bunch of on-boarding paperwork and those incredibly dull orientation videos companies love so much."

"Less than 10 minutes into it the manager comes in and tells me they need to cover the sales floor immediately because I was the only person for the department that day."

"No training, no computer logins, no idea where anything in the building was or who any of the dozens of other people wandering around were or even what was really expected of me."

"Just go and solo a department that usually had between five and eight staff at any time."

"I gave it a shot for like 45 minutes, and realized the whole place was staffed by miserable entitled f*cks who went out of their way to avoid work."

"I just walked out without saying anything."- SlothOfDoom

Being More Knowledgable Than Your Bosses

"I'm a fish hobbyist and I got a job in the fish department at PetCo."

"On my first day they wanted me to take out all the rocks (substrate) from each tank, scrub them and put them back in the tanks, one tank at a time."

"Moving substrate releases bad bacteria and can get the fish sick or kill them."

"I explained this to them and said that it was best to just do a water change for 20% of each tank."

"They said, basically, sorry this is what corporate says and you have to do it."

"I was like, 'Okay, I'll do it after lunch'."

"I never came back from lunch."- adura_grounded

Under The Sea GIF by Super SimpleGiphy

Not Honoring Their Contract

"They lowered the rate from what was agreed upon and became upset when I spoke up about it."- Wonderful-Job3514

Mis-Management

"Wendy’s."

"There was an assistant manager whose only job seemed to be pacing around behind us during lunch rushes, repeating in a dull monotone, 'c’mon, let’s make those burgers. C’mon, let’s go faster, make those burgers'.”

"When I didn’t make burgers fast enough because my only training consisted of watching a 30-minute video, the manager sneered, 'why don’t you just go wash dishes, then? You CAN wash dishes, can’t you?'"

"That’s when I walked off the job."- LanceGannon

And You Thought YOUR Boss Was Horrible...

"I didn't even last a full shift."

"It was Pizza delivery."

"It was the early 90s; I was 20 M[ale]."

"My first shift was in torrential rain, driving a 1967 VW Beetle (with a flat windscreen)."

"Two orders required me to go back because the pizzas weren't the ones ordered."

"Then I arrived back to see that one of the other drivers had been shot in the leg with an air-rifle by Ricky the Shift-Manager.
I started at noon."

"Quit at 8.30pm."

"Can't remember if I was ever paid; didn't care."- EvilBosch

anna faris pizza GIF by Overboard MovieGiphy

Knowing Their Self-Worth

"I was a car mechanic fresh out of school, hit up a local shop that hired."

"Their working conditions were trash, I bailed after the first day."

"Second one wasn't much better, in fact it was far worse, but I saw more potential in the work and needed the experience."

"It was a privately owned bus company that needed a mechanic to service their sh*t."

"It was the middle of winter and the garage had no heat, it was badly equipped, no car jacks so laying on the cold ground, etc."

"Also as it turned out, the fleet consisted of brand new buses that had to be serviced at the dealership to maintain the warranty, so I had no work whatsoever."

"Instead the guy wanted me to do basic maintenance work around the HQ."

"Mind you it was so cold outside that in 10 minutes I couldn't feel my fingers and if I went inside the main building to heat up, he complained that I wasn't working."

"Caught pneumonia after just 3 days, went back a week later when I was feeling better and quit."

"Third time was the charm."- DangerousTrashCan

And Yet, They Don't See A Problem?

"We hired someone to work at a freezer warehouse and he only showed up for one shift."

"He seemed ecstatic about the pay (20/hr for basic material handling, picklines, etc) but seemed to realize that humans hate being treated like machines and that's simply not worth it so we never saw him again."

"He was not the only one."

"My favorite time is when my manager hired 18 new people because he fully expected 80% of them to flake and not show the next day."

"Sure enough, only 3 even showed up."- ASaltyBiscuit

season 8 warehouse GIFGiphy

Did They Actually Think They'd Get Away With It?!?

"Was supposed to be an office job, straight salary."

"Got there the first day and it turned out to be door to door sales, commission only."

"Not even people who had expressed interest."

"Just literally cold calling but in person at their door instead of on the phone."

"Didn't even stay to hear the end of their explanation of how really if you think about it this is the job they advertised and interviewed me for, just better because..."

"I don't know, some bullsh*t, as I said, I had left by then."- Zer0Summoner

Not Once, But Twice

"I actually did this twice."

"The first time was because I was a college student and needed a job to pay rent."

"Got a job working in a new call center that had opened up in my home town."

"It was awful.""The atmosphere was toxic, the boss was a horrific a**hole, and there were all sorts of shitty 'metrics' and goals, etc. you had to reach."

"I just never went back after the first day."

"Called them the next morning and told them it wasn't for me."

"The second time was a deal where I interviewed for a job that I was pretty excited about where I was going to be leading a team dealing with advocating for some issues in international politics."

"I was super excited."

"The interviews I had were done in a cafe."

"They sent me the address of the office and I arrived for my first day and it was some decrepit, barely standing office with the most outdated computers and office equipment."

"The 'team' I was going to be leading had been referred to as 'a small team' in the job interviews."

"In reality it was one lady who didn't speak either of the languages I speak."- mejok

Third Time Definitely Wasn't The Charm

"$20 for parking wasn't included in for being an employee."

"This was when min wage was 11.50.so you work 2 hour and pay your employer."

"F*ck that."

"Another place I worked open kitchen caught fire."

"All the customers could see this."

"They didn't make anyone leave."

"They kept putting food out!"

"They expected me to clean up their now burnt kitchen."

"Nope nope nope."

"Another place had defrosted chicken by leaving it outside of the fridge over night."

"On the floor."

"During the summer."

"Rats scurried away from it when we turned on the light."

"Called the safety department on that one."- Elfere

Inconsistent Would Be An Understatement

"Slowly started changing the terms of employment during the day."

"Started off '10 hour days 5 days a week £8/hour'."

"Shifted to 'sometimes you have to work weekends too'."

"Then 'actually it's crunch season right now so we're going to expect you to work Saturday and Sunday this week."

"Then 'actually we'll need you to stay Saturday and Sunday most weeks'."

"Then 'You'll be working Saturday and Sunday for the foreseeable future'."

"Then 'We'll need you to stay a few hours after work today'."

"Then 'Actually you'll be working 12-14 hours a day 7 days a week for the next 6 months'."

"Yeah nope."- NewRoundEre

Bye Bitch Get Out Of My Face GIF by Becky GGiphy

We've all had jobs we've hated, which we muddle through just for the money.

However, one's self-worth is always more important than a paycheck.

And when you notice your self-worth or safety being threatened, always best to act on it immediately.

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