How To Quit My Job With Minimal Bullshit

[Guest]

Hello folks,

So anyway, this is not a rant, it's a plea for advice.

I recently got into trouble (as in, less than three hours ago) for taking off work tomorrow for a film gig (which pays in two days the amount I make working here in a week). It's too lucrative to say no to, there's no way I was going to drop out of it. I got into an argument with the boss over it, who was furious.

And yes, I know I was negligent and stupid for forgetting to tell her about this.

Anyway, my boss is, politely, a cunt. A complete and total cunt. Why she's a cunt is really nothing I'm interested in knowing, but she is one and she spends more time getting on my ass then working herself. She's in her sixties and she's managing a retirement home, and she's bitter. I don't care. She's a cunt to me, singles me out to be a cunt to, and I want to get away from her as fast as I can. Let it be known that filing a complaint will do nothing, I am but a waiter and waiters are meaningless and have no power. So don't suggest that, that is the Dumbass Optimist option.

Now I'm not going to quit just yet (I said I was leaving in June, but I don't think I can stomach Cunt for that long at this point), definitely not till I get another job lined up. I'm meeting with a friend who said she could get me a job at an Apple store and I'm hoping against hope that'll work out.

The problem is this: I can't just leave one day, I have to put in two weeks notice, which means it'll be two weeks and eight days of working with Cunt knowing that I'm leaving, and I don't know how much worse she's going to treat me once I do.

So here I'm trapped, because one I put in the notice, she'll spend both of those weeks making my life hell, and I can't afford to deal with that stress along with school.

So I'm not sure what to do about her. Corporate and HR will take her side even if she straight up murdered me, because they are HR and really should be called Fat Cat Support, because they don't give a fuck about me.

What do? If I stay longer than June, I will literally kill myself, and none of you will blame me, because Cunt is THAT much of a cunt.

[reboot]

mod Glides, cunt is not a word we use here. Edit it outmod off

If you did not sign a contract and do not need these people as references you can quit tomorrow morning or flat out not show up. Two weeks is a courtesy, not a requirement.

[Guest]

mod Glides, cunt is not a word we use here. Edit it outmod off

If you did not sign a contract and do not need these people as references you can quit tomorrow morning or flat out not show up. Two weeks is a courtesy, not a requirement.

I DID sign a contract, that's the problem. I don't remember what it says either, but I'm pretty sure you have to give them two weeks notice. I don't wanna get fined or sued for just abruptly leaving.

[eselle28]

Get a new job. Once you have one, call in and tell the manager you quit. She may not react as strongly as you think - some bosses will abuse even an employee they don't get along with for quitting but others are going to handle it pretty neutrally. If you want to be kind to your other coworkers, do it on the day of or before your day off so there's some time to find people to work your shifts. But reboot's right that this is a short term job that you can pretty easily omit from your references. Now, you can't do this all the time, at least not if you plan on working in the service industry for a couple more years while you're in school, but most people can get a pass for quitting without notice.

[eselle28]

mod Glides, cunt is not a word we use here. Edit it outmod off

If you did not sign a contract and do not need these people as references you can quit tomorrow morning or flat out not show up. Two weeks is a courtesy, not a requirement.

I DID sign a contract, that's the problem. I don't remember what it says either, but I'm pretty sure you have to give them two weeks notice. I don't wanna get fined or sued for just abruptly leaving.

So as an update to my original post, is there a way you can obtain another copy of your employment contract or ask someone else to look at a copy of yours? If you're a waiter I'd actually be kind of surprised if there's any way to enforce two week notice.

Alternately, play it safe and give your two weeks and basically keep your head down and remind yourself that it's a temporary situation and that you'll be able to go to your new job soon enough.

[reboot]

mod Glides, cunt is not a word we use here. Edit it outmod off

If you did not sign a contract and do not need these people as references you can quit tomorrow morning or flat out not show up. Two weeks is a courtesy, not a requirement.

I DID sign a contract, that's the problem. I don't remember what it says either, but I'm pretty sure you have to give them two weeks notice. I don't wanna get fined or sued for just abruptly leaving.

So as an update to my original post, is there a way you can obtain another copy of your employment contract or ask someone else to look at a copy of yours? If you're a waiter I'd actually be kind of surprised if there's any way to enforce two week notice.

Alternately, play it safe and give your two weeks and basically keep your head down and remind yourself that it's a temporary situation and that you'll be able to go to your new job soon enough.

Ask HR for a copy of your employment contract. They do have to share it or at least let you look at it and take notes. And in the future remember to get a copy of your contract at time of hiring

Me, I would just quit. I think you live in the South which is mostly "at will" employment, meaning you or your employer can end the job at anytime. Employers like to say you are required to give 2 weeks but it is often not true.

EDIT: And Glides, this is second modly reminder to change your first post to a word that does not violate the forum's guidelines. Some of my recommendations are Gaping Asshole, Evil Douche, Useless Sack of Shit, Shitheel, Shit for Brains, Assclown, Fuckwit, Chucklefuck.

[Enail]

Others have covered the advice better than I could, but just wanted to say: congrats on the film gig, and good luck with the other job possibility.

[Archetype694]

I may have missed it but I did not see how long you have been employed at this gig. If it's something you may need to fill out your resume I would say make sure you give the requsite two weeks notice as Reboot listed above.

That said I do worry that you mentioned working at an Apple store. While it could be a great gig:

(1) Halfway decent retail pay?
(2) Big name that looks impressive to future employers
(3) Easy way to break into IT work, at least at the technician level.

It's also considered by some to be one of the seven circles of customer service / retail hell.
There was an article years back that explained how infuriating it can be to work in a IT-ish job that is sold and packaged as a luxury product (read: Clueless and entitled customer base) If I can find it' I'll edit in the link.

The reason I say this, is that it's easy to see your rage / annoyance in the above post and I worry that unless you are very good at hiding your thoughts, feelings and annoyance then you may not enjoy working at an apple store.

Not that I'm saying don't do it, just be prepared for a lot of crap, though of a different sort then you currently deal with.

[Guest]

Get a new job. Once you have one, call in and tell the manager you quit. She may not react as strongly as you think - some bosses will abuse even an employee they don't get along with for quitting but others are going to handle it pretty neutrally. If you want to be kind to your other coworkers, do it on the day of or before your day off so there's some time to find people to work your shifts. But reboot's right that this is a short term job that you can pretty easily omit from your references. Now, you can't do this all the time, at least not if you plan on working in the service industry for a couple more years while you're in school, but most people can get a pass for quitting without notice.

Yeah that's why I'm going to tough it out for at least a couple more weeks, see if I can actually get this job at the apple store and hopefully the bosses there aren't abusive pricks like this one is.

The other problem: there's only enough employees there for minimal staffing. Me leaving would force many of them to work extra shifts to compensate for my absence. I don't want to make their lives any harder. I don't know how to find another person who can be hired on to cover the loss I would inflict.

[quote=Archetype694] There was an article years back that explained how infuriating it can be to work in a IT-ish job that is sold and packaged as a luxury product (read: Clueless and entitled customer base) If I can find it' I'll edit in the link.

The reason I say this, is that it's easy to see your rage / annoyance in the above post and I worry that unless you are very good at hiding your thoughts, feelings and annoyance then you may not enjoy working at an apple store.

Not that I'm saying don't do it, just be prepared for a lot crap, though of a different sort then you currently deal with.[/quote]

Problem is, it's the best someone my age can do. Plus all jobs are inherently crap, it's why they're called jobs. It's about finding the one that makes you want to kill yourself the least. I don't exactly have many options at my age, I don't know what else to do.

[Archetype694]

Problem is, it's the best someone my age can do. Plus all jobs are inherently crap, it's why they're called jobs. It's about finding the one that makes you want to kill yourself the least. I don't exactly have many options at my age, I don't know what else to do.

I understand, it's a hell of a lot better then flipping burgers or working in the sun. That said just be prepared for some.. interesting users in your new job.

Best of luck to you.

[Guest]

Give 2 weeks' notice. If she gets abusive, say, "I want to serve my two weeks, but I can only do that if I'm being treated in a respectful manner. Is it better if I leave today?" If she persists, say, "I will not stay and be abused. I wanted to try to serve out my two weeks, but that clearly isn't goinng to work." Then leave.

[Caffeinated]

The other problem: there's only enough employees there for minimal staffing. Me leaving would force many of them to work extra shifts to compensate for my absence. I don't want to make their lives any harder. I don't know how to find another person who can be hired on to cover the loss I would inflict.

It's my personal policy that an employee who isn't being paid a management wage is not responsible for fixing management problems. The company not getting their act together and keeping staffing levels high enough that one person leaving doesn't wreck everything = management problem. The reason managers and bosses get paid more is they're responsible for taking care of that stuff. If they don't, well, still not your problem. And it's very common for management to try to make it the employees' problem, but that's just bullshit. You don't have to put up with it (or at least, you don't have to arrange your life to cover their mistakes) and you definitely don't have to feel guilty about it.

Definitely look at your contract. Part of the point of a contract is to spell out what happens when the parties part ways. So look at it, and keep in mind that if HR is "explaining" it to you, they may have an incentive to slant things to sound like "here's what you must do" when it's really "here's what we want you to do".

[reboot]

Give 2 weeks' notice. If she gets abusive, say, "I want to serve my two weeks, but I can only do that if I'm being treated in a respectful manner.  Is it better if I leave today?"  If she persists, say, "I will not stay and be abused. I wanted to try to serve out my two weeks, but that clearly isn't goinng to work."  Then leave.

^ Good script

[Guest]

Give 2 weeks' notice. If she gets abusive, say, "I want to serve my two weeks, but I can only do that if I'm being treated in a respectful manner.  Is it better if I leave today?"  If she persists, say, "I will not stay and be abused. I wanted to try to serve out my two weeks, but that clearly isn't goinng to work."  Then leave.

I like this. I might use this. If I land that Apple job somehow I'm definitely going to do this. Plus I'm going to try and get an internship and whenever that's starting, I'm gone and the boss already knows about it.

It's my personal policy that an employee who isn't being paid a management wage is not responsible for fixing management problems. The company not getting their act together and keeping staffing levels high enough that one person leaving doesn't wreck everything = management problem. The reason managers and bosses get paid more is they're responsible for taking care of that stuff. If they don't, well, still not your problem. And it's very common for management to try to make it the employees' problem, but that's just bullshit. You don't have to put up with it (or at least, you don't have to arrange your life to cover their mistakes) and you definitely don't have to feel guilty about it.

Definitely look at your contract. Part of the point of a contract is to spell out what happens when the parties part ways. So look at it, and keep in mind that if HR is "explaining" it to you, they may have an incentive to slant things to sound like "here's what you must do" when it's really "here's what we want you to do".

OK, my question is how do I get access to the contract without it looking like I'm about to quit. I'm sure as shit not going to ask the boss, but HR might let me with no questions. I'm not really sure. Should I tell HR that I need it to determine the two weeks notice policy since I'll be leaving the job to start the internship soon (this is technically true)?

The other problem I have is that my coworkers themselves are for the most part very nice people. The cooks are nice, the janitors are nice, everyone but the people in charge are nice. While the boss and her superiors are asshats (you know which word I'd rather use, Reboot), the fellow employees are good people.

Luckily the vast majority of the residents are complete spoiled assholes (no Baby Boomer can ever call a Millennial lazy after what I've seen in this shit-heap), so I don't care about what they think if I leave.

Funny story: the oldest woman there is 104. She actually made an announcement, loudly, during dinner, that she'd lost her pajama bottoms and had spent the past week sleeping buck naked. I got a complaint filed against me (by the boss) for laughing hysterically at this announcement. So did everyone else, so like I said, she clearly has something against me. But in all honesty I'm a mediocre employee, I hate this fucking job and it shows.

I've been here since January. It wasn't bad until maybe a month ago, when my friend and the supervising manager (one level below the boss) got fed up with her and abruptly quit. He referred me, maybe she's taking it out on me since I'm as close to him as she gets. She was DEEPLY dependant on him, and productivity has plummeted since he left.

[reboot]

Just say you want a copy for your records. Tell HR you meant to get one your first day but in the excitement of starting forgot to ask.

Trust me, requesting contracts is very normal. They will not think twice about it. If they start hard core questioning (usually because they do not feel like finding and scanning the file) just repeat the above script and say you appreciate it

[Guest]

Give 2 weeks' notice. If she gets abusive, say, "I want to serve my two weeks, but I can only do that if I'm being treated in a respectful manner.  Is it better if I leave today?"  If she persists, say, "I will not stay and be abused. I wanted to try to serve out my two weeks, but that clearly isn't goinng to work."  Then leave.

^ Good script

I pretty much stole it from Alison at Ask A Manager.

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