Walked out on job without notice

bluesnake

CraigD wrote: »

I had a call from the agency today which put me forward for the job I walked out on asking what the problem was. I explained that I didn't feel comfortable in the role and that I was regretful about the manner in which I left. The agency then asked if I would consider going back and suggested I called my boss to apologise and ask the question.

The response from my boss was we are not the kind of company which accepts staff walking out without working their notice then asking for their job back a few days later and he wasn't happy with my performance up to then anyway. He said he would think about it and call me back in the morning. I suspect he was thinking of letting me go if I hadn't have handed my notice in judging by the comment about him thinking things weren't working out. I think the main lesson is to trust your gut instinct.

I have an interview at another company on Monday for a less demanding role.

Sounds like the agency really want their commission.

Going back in these circumstances could be one of the worst things you could ever do. Having seen in the last company I worked for a salesman jumping ship, then wanting to come back, the company treated him like crud, had no respect for him, made him work harder that the others, because he 'owed them' for the favour of being accepted back. This continued for about 4 years before the salesman jumped left again, possibly due to being bullied and constant threats of being fired.

Think if you go back then you will be employed only as emergency cover, and once thing are back to normal, be fired or made to leave.

starchild1972

Can I just ask a slight OT question? Was there a need to mention his colour and nationality? Did that have any bearing on the job?

The_Thrilla

You know, my father-in-law, who came from a mining town in Central Scotland, told me that when he was a youngster, there was only one kind of job available in the town he came from: coalmining. He was down the pits, doing a man's job for a boy's wage. He had a row with a chargehand, and walked out. There were people who were telling him: "Don't do it. Don't be a fool." He was unemployed for a while; then he went into Glasgow, and joined the army. He said these were the two best things he ever did. I would say that he was the one who had the character, and the slaves who told him not to walk out were the ones who were without character.

Craig, I'll nail my colours to the mast. I've walked out of jobs - loads of times. It is up to the employer to make the place a pleasant joint to work in. They can't have it both ways. They get paid more because of the responsibility. That means if it's a !!!!!! place to work in, it's their fault.

Your mistake was ringing this schmuck up and grovelling. One must maintain one's dignity, you know. The Poles are right: it really is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.

DVardysShadow

Googlewhacker wrote: »

A good post but I would question the fact that if you have walked out of 'loads' of jobs then the majority of the problems probably are not with the employers, I could be wrong and if I am then I would question your choice of work places and you most likely are doing something fundamentally wrong.

Equally, his sole big 'problem' could be that his threshold for putting up with employer nonsense is at a healthy low level. I am sure in general that people put up with more than they ought to.

SarEl

Googlewhacker wrote: »

Maybe, but on the other hand his threshold is ridiculously low, even you can't disagree that the % of people that walk out of a job is minimal let along walk out of many jobs.

And even if more people did walk out you are still talking about a minor % of walking out once let along multiple times.

I disagree though that in general people put up with more than they ought to, I would go the other way in that in general employers look after their staff, it is just the minority that abuse their position

I'd also have to point out that times have changed somewhat. In the '50's and '60's it was easy to walk out and get another job by the next day. If you walked out of the pits one day you could join the army and be in Catterick (or wherever) by Friday. These days the Forces are much more picky and it can take 6 or more months to get in. The same is true of other employers - they are able to afford to be picky about who they employ because there is another worker in the queue behind you. It just isn't as easy for employees to walk out these days, and people are hanging on to their jobs for dear life. Maybe they should care less about having an income and more about dignity at work - but I am not going to be telling them that when their day to day choice is about putting food on the table.

DVardysShadow

Googlewhacker wrote: »

Maybe, but on the other hand his threshold is ridiculously low, even you can't disagree that the % of people that walk out of a job is minimal let along walk out of many jobs.

I could agree that his threshold may be low, against the rest of the population. But calling it ridiculous is not really supported on any facts we have.

DVardysShadow

Googlewhacker wrote: »

As calling it healthy isn't

I am careful with words. I said it could be healthy. But you said it is ridiculous.

J_i_m

I think you should put it down to a learning experience. You've learnt how much stress you can cope with. There's no shame in that.

I once left a job (for not too dissimilar reasons) without working the contractual notice period. However in my case I had terrific support and understanding from the manager. It was actually his idea that I didn't work the notice and I still got paid for it!

I think the mistake you made is that you maybe didn't discuss it with your manager, I know a situation like that is extremely difficult to come to terms with, and to discuss with anybody. But ultimately you needed to follow the protocol, there are employment legislations in place designed to protect employees, but you also need to behave appropriately as well

@Googlewhacker, you perhaps don't understand the concept of mental health very well, having a lack of confidence or low stress threshold may be alien to you, but it can happen to anyone. I've been in a job where I had zero self confidence, I stuck it out for two years but eventually it wore me down and made my life a misery to the point that I couldn't sleep or eat because I dreaded going into work. You yourself are not immune to having a mental breakdown, I hope you never do, but instead of impatiently criticising someone else for it, I'd try a little tact and understanding for starters.

birkee

Sounds like both parties have had a lucky escape.
The stouter personallity sticks it out until they have another job lined up to go to.
A pound to a pinch of **** says this will not appear voluntarily on a CV applying for future employment.

The_Thrilla

Googlewhacker wrote: »

A good post but I would question the fact that if you have walked out of 'loads' of jobs then the majority of the problems probably are not with the employers, I could be wrong and if I am then I would question your choice of work places and you most likely are doing something fundamentally wrong.

Very well observed. You think that because I have walked out so often, then there must be something wrong with me. I can tell you from experience that once you have walked out the first time, it gets a lot easier.

Another thing is that it also depends on the environment. In the civil service, for example, sudden departures are quite rare. In the music industry, non-arrivals and walkouts are commonplace.

It's not new either. In my youth I knew an elderly lady who used to work for the BBC in the days of John Reith. In her later years she would do adverts for commercial radio. She walked out of one of these over the pronunciation of "super."

I am in my fifties. The workplace has changed since my youth. There is now legislation that can legally protect you from being arbitrarily dismissed. But the employers can get around it. If you are agency, they can dismiss you on the spot. No notice. Nothing. I have had a son who was recently suspended on no pay from a 54K agency job. He guessed that they really wanted to get rid of him, and started looking for other work, which he found. The following week, two more of his agency colleagues had been dismissed from the same place for stupid reasons. So the management were actually downsizing.

The world of work has become more precarious. For that reason, in 2003, I changed from having one job to having several income sources; so, if one source dries up, then the others will tide me over until I can replace the lost source. That is the situation I am in at the moment.

Anyone who has one job - especially an agency job - is very vulnerable, and is going to have to take measures to protect themselves from sudden dismissal.

As to the original argument. Some people allow themselves to be pushed around. I am not one of them. If you allow yourself to be pushed around, it won't stop there: they'll take one liberty after another.