Has anyone here just walked out from their job ?

missbiggles1

AubreyMac wrote: »

Last job before current one I just quit. One of the best decisions I've ever made.

I was an agency worker and treated terribly. It was dragging me down and affect my emotional and mental health.

Manager was constantly threatening me and the fact that I was an agency worker she just kept telling me how easy it would be to just get rid of me without notice.

Well being an agency worker works both ways as I am not obliged to give any notice. I finished work one day and just never returned again. The following day there was an inspection which I knew about. In my mind I had this planned for a year.

I went on job seekers and put up with having little money (not even a £1m salary will entice me to go back there). I job hunted for 3 months before I got my current job starting as a temp and being permanent a few months later (think employment is easier in London). Have been in the role for 3 years now and had a promotion in that time.

I'm still in touch with an colleague in the previous job and my ex manager has admitted that she regret that I have left. I don't have any regrets though, just wish I did it sooner.

Nowadays you'd be sanctioned for up to 6 months if you tried to claim JSA after voluntarily leaving a job.

Alikay

I did leave a temp assignment on day 2. It was a horrible environment, the job was in complete chaos and the management were vile, so at the end of the second day I told them I wouldn't be coming back. There were no repercussions, and my agency were pleased to know the reasons as several temps had previously gone AWOL at that placement.

HappyMJ

If you can finance living without benefits for 6 months then go for it. After 6 months you'll be entitled to some benefits. After then could you finance the difference between the benefits you would get and your living costs? The problem is most people just can't do that.

SandC

I left a job without another one to go to but didn't just walk out, I handed my notice in. They also let me go within a week and not the month that I was contracted to give.

I felt if I didn't leave I'd explode and make it far worse, ha ha!

I got a new job within weeks and have been working for the same firm for nearly 10 years now. I had support from my parents who agreed to bail me out financially if I needed it. I would have done any job to earn a bit though.

LandyAndy

I have done it.

I had only worked there six weeks but knew from day 1 it was a mistake. I hated every single second of my time there.

I was already looking for other jobs but at the time had nothing definite.

One day I just went in, wrote a one line resignation letter and went home. That felt so good.

I was 43 at the time, with two primary age children but, fortunately, a partner in full time work.

I started another job within two weeks.

jrtfan

I did it, too. Again, I hadn't been there long (5 months) but the company was being merged with another and our MD was given the push. My OH had been sent on a 4-month assignment on the other side of the world and I'd booked some leave to visit him there; but I'd been miserable in the job from the start and didn't know whether it would still be there when I got back, even. So whilst visiting my OH we discussed the situation and jointly decided I should send work a fax to let them know I would be staying out there with my OH for longer than planned and that I was effectively quitting my job.

PenguinOfDeath

I did once after two months, but only because I had a 99% chance of another job at the time. The confirmation came through the next day and I started the day after.

pinkteapot

I've never just walked out. I did resign with nothing to go to once, when a job became utterly unbearable, and it felt amazing, but I wouldn't do it again! I had a three month notice period which felt long enough to get another job. I was hugely lucky that a brilliant job was advertised just two weeks later, and I got it. At the time, we were in a small house and could easily live on DH's money alone for a while if I hadn't got a new job straight away.

But, "do as I say, not as I do". Leaving with nothing lined up is extremely high risk. If you reach the end of your notice period and are out of work, it instantly makes it much harder to get a job. Employers are suspicious of people who left with nothing to go to (not rightly obviously, but they are). Every other time I've found a job and then handed my notice in and it's certainly the less stressful way to go.

LandyAndy

pinkteapot wrote: »

But, "do as I say, not as I do". Leaving with nothing lined up is extremely high risk. If you reach the end of your notice period and are out of work, it instantly makes it much harder to get a job. Employers are suspicious of people who left with nothing to go to (not rightly obviously, but they are). Every other time I've found a job and then handed my notice in and it's certainly the less stressful way to go.

Not always true. I explained to the person interviewing me exactly why I had left the previous job and they were most sympathetic and I got the job.

AubreyMac

missbiggles1 wrote: »

Nowadays you'd be sanctioned for up to 6 months if you tried to claim JSA after voluntarily leaving a job.

I don't recall if I was ever asked why I left. I do remember being told that the first 6 months was based on contribution so even a millionaire could sign on (jcp advisors words).

Though many people say you're more likely to get a job whilst in a job, it is my experience that is not the case. Part of the reason why I just left was to enable to me spend my days job hunting. I found that whilst working, making the time to go for tests, interviews, registering with agencies and possible 2nd interviews very awkward to get time off for (as it always happen during working time) especially when I didn't want my employer to know I was job hunting. There is so much 'medical appointments' you can take without raising suspicion. On top of this is the time at evenings and weekends filling in application forms.

Being unemployed while job hunting allowed me to concentrate on looking for work and just go to interviews/registering/tests at any time with the added bonus of being able to start immediately without a notice period. Though beware that a 'long' gap of unemployment (say 6 months or so) is likely to be questioned but can be acceptable if you have a good reason such as travelling or caring for a family member.

Having worked in recruitment before (and still help with recruiting in my team now), I can tell you that the more straight forward an applicant is, the better. Here, loads of people apply for any one advertised job so if someone was going to be complicated (from an administrative point of view) such as verifying visa, chasing on references (school workers are the worse as term time delays things), applying for a fresh DBS, agreeing start dates etc, I'm likely to go for someone who will be less hassle. Of course, this is dependant on the job and industry. Where I work there is a high turnover so not really worthwhile bending over backwards for one applicant who is likely to leave soon.