Has anyone here just walked out from their job ?

pinkteapot

LandyAndy wrote: »

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.

That's absolutely true - if you get to interview. If you're applying for jobs that attract large numbers of applicants, being out of work will put you at a disadvantage compared to similarly qualified others.

It really depends on what field the OP works in and how easy they find it to get jobs. Some people get a new job within a week every time they look, some people take months to years. It's a combination of sector/role and the person themselves (not everyone is good at interviews, even if they're a good worker).

Brallaqueen

I did this three years ago. I would not do it again, the hunt for a new job before my savings ran out was, to me, worse than the stress of the job because I could have lost everything I had worked for. If you are secure, with substantial savings and low outgoings you may feel differently.

VfM4meplse

BBH123 wrote: »

I am also aware my age means my options are limited tbh.

This is a real consideration, I'm afraid.

Don't do it if you are over 50 and are not prepared to take a less skilled role / earn less / be your own boss.

In your position I would call an agency that specialises in your trade area to see how buoyant the market is atm. Then make plans to perhaps work on a temporary basis until you can find something permamant. But don't quit before you have that source of income lined up.

gill5blue

Hi,
I walked out of my job because I was being bullied. Got a job the next day. Best thing I could have done.
I wish I did it earlier. There are loads of jobs out there-don't be scared.
Gill5blue

thorsoak

Way back in the 60s, it was easy to walk out of a job, walk into an agency and have another job ready for the following day ....and as a secretary, in my early 20s, I did this two or three times.

Different story in 1999, though - when at the age of 56, I decided that I would walk out on my job - using my entitlement of 4 weeks untaken holiday as my notice! I had a few wobbles, on the way home, wondering how the hell we'd balance the budget - OH working at a little above nmw and a mortgage still running. But two days later, the chap I worked for in the company phoned me up, and told me of a maternity leave job that was available, and that he would give me a reference rather than going through the HR dept of the company - especially when it was a dispute with HR that made me decide to walk out!

That maternity leave job opened up a new pathway for me, and for the next 15 years, I successfully freelanced in my chosen career. So if it is really horrendous - take a big breath, shut your eyes - and JUMP! If you are good at your job, you'll be back in the swim pretty soon.

belisha-beacon

There will be no right answer to this and ultimately, only you will know the best option.

As people have said, leaving with nothing to go to is risky. But staying in something if it is sapping your soul is risky too, just in a different way. Sometimes, it's a bit like the 'boiling frog' story - if you drop a frog into boiling water it will jump out, but if you put it in cold water and heat it up slowly it will sit there until it boils to death (who finds these kind of things out? :eek:) If you are gradually getting so unhappy that you'll lose the ability or motivation to get out, then resigning might be the best thing.

I got to the stage a few years ago in a job where I felt so demoralised and unhappy it was making me ill. I was starting to believe I was a rubbish and worthless employee and I couldn't imagine how I would get a new job - if you can't sell yourself at interview, no-one else is going to do it for you! In the end I snapped and resigned, but I gave a longer notice period than I needed to (three months rather than one). The day after handing in my notice I felt so uplifted and started to be able to see things for what they were. Instead of feeling I was trapped, I could see that I was (temporarily) in a job with an awful manager, and that I could count down the days until I was gone. I was suddenly much more able to engage in applying for other jobs, and found it much easier to talk about my skills rather than everything I was miserable about, and I got a new job within weeks. I don't think I would have done if I had not resigned.

For me, the risk was worth it. If I had stayed I would have spent longer and longer de-skilling and getting depressed. However, for lots of people that would be a bad move. It is stressful having no job to go to and depending on the industry you're in, it might not be easy to get a new job. It sounds as if you have two very long-term jobs on your CV though, which will hopefully give you good references and will also prove that you are not the type of person to routinely give up on a job. Whatever you decide, give yourself as much back-up as you can!

If you stay in the job, work out a plan for how you can apply for other things, or how you might be able to change things for the better at work. If you go, make sure you have your 'worst case scenario' finances worked out, decide what type of jobs you'd be willing to accept, even if it was only temporary work, and maybe even ring round old employers to see if they have any openings for you.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Work out the absolute minimum you need to keep a roof over your head, heat, light and cheap food. Once you work that out, there's no reason to stress because you aren't trapped anymore, you're just waiting to make your move.


OH did it last summer. Fortunately I've been able to keep the place going - I don't begrudge it, as I know what being in that situation did to me and at least there's the two of us this time. I'd had some warning, as I knew he wasn't happy there and I had told him that if he saw an opportunity to get out and do what he wanted, he shouldn't let it go because I'd support it (and him) 100%. But it was still a surprise to find he'd actually done it. Just as well I was telling the truth, wasn't it?

balletshoes

fairy_lights wrote: »

I felt like walking out today. Spending most of the day sat in silence because I work with the unfriendliest bunch of people I've ever met, being expected as usual to work through my lunch break, being made to feel stupid, and finally being blamed yet again for mistakes my colleague has made is just too much.
I have a stomach ache a lot of the time from the stress, I know I can't quit but it's very hard not to sometimes.
Not all jobs are like this are they? I'm kind of scared to look for something new in case it's just as bad.

no, not all jobs are like the one you're in right now fairy lights, and miss-independant too.

where is the line management here? who's running these places like this, whats in your job description and your contract?

MadelinesMum

I quit at Christmas once, the last day at work before the Christmas break. I wrote a letter and popped it in the manager's pigeon hole once everyone had gone.

Luckily, come January I received a phonecall offering me a job I had applied for about 9 months previously.

miss_independent

Ballet shoes - my line manager is the problem. The place I work is so big that things don't get passed on to senior management and HR. I found out last night that my line manager is basically frauding. She is claiming that she is doing certain extra tasks and claiming extra money for added responsibility but she is actually getting me to do things and I am getting paid a fraction of what she gets. I'm paid a little over minimum wage and she is paid at least £50 per hour. She is also not keen for me to visit HR. She keeps trying to take my time sheet off me so she can hand it in instead of me. I also still have no job description but I am most definitely carrying out duties above and beyond my job title.

I've already applied for new jobs and have got my first interview date.