'That was not what I agreed to': 20+ job quitters share what made them instantly walk

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Ben Weiss • Writer and Editor
Jan 21, 2024 2:00 PM EST

It's not always easy to quit a job, even when all the signs are telling you to leave. The journey often starts with a little voice in the back of your head saying something to the effect of "This ain't it." Eventually, that voice gets louder and louder and you find yourself going through a short period where you attempt to convince yourself that you love it here. You try to tell yourself that other friends of yours have it so much worse or that being mistreated is better than looking for new work. 

However, one day, it all starts to click. Something happens and it becomes the straw that breaks the camel's back and you find yourself way past the point of no return. I remember when this happened to me. I had been planning on leaving a job two months later, and then when my boss tried to dump extra work onto my lap out of nowhere, I knew I needed to quit immediately.

Check out the following stories from these iconic job quitters. For more content like this, here is a story about an employee who was fired for being too good at their job.

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  • 01
    DON'T QUIT
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  • 02
    r/AskReddit . Posted by u/Harley_Mae 6 hours ago 4 What made you instantly quit a job?
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  • 03
    tibbyveronica. 9 hr. ago When "I will fire you" was used to try to motivate. No i'll fire you :) ↑ 1.7k ↓ Reply Share
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  • 04
    99centmilk 10 hr. ago Trying to refuse my leave for my grandmothers funeral ↑ 1.3k Reply Share
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  • 05
    dadbodjrp 10 hr. ago They lied to me about door to door sales and in the training they talked about how they bend the truth with customers. I left before lunch to never come back. 997 Reply Share
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  • 06
    nikunikuniku 9 hr. ago Got hired to do 20hours a week as a student. First week of training was 20hours. Second week's schedule had me on for 39.5. Told the manager I couldn't work over 20 and he told me I was wrong and I was hired to do the job he wanted me to do. Told off him nicely to and walked out. Yay American retail worker life. 885 Reply Share
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  • 07
    Goldeneel77 10 hr. ago I worked at for like two hours once. The lady in charge of me was being such an about every little thing and I could tell by the other employees reactions that it was a daily occurrence. 782 Reply Share
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  • 08
    Limp-Letterhead1687 9 hr. ago There was a total eclipse happening and we were right in the path of it. Wouldn't let us outside for even 5 seconds to see it. Once in 20 years kind of opportunity to see a total eclipse. Was so angry I didn't even give notice or anything. 673 673 Reply Share
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  • 09
    VegansAreRight . 9 hr. ago Sales job. Commision only and had to work every weekend but making $100k per year plus cash splifs. New nation sales manager takes over. No more cashies and restructured the commissions which meant I would drop $40k per year. Me and 2 other top sellers quit on the spot. He got the sack 6 moths later as national sales slumped. 604 Reply Share
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  • 10
    floydie1962 9 hr. ago I was sent for a job. I told them I have back problems and was assured there was no heavy lifting. I went in, was given protective shoes and told to watch a video on heavy lifting. I gave them back the shoes and left. 5 minutes in ↑401 ↓ Reply Share
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  • 11
    Brife orangieblossoms. 10 hr. ago The owners were sooo insecure. Two older women. They'd go through employees like water in a desert. I worked there for three years because I was naive, young, and didn't want to deal with finding another job while doing college. My brother started to work there, and they blamed him for purposely tampering with the weight scale???? They said he stole a screw or something. Like what the actual ..... And in a condescending tone, my boss as she left for the day said
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  • 12
    freshouttalean. 9 hr. ago "The only day I can't work is Saturday" proceeds to consistently schedule me on Saturdays, then expects me to get a replacement. Didn't even let them know I wasn't gonna come in anymore 347 Reply Share ..
    via u/Harley_Mae
  • 13
    panties4you101 - 10 hr. ago When they accused me of stealing but really it was the manager 'testing me' 306 Reply Share
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  • 14
    Ambitious_Pain4115 - 9 hr. ago Boss said I was amazing in my work, complemented me when finishing projects on time, saved the company a bunch of money a few times and even recommended that I should use flexible hours allowance more, acted like a close friend for whole tear... until review time with head office, he then grilled me in front of head office, said I was incompetent, went home early, did not work hard and then he took credit for all the things I achieved and recommended a salary reduc
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  • 15
    manykeets 9 hr. ago It was a temp job. They told me it was data entry. It ended up being dispatching for a trucking company. The office was so busy and the phone never stopped ringing, so my coworker couldn't train me. They expected me to figure it out. I got a trucker stranded because I accidentally told them the wrong thing because nobody would help me or answer my questions. I didn't go back because I was afraid I would strand another trucker. Reply Share 280
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  • 16
    Prixm 8 hr. ago I had my laptop stolen by another employee (left it at work). I was new and she had worked there for 5+ years. They said I was lying. I saw her sneak it back in to work with my own eyes. Quit the same day. 184 Reply Share
    via u/Harley_Mae
  • 17
    Wowufuh 9 hr. ago Being told I was being put on professional probation for not doing tasks I had multiple conversations with both my managers and HR that they were not part of my job description and I would not be held responsible for doing them. They constantly agreed (in writing too) then tried to dock my pay for not doing them. 168 Reply Share
    via u/Harley_Mae
  • 18
    Live-Aspect-9394. 10 hr. ago When they wanted to pay me at new graduate wages instead of by my experience. Just decided they were exploiters. Oddly enough they tried to call me in after I had turned down the job. 141 Reply Share
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  • 19
    hopper22009. 9 hr. ago Blatant animal neglect in a pet store 135 Reply Share
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  • 20
    . Neat_Suit3684 - 9 hr. ago When we were low staffed (aka only me and the owner) and despite interviewing 4 people he wouldn't hire any because they didn't "have a face people would buy from". I asked for more clarification and he said "ya know not traditionally pretty" being I suffered from severe body image insecurity I left that day. Never looked back ↑ 110 ↓ Reply Share
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  • 21
    Queasy-Competition45. 8 hr. ago Hi from UK - the company (retail) was taken over by an American retail giant. They imposed the way of working they had in the United States, thinking it would save money. It didn't 50% of the staff quit me, included
    via u/Harley_Mae
  • 22
    Drogovich 8 hr. ago It was DAY 2 of my time there. When i asked "when are we going to finish preparing the documents of my employment", the man who interviewed and "hired" me said: "ah yeah, you not officially employed yet, but when the director returns from the vacation, i will put in a good word for you and he will hire you and pay you for days you worked". Sure buddy, let me just get my tools from my car...
    via u/Harley_Mae
  • 23
    Inside Out Dead Rat. 8 hr. ago Bob Evans. Application said $18 an hour, 40 hours a week. 4 days into working, the person training me told me that this was their last day and that I'd be taking over as the lead cook. The manager confirmed it after shift and that I was now expected to work 60 hours a week 6 days a week. I also quit. That was not what I agreed to.
    via u/Harley_Mae

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