Employee gives two weeks' notice while traveling for work, employer cancels their flight home: 'I have worked for this company for 3 years...'

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Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Dec 20, 2024 6:00 PM EST

Some employers love to preach loyalty, but as soon as they think that they might be better off without you—or that you haven't made them as much money as you could have—they won't hesitate to send you packing, no matter how long you've worked together and what your contributions have been previously. This isn't true of all employers and all situations, but the bad experiences, stories, and accounts are enough to make anyone wary.

What's certain here is that you should never give notice to an employer whilst traveling, that's just begging for disaster and to be stranded wherever you are with the burden and expense of getting yourself home placed squarely on your shoulders. Sure, depending on the circumstances involved, you might be able to pursue legal action, but it's better not to be placed in a compromising and possibly unsafe situation in the first place. This is tricky, of course, if you're always traveling for work, leaving little opportunity to safely give notice.

This supervisor aimed to leave his current employer on good terms due to unexplained circumstances. Not wanting to burn any bridges and looking to leave the door open to working together in the future, he gave his two-week notice while away on assignment. He was surprised to find that his employer's response was to immediately cancel his return flight home, stranding him where he was stationed for work.

Frustrated, he turned to this online community to share his experience, garnering ample advice and reactions from readers.

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  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10444988416
    via Angela Compagnone

    The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.

  • 02
    After giving my two weeks, my company has decided it will not pay for my flight home. I work as a traveling supervisor for a cable/construction contractor. The company I work for is a large corporation in the industry and has more than enough money to be able to afford paying for travel and lodging for supervisors when in the field. However they have now decided that, despite being a good little employee and giving my two weeks notice, that they shouldn't have to fly me back home from my current
    via Roach-kun
  • 03
    I have worked for this company for 3 years, came up from the bottom as a technician to supervisor for a smaller company that gave a sh about it's employees only for it to be bought out by a corporation. One that laid off half the company and gave a middle finger to the rest of us. I thought giving my two weeks would make a nice bridge in case they ever changed policies, ever became better but after this I hope the company goes belly up.
    via Roach-kun
  • 04
    EDIT: For the people commenting "don't quit while away from home" I'm on the road nearly %100 I almost never go home, once every 4 months I would get sent home for a short stay of remote work from home. It's never consistent nor is it guaranteed, I would be waiting for an extended period to put my two weeks in and while I don't trust nor like companies, I didn't assume they would f me like this. So forgive my ignorance I guess. They also do not pay for travel home for vacation so before someone
    via Roach-kun
  • 05
    carvin_it This the kind of scenario that led to actors forming unions. Road shows (musicals mostly) would tour the country and half way through the run the company would end the season. Abandoning actors and musicians in some remote town, several states away from where they were hired.
    via Roach-kun
  • 06
    Naps_and_cheese They've decided since you gave two weeks notice that they're not paying for your return voyage? You didn't quit immediately, you gave two weeks notice. You're still an employee for two more weeks. Call an employment lawyer and hr. Tell hr you're gonna sue the f out of them if they don't bring you home. This is like | off from an oil patch in the field and told to walk the 200 miles home.
    via Roach-kun
  • 07
    Nicolehall202 I hope you just got on the next thing smoking and left. I also hope it was in the middle of the assignment. Not sure if there is a lawsuit there but you may want to talk to an employment lawyer.
    via Roach-kun
  • 08
    Capable_Stranger9... Tell the client that they may be being billed for travel you're not getting
    via Roach-kun
  • 09
    WelshWicked Witch Check whether they legally can do this, if not start taking legal action, and insist they return you home immediately. Check with your lawyer how to force their hand and then do not work the remainder if your notice. If they can, I wouldn't work out my notice and leave now.
    via Roach-kun
  • 10
    nobody-important-1 Make it clear to remaining. employees, maybe they can dodge bullet too
    via Roach-kun
  • 11
    Dr_-G I was with a guy in Mexico on a service call for the company we worked for. His ticket home got canceled first, and then he got the call. They fired him on the service trip. He has to get his own ticket home. F companies that do this. I forgot to add, I'm not sure if he actually made it home. I never saw him again after leaving Martinez de la Torre.
    via Roach-kun
  • 12
    Nevermind04 It is very rare that a notice period is appropriate and this is absolutely not one of those situations. When you pay for your way home, keep receipts for every flight, meal, accommodation, car rental, etc. and pursue them in small claims court. Extravagances will not work in your favor here - choose middle-of-the-road restaurants, hotels, and flights. It'll likely cost them more to have a lawyer defend the case than what you claim so they'll just settle.
    via Roach-kun
  • 13
    scooter_orourke I guess all the company property stays where you are currently working.
    via Roach-kun
  • 14
    Remarkable-Foot96... Never give notice until you're back home. When your two weeks ends, you're no longer an employee. Companies don't purchase plane tickets for former employees in the general public. I worked as a travel nurse, I never quit until back home. They charged a fellow nurse for the remainder of her contract condo cost with utilities. She had to purchase her own plane ticket from her assignment in Hawaii. It cost her over $5,000, to not wait three weeks until back home.
    via Roach-kun

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workplace discussion employment issues antiwork workplace-stories jobs employee employment-discussion job work employees overworked-employees workplace Horrible Bosses employment in the workplace
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