'I had a new job lined up before the end of the day': 20+ Victorious workers who quit their jobs and said goodbye to their toxic bosses

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Apr 29, 2025 11:00 AM EDT

Once you have that fresh new job lined up, you can't wait to kiss your old job goodbye. You have a spring in your step as you start that countdown: just 2 weeks until you start fresh, with a new boss, new colleagues, a new building, and even a different commute. You can spend those last 2 weeks telling everyone you're leaving and saying your goodbyes, which just builds even more excitement for your new gig. Your coworkers may be stuck in the same old grind, but you're headed on to greener pastures. 

Below, some fed-up workers shared the final straws that made them decide to leave. You can read all these stories below, and who knows, maybe it'll inspire you to tell your bad boss to find a new hire. 

Next, read about the 17-year-old bakery worker who surprised customers with revenge on the boss: "It makes me laugh now." 

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  • 01

    "What was your... 'I quit' moment?"

    ce... I worked at a pretty major electronics company as an engineer. I put in for 2 weeks of vacation for the birth of my child. My boss didn't approve my vacation saying "I only give 1 week vacation for anyone ever". I lost my cool a bit but had no choice because I had to have insurance and I was set to receive a bonus in 2 months.
    via u/cerberus3234
  • 02
    In that moment, I knew I was done with that place. Fast forward 2 months, and -3 manufacturing engineers that had already quit. No body received their bonus on the date which it was supposed to be issued. People were p ed!!!! It became a huge deal and everyone was aware that they were avoiding the mass exodus that was going to occur as soon as the bonus
    via u/cerberus3234
  • 03
    hit. 1.5 months later, the check clears. I was one of 7 engineers that quit the day the bonus hit the bank. We all went to lunch lol. Edit: thanks for all the upvotes. I will say there was a silver lining. My baby was born over the Christmas
    via u/cerberus3234
  • 04
    break. I took my week of vacation but got almost 2 weeks off. It was awesome to be there, and I enjoy seeing my baby every day.
    via u/cerberus3234
  • 05

    It's not easy to stand up to your boss, but this person did exactly the right thing

    p I was in high school and worked at a ghetto a indoor amusement park thing and we were forced to clock out before we did our closing duties and then when we were finished hours after we had to wait for the owner to critique our closing duties and tell us if we needed to re-do something or we were allowed to leave. It was past
    via u/p***f***
  • 06
    midnight at this point and after going over my closing duties the owner told me to scrub the floors on my hands and knees with a brush. I said f you and left. Few weeks later both owners were arrested for embezzlement and the place was resold I guess.
    via u/p***f***
  • 07
    'They raised my wage 15 cents. I quit on the spot'
    via Breakslow on Unsplash+

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

  • 08

    No job should ever make you work 16-hour days for 14 days in a row! That's just asking for trouble

    [deleted] I worked in a bakery for a while. They scheduled me for 3a.m. to 7 p.m. for 14 days in a row. 9th day in I fell asleep at the counter and got yelled at. Walked out, but I was so tired I couldn't walk home. Roommate picked me up, I fell asleep in the car on the way home and stayed asleep for 9 hours. Roommate checked on me, brought me a pillow
    via u/[deleted]
  • 09
    and blanket. When I woke up and came inside after the 9 hours I realized I had lost 3 days in sleep deprived stupor. While I was asleep in the car my boss and store owner had decided that trying to break into my apartment and harass my roommate was the right thing to do.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 10
    juliefryy I worked weekends on a dementia unit at an assisted living in grad school. My job was doing activities on the floor. There were two people who did bathrooms, changing, lunch, etc. They were always on their phones. I'd get asked by visitors to take residents to the bathroom (which I was not trained for). One day one of the residents fell and
    via u/juliefryy
  • 11
    it was chaos. I was so tired of being the only one actually doing anything that I finished my shift and left a voicemail quitting. When I said goodbye to the residents that evening, one looked and me and said "you aren't coming back, are you?" Gut wrenching. It was the most exhausting work I ever did because there was no off moment.
    via u/juliefryy
  • 12
    boryenkavladislav This was 16 year ago, I was pretty early in my career. I work in IT, and at the time | worked for an MSP, which for the unaware, is an IT consulting company for other small businesses. This involved significant travel in my own car at my own expense, routinely travelling 80+ miles per day. I'd have to fill up my car twice a week normally. My boss had
    via u/boryenkavladislav
  • 13
    a history of not paying for 2 months at a time, and would always come up with a lame excuse why. After a year of working for him, I got so bad off for money that I couldn't afford to pay my rent, elec bill, cell phone, or even gas for my car. This had nothing to do with my overspending, I was owed about $6,000 back pay at this point. I had enough gas in my car to
    via u/boryenkavladislav
  • 14
    drive about 20 miles, and my workplace was about 15 miles away. I called my boss and told him I must be paid today, because I do not have enough money for gas to visit any of our clients. He said he'd give me gas money for the day. I told him this isn't acceptable, what about my electric bill, rent, cell phone bill which I'm required to have to do my job. He said he couldn't pay me that.
    via u/boryenkavladislav
  • 15
    So I told him fine, I quit effective immediately, and good luck figuring out how to support the 3/4ths of the total client base that I exclusively supported for you. He then told me that I could come in and pick up my final check immediately. What an . So I drove my car on a one way trip to the office, actually picked up my final check, cashed it, and was able to buy gas so I could actually
    via u/boryenkavladislav
  • 16
    make it back home. This guy charged clients $150/hr for my work, and paid me $12/hr. He absolutely could afford to pay me, he just didn't want to. I even did work for one of his personal friends who was a client of his, because this a hole charged his friend $75/hr for me to do the work. I only charged $25/hr and we were both happier for it. Even his friend
    via u/boryenkavladislav
  • 17
    knew he sucked. I had a new job lined up before the end of that same day, and it paid $3/hr more too.
    via u/boryenkavladislav
  • 18
    batsbookstea I'd been super stressed in my old PR job and it ended in burnout. My boss was a nice guy, but way too relaxed for the job so in the end most of the work landed on my desk. Eventually I had a breakdown, started therapy and after a few months I returned to work. We talked a lot, wanted to chance things, even my coworkers came forward
    via u/batsbookstea
  • 19
    and said they had problems. with the workload as well. I thought my boss finally got it. A few days later he randomly asked when I will be my old self again and said he didn't really understand why I (and my coworkers) had been so stressed in the first place.
    via u/batsbookstea
  • 20
    The next day I handed him my letter of resignation. It was the best feeling (and decision) ever.
    via u/batsbookstea
  • 21
    TehGuard When the 3 volunteer weekends i worked turned into work EVERY weekend after being told it is strictly volunteer. I quit on the spot
    via u/TehGuard
  • 22
    [deleted] I worked at a drycleaner that had the Auto bagging machine ever. Everyday the thing jammed up and was offline for at least two hours and everyone had to manually bag clothes while maintenance was called in to fix it.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 23
    At some point i tinkered with the machine and figured out that if the sensor was moved like half an inch up it more accurately sensed when clothes had made it into the machine and didn't jam. The thing literally didn't jam for about a month. My boss was over the moon when I told her what I'd discovered.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 24
    However, a month later it did end up jamming in the exact same way it always had except this time I was called into my boss's office where the GM was waiting to yell at me, write me up, and put me on probation. Mind you, the thing was offline for the exact same reason it had been everyday and for as long since before I made the adjustment to the sensor so this punishment was just
    via u/[deleted]
  • 25
    objectively asinine. I put in my two weeks the next day and learned a valuable lesson about putting yourself out there for the benefit of the company: don't do it ever...
    via u/[deleted]
  • 26
    Longjumping_Sle... I worked at a large construction firm as a Projectmanager and at one point I made some decisions that influenced our profits. by a couple percent My then manager decided he thought it would be fun if he claimed he made those decisions, and started telling higher managers what "he" had done
    via u/Longjumping_Sleep_12
  • 27
    When I heard, I confronted him but he tried to evade the conversation Later on, somebody quit his job so there was only me as Projectmanager in this certain branch.. he asked if I could take over some extra projects and stuff I didn't refuse, but had to think about it
    via u/Longjumping_Sleep_12
  • 28
    He then told our managers that I would be taking all projects I emailed him and all managers that I quit and gave a short explanation as of why... F you Dirk
    via u/Longjumping_Sleep_12
  • 29
    Auditory_Whiplash When I worked in the car industry and our bonuses were tied to the stores customer reviews. Doesn't matter how hard you worked it only took one person with bad credit who couldn't get approved to leave a bad survey/review and there goes your money
    via u/Auditory_Whiplash
  • 30
    !」
    via Sara Kurfeß on Unsplash+

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

  • 31
    stolethemorning I was 16 or 17, working at a local cafe that I'd worked at for a couple years. I was a waitress, till worker, barista, dish washer... as it was a local cafe and shop mixed together, I did everything (except cook, shout-out to the chef though he was the best part of it). However, being under 18 and UK minimum wage laws being what they were, I worked for
    via u/stolethemorning
  • 32
    £4.35 an hour which was literally half of what my coworkers got paid for doing the exact same job. Sometimes I trained people who got paid more than me! Keep in mind, there are no tips in the UK. Eventually I bought this up to my manager, saying hey I've worked here two years and even though I was young when I started I now
    via u/stolethemorning
  • 33
    have enough experience that I work at the same level (or higher, as some others weren't coffee trained) as those getting paid £9. She hummed and hawed and said she'd have to bring it up to the board because it was a community cafe and a bunch of people owned shares. A month later she got back to me and said good news, I was approved a raise! To £4.50 an hour.
    via u/stolethemorning
  • 34
    They raised my wage 15p. I quit on the spot.
    via u/stolethemorning
  • 35
    wordofmouthrevi... Gave a director an award for a project I designed and deployed. She was privately gracious but then added it to her LinkedIn. Company blog, news release, etc. no mention of the developers or team that worked for 6 months on the project. My VP/boss brought it up and said essentially the best way for you to be promoted to director is to "get wins" like
    via u/wordofmouthrevisited
  • 36
    her. Corporate politics would be funny if they didn't screw people out of large amounts of money.
    via u/wordofmouthrevisited
  • 37
    Copper14 The job I was working at gave 2 paid days off per year, and 5 sick days. We were not allowed to take unpaid days off. (They had previously found that another employee took 30 unpaid days off and said no one else was allowed to do that anymore.) I was 2 years into this job when I won a free vacation to another country. I only needed 4
    via u/Copper14
  • 38
    days off work, since the one day was a stat holiday, but they declined it. I tried everything but they didn't budge. Other co-workers wrote letters and tried to help me out, still no. So I quit and had the best free vacation of my life
    via u/Copper14
  • 39
    BMWxxx6 I worked at JC Penny's Portrait Studio (lol) as a teen. This chick started working there. It was Christmas time, super busy and every hour and a half, we were suppose to switch out between being photographer and cashier. I think maybe 3 hours passed and I was over taking pictures and asked if
    via u/BMWxxx6
  • 40
    we could switch. She refused, acted like she was somehow superior - even though she was new - so I strategized with the other photographers (there were 3. of us) and we all walked out and left the girl at the cash register by herself with about 12 families all dressed up in their Christmas best Sorry folks
    via u/BMWxxx6
  • 41
    kaljupaa I was a higher level manager, always unofficially on call. One day I was going to leave on a trip with my family and I went to the grocery store to grab a few things. My phone started to go off and I spent the next 1.5 hours pinned down in an aisle Fielding repeated phone calls and texts over something that upper management decided was an emergency right that
    via u/kaljupaa
  • 42
    minute. O decided I'd had enough of living like that for almost six years. I didn't quit right away, but quietly went about finding a new position. A few months later the same Chief Officer of whatever called me in to chew me up about something else. I listened to his rant and then calmly told him not to worry as I had accepted a new position elsewhere and it was probably time to go. My
    via u/kaljupaa
  • 43
    qualifications take over a decad to get.. Watching the color drain out of his face was fantastic. He literally sat there pale with his mouth wide open for a long time. I will treasure that memory forever.
    via u/kaljupaa
  • 44
    Hardn 0 Was making $15 hr and new hires are starting at $16 and somehow they wouldn't pay me $16 even tho I was with them for 3 years.
    via u/Hardn******0
  • 45
    I then asked if I could apply for a different position in a different department and potentially getting paid more. I was just told they would ask the other manager but I never heard back I quit Wednesday
    via u/Hardn******0
  • 46
    InevitabilityEngine I had been working at a place three years. First year they told me they don't do raises the first year. Second year they said no one was getting raises due to upper management vetoes on wages because of company earnings not being where they should. Kept getting told I was their best employee. Highest marks.
    via u/InevitabilityEngine
  • 47
    That my boss was fighting for me. Year three, my boss is excited. Tells me I am definitely getting a raise this time. He said there was no way upper management could ignore me exceeding expectations for a third year. Tells me how he said he was not going to take no for an answer. He goes over my review. He talks about how much I helped revolutionize
    via u/InevitabilityEngine
  • 48
    how they approached efficiency and key processes. I am hyped. My boss is hyped. He tells me my previous wage. Then he tells me my raise. 5 cents... He is still grinning expectantly like I won the lottery.
    via u/InevitabilityEngine
  • 49
    My mood is destroyed. I can't help myself. I say "That's it?" He is offended. Tells me I need to correct my attitude and a raise is a raise. Sarcasm overdrive engaged. I say "Wow you are totally right. I should celebrate and buy a pack of gum."
    via u/InevitabilityEngine
  • 50
    He fumes and walks out. Sends another employee to tell me I should go home. Later he leave a VM on my phone to tell me if I want to continue working there he wants a written apology to him and every employee, signed by the whole staff, because I ruined the moral of the team. I got a new job making twice my previous wage after that.
    via u/InevitabilityEngine
  • 51
    [deleted] when the boss's son graduated high school and went to work with us. having never worked and knowing nothing. he wanted. to play bossman.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 52
    pulp1dog 1984, pizza delivery in a new city I moved to for school. I couldn't find anything, so I quit, paid for the pizza I had to delivery, went home and ate it. Was Springfield, MO, some streets went from paved to dirt, with no street lights and many with no street signs.
    via u/pulp1dog
  • 53
    Cheezburger Image 10499490560
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 54
    Sarge1066 I worked in a pub kitchen about 5 years ago, we got a new manager in and i ended up doing 12-14 hour shifts with no break (illegal). Then new mnager decided to promote all the staff who did fall to shift supervisors, leaving me and one other person to do all the work. Well one day i come in just before the pub restaurant is about to open
    via u/Sarge1066
  • 55
    and nothing has been done no prep no set up nothing, even though the "shift supervisors "had already been there for 3 hours, so they just sat on their arses gettng paid. So yeah i get in no food to serve the customers. I just said f went to find the kitchen manager... he's on a break, i
    via u/Sarge1066
  • 56
    guess sitting down doing f all is tiring. I just my down wrote out a l QUIT on napkin waited for him to get back and shoved it at him, i found out he and most of the "supervisors" quit a few months after i did, prolly cos they had to do some actual work
    via u/Sarge1066
  • 57
    effigyoma After my company merged I learned my counterpart made twice what I did with less experience, lower degree, and in a lower cost of living area. Nothing at all against him; but I asked to get my pay increased, didn't get it. So I left.
    via u/effigyoma
  • 58
    railwayed My boss sold the company we helped build and kept on throwing carrots in our face. I was third employee and when he sold it for millions I received the equivalent of less than a percentage despite supposed shares of 5%. 4 senior staff received our pittance and then said "f this" and quit and started our own company
    via u/railwayed

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