'60 people quit': 15 Employees who happily quit their jobs and never looked back

Author image for Remy Millisky
Remy Millisky • Writer and Editor
Aug 23, 2025 1:00 PM EDT

Think that you'll be at the same job forever? Think again. You can —and should — move from job to job throughout your career. If your current job isn't making you happy, paying you well, giving you benefits and a 401 (k), and allowing you to put your talents to good use, consider looking elsewhere. 

Some of these employees couldn't even be bothered to give their 2 weeks' notice: they just quit on the spot and let the chips fall where they may. One of the great feelings of schadenfreude in life is when you leave a job and then hear through the grapevine that the place is falling apart in your absence. At some places, you really do work so hard that when you're gone, management is scrambling, and the other workers are having to put in twice as much effort. 

A common theme in many of these tales are the bad bosses who ruin the workspace for their employees. It's like that saying goes: people don't quit bad companies, they quit bad bosses. No matter how much you like your work, if your boss is unbearable, you'll probably start searching for employment somewhere else. 

Up next, have a laugh at the crazy things that people actually donated to thrift stores, and somehow wound up on the sales floor, like one shopper who discovered, "My local thrift store is trying to sell old tomato sauce jars for $2." 

Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    Cheezburger Image 10544512512
    via Elena Helade For Unsplash+

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

  • 02
    Mongoose211 When I was a kid I worked at a yard and garden/craft store as a carry out. During the summer it was all about loading up customers cars with sod, river stones, soil, plants and paving stones. In the winter it was Christmas trees. First year was great my boss was amazing and the staff all generally got a long.
    via u/Mongoose211
  • 03
    Second year he transferred out and his replacement was horrible. Sales started to dip, she joked about laying people off. Freezing because you've been loading Christmas trees outside for 4 hours in -30C? Tough sh. Sick? To bad you came in you're staying. Want some water because you're loading cars in 30 degree heat? Nope!
    via u/Mongoose211
  • 04
    Cheezburger Image 10544513536
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

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

  • 05
    Just a generally mean person. It got to the point where I was the only full time daytime carryout left. Then one day I finish a shift feeling like I'd been kicked in the nuts. The pain just gets worse and doesn't stop. So I go and see my doctor. Turns out I'd torn my groin muscle. He gives me a week off and gives me a scrip for 2 weeks of light duties when I get back.
    via u/Mongoose211
  • 06
    Go in give my boss the scrip she screams at me for causing her extra work and tells me to get out of her sight. Get back after the week and schools out so we have tonnes of staff. I figure I'll be doing light duties, nope. Back to the loading area lifting paving stones. Didn't bother punching out and as the loading area for customers is right up front, I just walk out and keep going.
    via u/Mongoose211
  • 07
    The company as a whole. went bankrupt a few years later. Actually ended up working with someone who happened to be a manager at another location and knew the situation at my old store. Turns out my former boss was fired after almost 60 people quit between June and October of that year.
    via u/Mongoose211
  • 08
    [deleted] in 2011 or so when companies taking advantage of the desperation of the unemployed was in full swing (the recession was on pretty hard at that time) I found myself working for a temp agency that supplied day laborers. We had to come in every day as early as possible (they opened at 5) and get your name on The List. If they got a call in
    via u/[deleted]
  • 09
    from someone who needed temp workers, they called out names on the list. if you were there, you got the job for the day. they'd only call you out ONCE though. Say you were outside having a cig, or going to the bathroom- tough sh. Furthermore, inside this place were chairs bolted to the ground facing a TV playing a safety training video on loop all
    via u/[deleted]
  • 10
    day. So, one day, I actually managed to land a job! Yay! Other side of the city, I had to drive myself. Okay fine. I get there. We spooled power cables onto giant pallets for 8 hours. End of the day. They'll send us a check.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 11
    A week later, I get it. It was minimum wage, and then the company took their fee out afterwards.* So, you ended up getting paid, essentially, two dollars below miniumum wage. That's when I said "f this, I'm out."
    via u/[deleted]
  • 12
    About two years later, I got something in the mail about a class action lawsuit against them. I can't remember what it detailed exactly, but of course I signed in on it, because f them. Six years later, (like literally a few months ago) I finally got the payout. $8. The end.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 13
    MOOsen90 In highschool I was a nanny for this family during the day. Then the mom would drop me off at Cold Stone - my first "real job". The assistant manager who was always there was a completely horrid person. Looking back she had to have been under 24 at the time. She was ride, went in back smoked pot on job, invited guys to come and
    via u/mOOsen90
  • 14
    hang with her and they were always kinda sketchy. She had it out for me bc I was the "first time employee who was trying to do a great job!". I remember dreading going to work and getting that pit in my stomach because i was so terrified of her. She would always threaten to cut my hours or just do things to screw me over.
    via u/mOOsen90
  • 15
    One day, the mom was late to get me and drop me off at work. She came in with me bc she knew i was scared of this girl and would get yelled at. She went up and apologized for me, said it was completely her fault, I nanny her kids, she got stuck in traffic, it wont happen again, but please dont take it out on me. This girl loses her mind!! she calls the mom a b to her face told her to off and
    via u/mOOsen90
  • 16
    went on some rant that i dont remember because i was in utter shock lol The mom looked at me and said "you done here? I think you're done here." Turns to this crazy girl and goes "you are the rudest person ive ever met. I'm sorry for how insecure you must be to act like this. She quits!" She
    via u/mOOsen90
  • 17
    grabbed my arm and we stormed out! I was SHOCKED and horrified... at the time I thought she had ruined my career lol by quitting my first job for me. Looking back i think its hysterical and wish I had a recording of it.
    via u/mOOsen90
  • 18
    Deathowler I was checking my trail camera for my masters thesis. Where I had them there was nothing too big just coyotes and bobcats. There was always rumors of a mountain lion but not much credit to them. Well I was walking to one of my trail cameras that was placed under a big oak. As I walk, I hear the branches snap and a de d deer falls
    via u/Deathowler
  • 19
    from the tree and hits the ground. I decided to stop my fieldwork and head on home. My other story was again me checking cameras but this time around I knew mountain lions were around (if only they ever show up on camera it would be great). I was checking one of them as it was getting dark when I heard a
    via u/Deathowler
  • 20
    lion call from my left, followed by a lion responding on my right. I was on a ravine so it's hard to judge distance and it didn't sound very close but I decided to promptly nope out of there
    via u/Deathowler
  • 21
    Fiascoe I was 15 working at a gas station. I wasn't scheduled to work that day and my sister was in town. I hadn't seen her for about a year. Boss called and said someone called in sick and he needs me to come in to work. In the past I had been very accommodating as it
    via u/Fiascoe
  • 22
    was about a block from my house and easy for me to get there fast. This time I told him I couldn't come in that day because of my sister being in from out of town. I'll always remember this. He says "what's more important? Your sister or your job." F this, I'm out.
    via u/Fiascoe
  • 23
    adec5 I once took a job as a grain hauling trucker. Unfortunately I picked the worst time of year to do it, which was December when everyone is trying to get their harvest in to the terminal before year end. This December was also a cold one (I live in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and it was -30C to -40C for most of the 3 weeks this job lasted).
    via u/adec5
  • 24
    The Peterbilt they had me in could throw little enough heat that I could feel my feet or see through the windshield, but not both. My last run went as follows: Dispatch gave me directions that took me an extra 3 hours to get where I was going. In addition to it being a much longer route, they sent me down a de d end road with a super B trailer (2 medium-to-long trailers
    via u/adec5
  • 25
    instead of one long one) and I had to drive into a snow filled field to turn around because my other option was to back 2 connected trailers up 8km. I've never sworn so much in my life as I barely managed to not be stuck in a field in the middle of nowhere. When I finally did get to the terminal to unload it was so late that I was the next semi in line when they closed. I
    via u/adec5
  • 26
    was actively fighting sleep due to being cold all day and pulling a crazy long drive. and being more than a bit angry. I had to drop trailer and come back the next day. All told I put in over 14 hours for what should have been a 8 hour haul. We got paid by the loaded km, not by hour or total km, so I got paid for 4 hours. I realized that right when the terminal closed.
    via u/adec5
  • 27
    That was the point at which I actually voiced "F this, I'm out!" despite having nobody to hear me. Just an affirmation to myself. The next morning I told them I wasn't returning to work and that I have no problem putting in 14hrs but not if I'm getting paid for 4, and not in a vehicle that won't throw heat to the cab when it's -40 outside.
    via u/adec5
  • 28
    I've since become an RN, I'm much happier. Especially since I get paid for the hours I put in. TLDR; Got paid for 4 hrs. when I put in 14, while freezing cold, mostly due to getting directions. Moved on with my life after saying "F this, I'm out!"
    via u/adec5
  • 29
    [deleted] Worked as a bartender/waiter in a busy city centre pub. We had been getting slammed all morning, shortstaffed probably. It was h I. Just as we had caught up I took 20 seconds to grab a drink and chat to one of my favourite. regulars. Just then, my new
    via u/[deleted]
  • 30
    area manager walked in, spotted me, and berated me for standing around doing nothing. I tried to explain how busy it had been, but he didn't care. I got my first disciplinary in 4 years off the back of it. I was p ed, and handed my notice in the next day.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 31
    Cheezburger Image 10544514816
    via Ben Iwara For Unsplash+

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

  • 32
    Piano9717 Cutco. A friend and I went to go interview for a summer "job" that some random guy invited us to on our college campus. Five minutes in we realized something about this interview was off (who does group interviews anyways)? But we were too
    via u/Piano9717
  • 33
    nonconfrontational to do anything about it. Ten minutes after that, after the "we're not a pyramid scheme, we're just, uh...vertical marketing!" spiel, someone got up and left, and we followed. F MLMs.
    via u/Piano9717
  • 34
    badtzbun Had been telling my boss that there was an error on the website that I cannot fix because I don't have the permissions. I mention this several times to him. It would take him one phone call to get it straightened out, btw. The owner notices this error. Not only calls me out in front of the whole department about not caring
    via u/Piano9717
  • 35
    about my job and taking advantage of his kindness, but also makes it a point to tell me I should thank my boss for having my back. It was the last straw placed on a huge pile of awfulness. I quit the next day.
    via u/Piano9717
  • 36
    vicaphit I got denied a 2 or 3 percent merit increase (cost of living/inflation increase) at my company despite them being a leader in the market and making money hand over fist. I was in a meeting with my boss's boss and he got an email about the merit increase for one of my peers. He was already making about 75% more money than I was, and got
    via u/vicaphit
  • 37
    an increase. I immediately changed my status on linkedin and started getting bombarded with opportunities. I start a new job on Jan 2nd.
    via u/vicaphit
  • 38
    Atlusfox This happened several years ago. I was employed as a guard while I and my wife moved into our current city. The issue was the manager was wayyyyyy to intense. During the two months she started attempting to manage my life for the sake of the job, she told me I should quit school because of its a distraction, and that my wife (who worked 2 AM
    via u/Atlusfox
  • 39
    to 10 AM) should quit her job so she had an easier time getting me to work on time. Note I was always 10 minutes early she wanted me one half an hour early. During all this, I was never fully trained because she never trusted anyone and to top it off she allowed one of our senior co-workers buy me during my 12-hour shifts. Never got a reason why though.
    via u/Atlusfox
  • 40
    One night I just couldn't stand it and I broke down. I came up to the upper office and let it out. No one was around mind you, it was on third shift. I decided at that moment that it wasn't worth it, no job was worth that. So I said f this I'm out. I went down to the security desk, tossed my key's, badge and other things on the desk and walked. 10 minutes later she even called me to b me out
    via u/Atlusfox
  • 41
    over it like she still had authority over me. I told her straight that she wasn't to call me at home for any reason. Fun thing is that months later I got hired for IT in that company, the guy who bu ied me and her weren't happy but they had no power to do anything. It was great.
    via u/Atlusfox
  • 42
    NewClayburn I was poached by a company which seemed like a leader in the field. It was a good opportunity and they brought me on to build out a specific offering at their agency. Even at my old agency we had done some competitor research that basically said these guys were the best of the best. So when I got the offer, it was a no-brainer.
    via u/NewClayburn
  • 43
    But then I get there and it turns out the department I'm in is complete garbage. The rest of the company seemed pretty good, doing interesting stuff. But leadership didn't care about our department much and the people leading it weren't really invested, and so it was basically a bunch of junior employees just doing whatever they thought was right. I didn't really have a direct way of influencing
    via u/NewClayburn
  • 44
    that since I was like a support piece to the main department. I'd work on their projects, for a particular purpose, but didn't have any authority over their projects as a whole. Still, I figured once I was there a while, I could push for some changes and try taking on more of a leadership role. Anyway, I'm there almost a year and I get invited to
    via u/NewClayburn
  • 45
    speak at an industry conference. I had spoken at some conferences before, and so that's not unusual. The speaking engagements were on my resume when I applied, and I had assumed they were seen as positives by the company when hiring. me. However, they tell me I'm not allowed to go. They have a policy that speaking engagements are reserved for "VPs and above". So, I ask them about making an
    via u/NewClayburn
  • 46
    exception, that it's a good opportunity for the agency to be represented at the conference. They won't budge. I say I can pay my own way. They still don't budge. I say I can just go as myself then, and I won't mention the agency. (I have my own small company where I do similar work basically as a freelancer with a small team of people, so I could have been "Clayburn from Clayburn, LLC"
    via u/NewClayburn
  • 47
    instead.) But they say it doesn't matter, that I'd still be seen as a representative of the company and they can't approve it. The conference was in Las Vegas and I had never been. So, I wanted to go and decided I'd just go anyway. They're like, "Well, we said you can't." And I said, "Yeah, but I'm going." "We'd have to let you go then." "Okay." So, I guess I was fired. I
    via u/NewClayburn
  • 48
    went to Las Vegas and made a little vacation of it, and it was one of my favorite presentations I've done. It was about the psychology techniques behind social media networks. And Vegas was a nice place to visit. I got to see Penn & Teller, and I lost about $300 gambling.
    via u/NewClayburn
  • 49
    remember-who-yo... I worked at a dog daycare for 8 years, which was also my first job ever, and poured every bit of my heart and soul into working there (well not in the beginning because I was young and wild lol but for the last 5 or so years I got a much better work ethic and took it seriously). I started at $6.75 and worked my way up to $10 after many years. The
    via u/remember-who-you-are
  • 50
    work was exhausting and emotionally draining, the way the managers ran things there would often be dog fights or they would put a huge group of young dogs. together and the person watching that yard would be so stressed the whole time trying to keep track of 15 crazies. I had been there the longest and the dogs listened to me pretty well so I would often get put in the most stressful yards. I
    via u/remember-who-you-are
  • 51
    noticed a trend when I was allowed to make the play groups, it was always peaceful, because I knew how to group dogs based on age, temperament, play style, etc... but when anyone else did it one or more yards would always be complete chaos. The manager never listened to my suggestions. for grouping dogs even tho I was out there with them for 6+ hours a day and she was
    via u/remember-who-you-are
  • 52
    out there for maybe an hour a day. That among other things- I would often come in hours early and stay late to help out with cleaning and other things. Working conditions were rough- we were forced to stay outside in freezing temps and rain and blazing sun despite there being indoor play areas to use (it was a hassle to get dogs in and out so managers dragged their feet
    via u/remember-who-you-are
  • 53
    on letting them play inside). Some days there felt like literal h I. Management treated me and my coworkers poorly but I loved the dogs so I stuck with it. It wasn't a coincidence that I developed a more severe depress on than ever before in my last few years there. All of this incessant rambling just to get to my breaking point... which looking back
    via u/remember-who-you-are
  • 54
    was pretty stupid but I was so fed up with how tough that job was and how little recognition I received (or good pay for that matter) that I couldn't take it anymore. I had to call out due to being sick and when I came back the next day my coworker gave me sh for leaving them hanging like that, which really p ed me off because she was one of the most unreliable
    via u/remember-who-you-are
  • 55
    people on our team. The manager was on her side. There were so many days where I had to struggle due to understaffing or callouts, and countless times where I came in on days off to fill in for someone... the fact that they couldn't treat me with a shred of decency after being out for one day was infuriating.
    via u/remember-who-you-are
  • 56
    So I literally said "f I'm out. Bye." Turned you, around, clocked out, and left that place never to return. Never regret my decision despite how sad it was to leave all of my dog pals behind (I'm sure they forgot about me soon enough).
    via u/remember-who-you-are
  • 57
    [deleted] Not me but a coworker. I worked at baskin Robbins and we had an awful manager/owner who treated us like complete sh. One day, a woman came into our store and ordered a one scoop sundae (cost $5.99 at the time). Only after we had made her the sundae and rang her up did she present us with a coupon for 1 dollar off any sundae but it had
    via u/[deleted]
  • 58
    expired in 1991 (this took place in 2015 or 2016). When my coworker apologized and said we couldn't take the coupon she flipped out and started cursing at us claiming that it was illegal for us to not take her coupon because coupons never legally expire. We ask her to calm down as there are kids in the store and she demands we call our owner...so we do.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 59
    And being the absolute that he is, he tells us that we're costing him business. by upsetting a customer and that he's going to take the price of the sundae off my coworker's paycheck and that he's going to get an official write-up for being rade to a customer. After hearing this, my coworker left the phone hanging from the wall, took off his apron and calmly flipped the lady
    via u/[deleted]
  • 60
    off as he walked out of the store. I had to work a busy summer night alone and ended up staying 2 hours late to close everything and clean the store. The whole night I wished I had the courage to do something like that. I've never seen or heard from him again but he will forever be a legend in my mind.
    via u/[deleted]
  • 61

    Last but not least, this person simply didn't take the job they were offered: no need to quit a job you never begin!

    blind_vice Few years back I had a job interview agreed on for a specific time but when I showed up it became clear that the company had scheduled multiple interviews with multiple applicants at the same exact time. That wouldn't have been a problem itself but there was only two interviewers who both spoke to people one at a time so
    via u/blind_vice
  • 62
    by my estimate I could have been forced to wait over an hour for my interview (there was no specific queue) even though I had agreed on a specific time with the recruiter. So I left pretty much instantly because if the company doesn't care that they're wasting the applicants time like this then I was afraid what kind of employer they would turn out to be.
    via u/blind_vice

Want More? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google.

Tags

boss workplace-stories jobs job bosses work i quit quit satisfying quitting story quitting work workplace quitting story quitting
Scroll Down For The Next Article