10 new hires share what made them quit on their first day on the job: 'The microwave [in the break room] was coin-operated'

An employee quit their job after going into the break room on their first day and discovering that the microwave was coin-operated. 

Starting a new job is a bit like waking up with amnesia. Completely lost and disoriented, with really no idea how you got there or what you're doing, or where you're even going to go next. In this way, you could say that every new hire is a bit like Jason Bourne, except without the lightning-fast reflexes and a government department that is completely determined to keep them from finding out what lies in their dark and clouded past.

And there really is so much uncertainty when you set out to work in a new role. You have no idea who your boss will be. The working conditions are somewhat vague and unknown. Sure, you've met them during the interview, but you understand that this brief period of time was all theatrics and had more in common than what you'd see on stage down on Broadway than what you're like to experience in the office on your first day. You could wind up in a dream job with the best boss in the world, or you could end up with one who sees themself as some 80s hard-nosed business magnate who needs to keep their staff under thumb at all times. 

Each of us, in any relationship, has our threshold for what we are willing (or able) to tolerate from the other party, and sometimes prior bad experiences might raise early red flags that cause us to dip out rather than wait and see what things are really like. 

Of course, there are also times when we might remain in a situation for far longer simply because we feel we have to, because there are no better options out there for us. 

What is the thing that would make you quit on the first day? One employee shared how they quit on the first day simply because they came into the breakroom and saw that the microwave was coin-operated. That type of experience is familiar to all of us. You walk into a room, and that room tells you exactly what that place is going to be like. 

It's a bit like how you can always tell when you rent an Airbnb. If you walk in on your first day and see nothing but flowers and a fresh bar of soap waiting for you, you know you're in for a lovely stay. But if you come through the door and are greeted with aggressive, bold-faced signage written all in capitalized letters instructing you how many rolls of toilet paper you're allowed to use during your stay, then you just know you're not going to be relaxed for a moment that you're there. Chances are you're also going to be hounded for a 5-star-review from the host, who will repeatedly message your account and send threatening messages if you dare to give them so much as a 4-star review. Yes, it has happened, ask me how I know.

Another new hire quit on their first day after being overwhelmed by a counterintuitive point-of-sale system. If you've ever wondered about the math surrounding fast food, then you should know that 1 hot dog = 1 burger - (2 soda + 1 small fry).

And they said working in fast food was easy.