Employee hands in notice after getting hired for another job, only to be told on their first day the company already hired someone else: ‘I'm not gonna let them get away with this’

Author image for Bar Mor Hazut
Bar Mor Hazut • Senior Editor
Apr 10, 2026 9:45 AM EDT

Should employees give any notice before they quit their jobs, or should they simply resign and refuse to work even one minute after that?

In the span of two weeks, the employee below would have changed their answer from the former to the latter. Those two weeks were the exact duration of their notice, and in that time, they learned a valuable lesson about employment and its rules. The main thing they learned is that no one waits around for you, no matter what. If you want something to happen, you've got to make it happen as soon as possible, and not let time have the opportunity to sweep in and mess with your plans.

This employee, being the responsible adult that they are, was looking for a new job while they were still working the job they wanted to leave, so that they wouldn't find themselves jobless. A few weeks ago, they got a job offer and were happy to sign with this new company and start this new journey. 

However, they were contractually obliged to give their current workplace a two-week notice, so they had to make sure that the new workplace was willing to wait those two weeks before they were able to come in for their first day. After some back and forth with the HR of the new job, it was confirmed that the employee will come in for their first day this week, and they even signed a new offer letter with the new date to set it all in stone.

Since then, the employee hasn't heard from the new company anything at all, until the day before they were supposed to start their new job, which was also the day they officially left their old one. Apparently, during these two weeks, the new workplace decided they didn't want to wait for the employee to make themselves available, and hired someone else for the job. 

That is how the employee found themselves quitting their old job while simultaneously losing the new position. Which brings us back to the question: Should they have provided a two-week notice in the first place?

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  • Woman carrying box of belongings leaving office
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Woman carrying box of belongings leaving office.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I got offered a position at a new company and I put in my 2 weeks at my current job. On the LAST day of my 2 week period, they tell me that they filled the position. Now, I seek advice and potentially legal action against this company.

    So I got a job offer from a medical clinic 2 weeks ago on Monday 03/23, with an offer letter and handbook to sign.
    via theskaterboy999
  • HR told me I had to start the following week on 03/30 and I emailed them the same day asking to start in 2 weeks on 04/06 because I needed to give a proper 2 week notice at my current job.
    via theskaterboy999
  • The HR representative didn't respond until the day after and they said they had another team member starting in 2 weeks on that same day too so they'd get back to me soon, which really confused me since I needed to put in my 2 weeks at work.
    via theskaterboy999
  • I finally did that same week Wednesday 03/25 and my job told me it needed to be a true 2 weeks obviously so my last day would've been 04/08 which is today.
    via theskaterboy999
  • I told them immediately after that I had put in my 2 weeks and that my new start date would have to be either the 9th or the following Monday due to my company policy.
    via theskaterboy999
  • Now this is where they should've just cut contact with me but they didn't. She (HR) emailed me back FIVE DAYS LATER on 03/30 and said that they would be okay with me starting on 04/09, so the day after my last day at my current job, and she said she'd send me a revised offer letter and additional things to sign.
    via theskaterboy999
  • I emailed the same day and said no problem. Throughout the week I get no response.
    via theskaterboy999
  • I email them again on 04/04 sending my signed forms that they had sent me as well as additional questions to prepare.
    via theskaterboy999
  • She doesn't respond to me. Now it's the next week and I'm supposed to start on Thursday/Tmrw, AND it's the last day of my 2 week period at my current job.
    via theskaterboy999
  • It's Wednesday today and I call the new job multiple times to get information on my start date tmrw, get sent to voicemail.
    via theskaterboy999
  • I email her too again today to get information, she FINALLY responds to me an hour later (which p ed me off cause she was never busy in the first place if she responded that fast) and tells me that the position has been filled by someone else.
    via theskaterboy999
  • Obviously I'm absolutely livid because I told them in advance about my current job and they purposely waited until the LAST day of my 2 week period to tell me this when they could've told me this earlier and I could've rescinded my withdrawal at my current job.
    via theskaterboy999
  • On top of that, I HAD to email these people today otherwise I would've been left in the dirt, now if I didn't do that I would've looked stupid if I went in tomorrow and they told me that in person.
    via theskaterboy999
  • I'm not gonna let them get away with this, now I NEED to take legal action because this was absolutely irresponsible and unprofessional, it's not even just about me.
    via theskaterboy999
  • So I ask y'all, what do I do/where do I start? Is this even something that I can take legal action?
    via theskaterboy999
  • TLDR (plz read the whole thing though): got offered a job at a new company, put in my 2 weeks at my current job, new job waits until the last day of my 2 week period to tell me they filled the position and I was supposed to start tomorrow.
    via theskaterboy999
  • I now want to take legal action but don't know where to start or if I can even do that if I'd be worth it.
    via theskaterboy999
  • Jerry RiceOfOhio2 i was a contractor at a very large company, and one day I saw them tell 2 people that came in for their first day that the company changed their minds, they didn't have a job there. i have no idea if you can sue, but you're not the first that had this happen to them. side note, i worked with a guy who took a new job, didn't tell his current job, took 2 weeks vacation to see if he liked the new job, didn't like it, just came back to the old job as though nothing happened. this s
    via JerryRiceOfOhio2
  • theskaterboy999 Original Poster's Reply This does sound very smart, but what if your employer says you need to warn them a month in advance to take a week or 2 off?
    via theskaterboy999
  • Stolen Wishes Another reason not to give notice
    via StolenWishes
  • theskaterboy999 Original Poster's Reply Unfortunately you're right. America really is a f ed up country
    via theskaterboy999
  • Maleficent-Injury902 Unless you have it in writing trying to legally battle this is going to be hard AF. If you signed something indicating you did in fact get the job then that would be one of the few things you can use to get at then. I'd recommend finding an employment lawyer. Some of them have free console to some degree whether you do or do not have a case before they take you on at the very least. But emails documentation the whole nine yards of conversations is going to be needed.
    via Maleficent-Injury902
  • theskaterboy999 Original Poster's Reply Yes I have all of the emails saved. I signed the handbook that was sent to me and sent it back to her last Saturday.
    via theskaterboy999
  • umassmza If you have proof of an accepted offer you can try for a promissory estoppel case. But it highly. depends on what damages you incurred. For example, a lawyers not going to take a case if this was like a $20/hr job. Even if they could get you a wildly unlikely 6 months of pay, that's like $6k for them. Usually lawyers take these cases when you leave a job that pays 6 figures, move, incur all kinds of expenses, etc. and their 1/3 is tens of thousands or more.
    via umassmza
  • theskaterboy999 Original Poster's Reply Yeah this was a $20/hr job and I understand that. I'll just have to hope and pray a lawyer will take my case atp
    via theskaterboy999
  • JalapenoJamm The thing is though did you actually learn? Or do you plan on putting your two weeks in at the next job too?
    via JalapenoJamm
  • theskaterboy999 Original Poster's Reply Trust me, I got it. I let my employer scare me into thinking I couldn't put in my 2 weeks because I thought they could do that. I should've been smarter and researched more
    via theskaterboy999
  • HausWife88 I pretty much did this same thing the last time i had to change jobs
    via HausWife88
  • MrBigOBX so much this, as much as im personally a nice person and would like to do this, if i get another offer im just duecing out of my current job
    via MrBigOBX
  • Man and woman in a professional interview
    via Vitaly Gariev

    Man and woman in a professional interview.

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

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