Employee doesn't show up for work for 3 weeks straight, all they get is a polite call asking them to return: 'Sounds like a pretty chill place to work'

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JR Atkinson • Writer and Editor
Apr 19, 2026 10:00 AM EDT

You've heard of quiet quitting. But what happens when you just stop showing up altogether?

Maybe you've been tempted by the idea of quiet quitting. For those unfamiliar, it's the idea that you put in the barest minimum of effort at work- just enough to stay employed and nothing beyond that. Folks in different businesses have varying levels of success with it. Some jobs just don't notice when you're not doing your job. Others would notice the second you start slacking off. The fairness of this idea is hard to examine. When so many people are vastly underpaid for back-breaking work, you could feel a little guilty for collecting a paycheck for doing nothing. But that didn't stop this worker. What happened here baffled the community she shared it with. They weren't sure how she was staying employed with that kind of work ethic. Some celebrated her triumphs while others questioned it. It's never easy to find a job that works for you. Lots of jobs come with sacrifices- stuff you're willing to put up with to remain employed. Every job has something like that that you're trading in on. Would you feel motivated if you knew nobody was around to check on you? Or would your productivity slowly drop, knowing that you're not likely to face any consequences for it? Those are the questions that came up in this story, where an employee simply stopped going to work. She didn't know what was going to happen if she continued that way, but she was willing to risk it to find out. 

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  • A woman in a shadowy kitchen looks at a notification on her phone
    via Unsplash+ (Andrej Lišakov)

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

  • I didn't show up for work for 3 months and I just got a call politely asking me to return.

    I work 100% remote, but I do have to attend meetings from time to time. At first I was sick and had a 3 weeks long vacation, so my absence was explainable during the first month. But I just didnt had it in me to return, so.... I just didnt. Didn't even open my E-Mails, didn't even touch my Computer. This morning I got a polite call asking me, if I still work at the company. I am currently sitting in a meeting again.
    via StellafromVienna

  • Commenters gave their takes on this odd situation.

    loki2002 So, you skipped out on work for three months, were presumably still paid and had beenfits, and instead of firing you they just politely asked for you to return to doing the job you were being paid to do? Sounds like a pretty chill place to work.
    via loki2002
  • StellafromVienna OP Is that still considered Quiet Quitting or is this already Loud Quitting? Anyways, they were so polite about it, that I felt bad, so now my days of Loud Quitting are over
    via StellafromVienna
  • bastarmashawar... Sounds like a pretty dope place to work
    via bastarmashawar
  • DuckingFon I mean, congrats. Most jobs you bust your a and they still fire you without warning. This usually indicates that the people working directly above you aren't making enough money to make god blush... yet. Their humanity is still intact.
    via DuckingFon
  • Mc Im confused. Are you upset about this? Seems like a pretty chill place to work at. People in this sub would probably k I to work 100% remote and only have to respond to meetings and emails, or for their jobs to be this lenient in the first place.
    via Mc
  • Head Leadershi... Wait a minute, when you say you didn't open emails or touch your computer, did you answer occasional Teams messages or attend remote calls with camera off on your phone? Of did you completely play de id and it took 2 months for them to notice?
    via Head_Leadership
  • A young woman looks at something on her phone, upset
    via Unsplash+ (Getty Images)

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

  • It's not easy to justify all the decisions we make for ourselves. Sometimes we just stumble backwards into something and fail to learn why until much later. Or the universe will just serve up a situation that takes you by surprise and makes you question everything. That's what happened to the worker in this story, who ended up in a windfall situation that she wasn't expecting. Keep scrolling to read what happened here and see what you think about it. 

  • amelia_swan meanwhile I wfh and my company laptops VPN failed for 3 hours and I got written up for being offline without giving notice
    via amelia_swan
  • somersetpark2 What company is this so that I can apply.
    via somersetpark2
  • tastethepain Be careful, they may be able to sue you for wage theft
    via tastethepain
  • thoreau_away_a... Yeah, why you asking? Get indignant. Claim you've been working and sending IMs and sh
    via thoreau_away_a
  • OMEGACY In a lot of jobs I've been at and heard about, not showing up or notifying anyone you wouldn't be there for 2 days straight when you're expected to be there would be considered job abandonment and automatic termination. .....so anyway what do you do. What's the field like lol.
    via OMEGACY
  • futureislookinst... Did they fire you in the meeting or did they just ask you to get back to your job? If you're still employed with them are they asking for you to be in office are you doing daily check ins? Are you on a probation period now?
    via futureislookinstark
  • Were you still submitting timesheets? I'm so perplexed by this, my job would've noticed almost immediately. I was in accounting and worked very closely with the project managers on our contracts so if they couldn't get a hold of me within 48 hours they would start hounding my manager about my progress on their accounts.
    via futureislookinstark
  • ExtraConfrontati... What do you work as??? | want your job
    via ExtraConfrontation
  • Miolner Were you still payed for the whole time?
    via Miolner
  • StellafromVienna OP Yup
    via StellafromVienna

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quiet quitting boss antiwork remote work job coworkers working workplace
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