I Walked Out of My Job

I’d do it all over again

Maybe you’ve fantasied about walking out of a job; come on, you know you have. But have you ever done it before? As a supervisor, I saw new employees get their first paycheck. Some never came back. So paychecks were distributed at the end of the shift after that.

Yes, those were the days before direct deposit. You would get a printed check. We played poker with the document numbers. I never won, I digress.

If you would walk out on your boss, what does that day look like to you? What would the one thing be that would push you to leave? What unrealistic expectations just drive you crazy, and you think you’re just not going to do this anymore?

Most of my bosses have been great; we could exchange ideas and work well together. I enjoyed going to work and the job I did.

But you always have that one boss that made your job miserable. You know the one, don’t you?

Take a minute and think about your best boss and then your most difficult. Brings back some anxiety, maybe distrust or your blood pressure goes up? Yes, that’s the one I’m talking about. We all have one of those (sometimes two, but that’s another story), or if you haven’t, it’s in your future.

So, here’s the situation. My job was good, we had a good work environment, and then our boss left and took another job. Top Management was angry with him for leaving and used his two-week notice to lock him away in the ‘situation room’ to pick his brain.

Why can’t you do both?

Not uncommon, but his team felt all eyes were on them. Would we be loyal to him or the company? We all worked together before; nothing has changed. But everything changed. Our leader left, and we surely knew about it. Could we be trusted any longer?

Top Management brought in a consultant to take over during the transition. We didn’t report to him, but we answered his questions over and over again. Then another co-worker turned in his resignation. So now we had a big problem, to fill another position within our team.

Our consultant created spreadsheets and more spreadsheets to automate our processes. Yes, that will solve the problem. However, they quit because we failed to have the right spreadsheets, said no one ever. This was not going well.

In addition to vacancies in two key positions, our company developed a new software system for our operations. Sshh, but one of our customer service representatives won’t be needed any longer. This is part of our team. Will my position be replaced next?

Months later, and still no boss. So I asked the consultant what will I be doing; how will my position change? “We’ll talk about this; I have questions to go over with you.” Questions, but still no answers.

Promotion time for the consultant.

Finally, some answers or not. After decades of work experience, I’ve been the one downsized before. My instincts told me this wasn’t good. Always trust your instincts. You may not see it clearly now, but you will later.

Before my former boss left, I asked for a letter of recommendation from him. Don’t be afraid to ask for this if you had a good working relationship. I’m glad that I had the foresight to do this.

Once again, I asked my new boss point-blank what the expectations were. What would my job be, and how would it change. Again, I got a dumb look and no answer. If you aren’t sure, that isn’t a good sign. I began my job search that day.

Part of my work ethic is not to quit one job without having something else to go to, something I learned from dad. Multiple income streams are how we see this today. When you rely on one source of income, you feel trapped, like you do when you’re deeply in debt.

After accepting a new position, I quietly took some of my personal things home from my desk. I wrote a letter of resignation requesting the balance of my vacation days and my last day of employment. My letter was short and to the point, stating a lack of communication and expectations.

I gathered up the rest of my belongings in one box, and a co-worker carried them to my car for me. I said my goodbyes and left at lunchtime.

I walked out on my former boss; I’d do it all over again.

You feel some guilt, but when you’ve been laid off before, do you think they feel bad? I doubt it. If you’ve talked to your boss, asked questions about your job, and don’t get any answers, you have to look out for your best interest.

Sometimes it’s easy to stay with crazy, you know, then go too crazy you don’t know. But you have to trust your instincts. Not long after I left, they did let my co-worker go.

The Takeaway

Multiple income streams are the future. I admire those younger than me who have this all figured out; I only wish this was part of my work ethic early in my career. But regretting the past doesn’t change the future. Learn what you can and change what you can.