My asshole boss got what he asked for. He was hired in 2023, +15workers quit during his first year in charge, and by surprise 2024 was record breaking bad year for the company. I guess things can happen when you don’t respect the ones bringing in the revenue.
My last job didn’t even get notice, I just didn’t keep showing up and deleted everyone’s number from my phone
They were probably super mad that I didn’t open the store, but I literally do not care even slightly
Don’t give 2 week notices. The only incentive you have is if you are leaving on good terms you can use them as a reference or maybe come back if the circumstances work.
The downsides far outweigh the benefits. They could terminate you, cut your hours, get mad that you’re quitting and give you bad references.
I think is different in different markets, in my actual job, during the interview I said that I would need a month I’m advance to give to my old boss, to close projects and prepare my junior for my leave. After being accepted my new boss told me that this stipulation weighted a lot in the decision to hired me, because they knew I would do the same. I’m an actuarie, our jobs are kinda complex, and someone leaving the company without any notice can complicate everything a lot.
I don’t get it. If you get a notice, they should. We have labour laws requiring both the company and you to give notice, 3 months. That’s for anyone that hires someone, but exempt for what’s called a “temporary hire”, like interns and such. If you have a temporary hire for more than one year it’s automatically considered a “permanent hire”. It means that whenever a company uses consultants or practice workers the risk goes both ways, and most normal workers get economic security. (Perhaps it only works well because other labour laws though, such as rights to be sick, have kids, etc)
Labour laws should be beneficial for workers, and if they aren’t, the giant hyper capitalist megacorps you foster with that approach aren’t worth any protection at all since they are a burden on the planet and society, not a benefit.
What you just described is a system that mistreats your workers. Those temporary hires, if they lose their jobs, they can’t put food on the table. But if the company loses a temporary worker, it’s not going to be troubled, they’re just going to go hire another person.
That all being said, if you’re working under contract and your company has robust protections for retaliation by employers, some of the risk of telling them in advance goes away. That’s great, but there’s still some remaining risk. Many bosses will be vengeful, bitter, and they may sabotage your work however they can for the last few weeks or months. And you won’t be able to stop them, because you’re leaving, so even if you filed an internal complaint, it wouldn’t go anywhere.
Temp hires are kids in school and trainees etc that would almost always have a 3 month contract that then get full time work when they know it will work out. Some elder care companies I know kept hiring new workers constantly and it did not go over well for any of them. Shut down by unions and most old people switched away from these, also the communal overseers removed them from the hiring pools and from recommendations as a choice of provider. All workplaces I have quit, have treated me well, mostly using the time to transfer skills and documentation to a replacement and then saying I don’t have to come in when it seems done. Two times they gave me instant “garden leave” with full benefits which means I get full pay but don’t have to work and if I have other work I can get double salary without having to pay penalties. I also am in a union that by law has to be asked automatically to come in and manage the transfer, those are people that have seen hundreds of layoffs and leavings that can give each party a sense of what is expected, and raise issues or irregular things like you describe to the correct authority. I have not seen any abuse of this law (law of labor safety) from a company or heard of any abuse of the law in my entire forty years of life. It’s because it is taught in schools and taken very seriously by even small businesses.
You don’t typically get a notice.
Yeah I know that’s why I’m saying why would they expect that ever
I work in a professional environment where it’s not unusual to give months notice because you appreciate the people you work with and don’t want to leave them hanging.
in this same environment I have witnessed people getting fired on the spot with zero notice, zero reasons, zero sympathy. I have also seen people give a month notice only for mgmt and HR to fire them on the spot and then tell their team the person quit.
take my advice, don’t give a two weeks notice for your employer. give it to your trusted colleagues and quit on the spot for your employer.
fuck the reference… tell your new boss your current job doesn’t know you’re job hunting and thus can’t list them as a reference… problem solved!
Agree but with caution, I know a couple hiring managers who pull the “oh if they’ll job hunt on their current one they will do it to us” kinda clingy relationship shit.
Bitch, it’s a job, we’re not friends. HR isn’t there to help you, your manager isn’t there to help you, and in all except the rarest cases the founder or manager doesn’t give a shit about you.
I’ve spent the last year trying to make it work with one of my guys.
At first, I told him the rest of the team was having trouble connecting with him. He would wander off without telling anyone where he was going or what he was doing, which gave the impression that he wasn’t working. I explained that optics matter, because we’re all in this together. If we can’t count on each other, it makes it harder for everyone. He appreciated that conversation, but things didn’t improve.
He continued to show up late or call in sick, often on days when he knew we’d be busiest. I talked to him again about reliability—how it’s the most basic form of respect. Not just for your workplace, but for yourself. When you say you’re going to do something or be somewhere, it’s vital that your word means something. If you can’t be counted on, how can anyone rely on you?
I didn’t just tell him this. I lived it. I showed him with kindness and consistency how important those basic values are.
Last week was the busiest week our team has ever faced. It was also one of the most critical in terms of proving what we could do together. I prepped the team ahead of time and told them how proud I was to step up to the challenge with them.
On the first of the two most important days, he was late. The first 15 minutes were the most crucial of the entire day, and he missed half of them. I wasn’t angry. I handled it myself. But when he arrived, I told him how stressful that time was for me, and I reminded him again how important these two days were. He said he understood. He said he was sorry.
The next morning, I was 15 minutes into busting my ass alone. I texted him: Where are you? Nothing. Radio silence. No reply that day. Not a single call or message.
The next day, he told me he was sick and had a doctor’s note. The note was timestamped 3:45 p.m., and it said he was cleared to return to work that day.
I just stared at it for a moment. I didn’t get angry. I didn’t yell. I just said, “Okay,” and continued working. We worked in silence for most of the day.
Later, he said casually, “I heard you were upset yesterday morning.”
I replied calmly, “I was. Yes. It was stressful.”
He shrugged and said, “Sorry about that.”
I didn’t respond. I just kept working. Then, just before I left, I turned to him and said this in a calm but measured tone:
“Let me clarify something. Yesterday, I was upset because it was stressful. I’m not upset today. I’m disappointed today. I wanted to be able to say to the rest of the team that I could rely on you when it mattered most. But I can’t say that. I can’t defend you to the team when they feel like you leave them to figure it out on their own, because you left me when I told you I needed you the most. I’m not upset. I’m deeply disappointed.”
He tried to defend himself with the doctor’s note, but I raised my hand to stop him. He waited for me to say something else, but I didn’t. I let the silence speak, then walked out.
I’m sharing this because I saw this meme and it made me feel sad and reflect. I know it may be counter to the fun of the meme, but I thought the point was worth sharing.
Sometimes, jobs are crappy. Sometimes you work for people who don’t care but still expect you to. In those cases, I understand the temptation to stop caring or to burn bridges that don’t seem worth crossing.
But here’s my advice:
Respect—not because others have earned it, but because you are worth giving it to.
Hold yourself to a higher standard, not for them, but for you. Elevate yourself because it’s worth doing. Be better to yourself.
And when others who also respect themselves find you, they’ll recognize that quality in you. That’s when you find people worth teaming up with. That’s how you build something greater, something that’s not just productive, but meaningful and fun.
Yeah that’s a good way to handle that sort of thing, and you did the right thing. However, and this is just a personal thing, and may not be applicable to your situation:
I have had adhd my entire life and worked around it. It has its problems with changing activity, and many people have this symptom with it. When I got medication and the problem was mitigated, I realised that my entire life I heard and was deeply ashamed of me not respecting others because of my chronic lateness. Now that I understand I wasn’t physically able, I can see that all the pain from hearing that I’m not respectful, when I’m truly sincerely am, did not help. The issue was never respect, it was a clinical defect in my frontal lobe. In my country we have “work therapists” they’re not for work, they’re for practically finding out if you have problems with productivity (even home stuff). One of these helped me realise and I was “cured”. I really thought I just suck. And nothing I did could fix it, and I would be truthful when I told others I get it and want to improve. And I was sincere in trying everything. I empathise with that guy probably because I was like that and I know I always held my job and coworkers high in regard and did my absolute best, but it came out as being disrespectful and disingenuous. Just needed to get that off my chest, cheers!
What you shared lands really close to home for me. I’m right there with you. My ADHD is the “leave‑your‑keys‑in‑the‑fridge, miss‑the‑turn‑you‑take‑every‑day” flavor, and when you layer in a hefty dose of imposter syndrome, it can feel like the whole world sees “irresponsible” when I’m just wrestling with my own wiring.
Over the years I’ve had to build some pretty extreme guardrails to keep myself on track:
-
The 15‑minute rule. I aim to arrive everywhere a quarter hour early. It buys me a buffer for the inevitable “where did I put my badge?” scramble and lets me start calm.
-
Alarm orchestras. My phone is a symphony of labeled reminders: “Leave NOW,” “Send daily status,” “Prep tomorrow’s kit.” If it dings, I do the thing right then (no bargaining, no “I’ll remember in five”). Future‑me is not a reliable assistant.
-
Immediate action. If a task pops into my head and will take less than two minutes, I do it on the spot. That tiny rule has saved me from a mountain of forgotten follow‑ups.
-
Radical transparency. This is my most important rule for myself. I tell my team straight up: “ADHD is my software; here’s how I patch the bugs. If you spot a glitch, flag me.” People are surprisingly supportive when they understand the why so I tell everyone.
None of these tricks erase my problems, but they translate good intentions into results the team can feel. And every time a coworker says, “I know I can count on you,” even when I am too harsh in judging myself.
Your story is a powerful reminder that what looks like disrespect can be a neurological hurdle. I hope anyone reading our thread pauses before labeling someone lazy or careless. Sometimes the most respectful thing we can do for ourselves and for each other is to seek understanding, build systems that work for our brains, and keep rooting for one another’s progress.
Thanks again for sharing. You’re not alone, and the fact that you care this much tells me you’re exactly the kind of teammate people want in their corner.
Haha you really need lots of framework to work like a normal being but there are benefits too, thank god. Your alarm symphony made me think of one thing that revolutionised this problem for me, a special alarm. It will not shut off until I scan a qr code on my bathroom mirror. After struggling with it so many years it was so fucking unbelievable to finally get something to work. I didn’t even have high hopes since I tried so many notifications, alarms, different types of smart captcha things, but then just physical movement to another place that cannot be cheated just made a huge difference, because once I walk through a doorway, it’s like my brain switches to a new activity automatically. Cheers!
-
I really appreciate where you’re coming from, does the company respect him? It’s clear you do, but if a person’s time is not being respected through compensation then this might be an unrealistic expectation. Respect is a two way street.
You’re 100% right that respect should be a two-way street. I said “should” be. It often is not. Especially when it comes to systems like fair compensation, time, and effort. No argument there. If a company or a boss is disrespecting your time and well-being, that needs to be addressed, period.
What I was trying to explore in my story is a different layer. Something personal and internal. Though respect should be a two way street, it is still a street worth walking alone. That even in imperfect systems, even when others don’t “earn” your respect or see your effort, there’s still a kind of power in choosing to show up with integrity. Not because they deserve it, but because you do.
Choosing to be reliable, communicative, and accountable, even when others aren’t, helps shape who you are. It builds character, trustworthiness, and personal dignity. It teaches you to lead yourself. That’s the kind of respect no one can take from you, even when the outer rewards aren’t there yet.
It’s not about obedience. It’s about owning your path.
It transforms your mind and, in turn, your life. It is a path worth walking.
Thanks again for engaging with the nuance. I really value conversations like this.
What I was trying to explore in my story is a different layer. Something personal and internal. Though respect should be a two way street, it is still a street worth walking alone. That even in imperfect systems, even when others don’t “earn” your respect or see your effort, there’s still a kind of power in choosing to show up with integrity. Not because they deserve it, but because you do.
I think that’s a fine way to go through life. But to expect it of others is messed up. Some people don’t want to prioritize a job that will not prioritise them, and that’s fine. Your suggestion is just a little too close to “tread on me harder, Daddy” than a lot of people are comfortable with. And they aren’t wrong. If doing the work for yourself works for you, that is great. It will make your life easier in some ways. But it absolutely should not be expected in our society.
I want to clarify something I’ve been trying to express in this conversation.
I’m not saying anyone owes loyalty, effort, or integrity to a company that doesn’t respect them. If a workplace is unfair or exploitative, people have every right to disengage or walk away. That’s not just valid, it’s necessary.
But that’s not what I’m talking about.
What I’m talking about is you. Who you choose to be, no matter what kind of environment you’re in. Are you on time? Do you follow through on your word? Are you consistent and accountable. Even when no one’s watching?
This isn’t about your boss. This isn’t about your company. This is about whether you want to be the kind of person who can be trusted, counted on, and respected by yourself.
When you live by values like integrity, honesty, and reliability, not because anyone’s rewarding you, but because they reflect who you are, you gain something real. You grow. You get stronger. You carry that into everything else in your life, your relationships, your work, your reputation, your self-worth.
This isn’t submission. This isn’t compliance. You can absolutely reject broken systems while still choosing to live by your own standards. That’s what I mean by self-respect. That’s where the power is.
So when I told my guy, “I’m disappointed,” it wasn’t about control or discipline. It was about hope. I’ve tried to show him what it looks like to show up, not because someone’s cracking a whip, but because you want to be the kind of person who shows up.
I hold him to that standard because I see what’s possible in him and I believe in what those values can unlock for anyone.
This is not about imposing expectations. It’s an invitation. To rise. To grow. To build something in yourself that no one can take away.
And yes, I believe we need more of that in the world. Not because we’re told to, but because we choose to.
I don’t think we didn’t understand what you’re getting at. I think you’re missing my point though.
You’re describing the way you see respect and work in your value system. Totally valid.
I’m saying that to some people bringing that kind of commitment to a job that disrespects you by not compensating you adequately is disrespectful to yourself.
Are you the kind of person who goes the extra mile for people above you in a hierarchy who don’t give a shit about you? To many, answering yes to that question indicates the lack of self respect, not the presence of it.
This isn’t about pouring yourself out for an employer that doesn’t care. It’s not about “going above and beyond.” It’s not about grinding harder or giving more than you’re getting. That’s not the standard I’m talking about.
What I am talking about is the foundation. I am talking about the basic, essential qualities that every relationship (personal or professional) is built on: reliability, respect, integrity, follow-through.
If you say, “I’ll be there at 5,” then be there at 5. That has nothing to do with giving more or going the extra mile. It’s about whether people can trust your word. Whether your actions line up with what you say. Whether others (teammates, friends, partners, family) know that your word has value.
When you’ve built that foundation of trust, life’s inevitable curveballs become manageable and explainable. When you have a genuine emergency, when circumstances beyond your control interfere, people believe you. They extend grace because your track record speaks for itself. But if you’re consistently unreliable, every excuse (legitimate or not) gets met with skepticism. You’ve lost the benefit of the doubt.
The employee I mentioned wasn’t being asked to sacrifice for a system. He was being asked to keep his word. He said he would be there. He wasn’t. He has never been mistreated or underpaid. The opposite actually. He was hired with no experience into a well-paying, supportive environment. Every failure has been met with encouragement from leadership. But honestly? That’s not even the point. Because the values I’m talking about matter regardless of whether the system is fair or not.
Why? Because these values belong to you. You take them with you wherever you go. They make you stronger, clearer, more capable of building relationships that matter. They are what open doors (not just in jobs, but in life). And they’re what create the trust that protects you when things go wrong.
I’m not calling people to give more to bad systems. I’m calling people to give more to themselves. To build a foundation they can stand on so when they do need to call out injustice, advocate for change, or walk away, they do it from a place of strength, not reaction. Not out of anger, but out of clarity.
So yes, I am trying to convince people of something. Not to serve power. But to be powerful.
And the truth is, you can’t build anything strong (anywhere) if people can’t count on you. That’s not a corporate value. That’s a human one.
They wouldn’t have given him 2 weeks if he was fired.
Fuck them
No! My permanent record!
I mean - it kind of is? I believe a company is allowed to ask another company if they’re eligible for rehire - and they record those things in their HR systems.
This is true. The other company can ask HR to consult the big book of grudges to determine if there are indeed grudges.
Two weeks is bullshit. Not a law nor rule.
I had a job I loved, although it was owned by a complete asshole. I got a new job, at nearly double the pay. I agreed to give 2 weeks notice, even though it was going to cost me a lot of money, which I needed (this was my first good paying job, and I was broke).
Rather than understand that I was doing him a favor, my asshole boss decided to torture me for my final two weeks. I put up with it for a week, then told him I was done on Friday. I was essentially paying out of my pocket to give him 2 weeks, but I wasn’t going to pay him to abuse me, so I just left him standing there with his mouth agape.
I took the weekend off, and started my cool new new job on Monday (and it was a cool job, one of the best I’ve ever had).
