We've all worked a job that we hated, and we couldn't be happier to leave that job behind for something better.
But because finding a job that pays the bills is hard, sometimes we stay with a toxic job much longer than we would like.
Even those desperate to pay the bills will have an ultimate deal breaker in the workplace, though.
Redditor ditzy_daizy asked:
"What was the thing that made you quit your job?"
Far Too Common
"I had to leave after seeing too many awful employees being tolerated whilst good ones had to pick up their slack."
- OrganizationFickle
"It's happening in our store right now, lol (laughing out loud)."
"It's a shame too, because the owners have good hearts. They bought the store after the previous owners shut it down for bankruptcy, and they saved everyone's jobs. With how close-knit the staff and ownership are, you'd figure that staff wouldn't have it in their hearts to take advantage of their kindness, but that's obviously not the case."
"Simmering tensions have begun to reach a boiling point and I demanded a team meeting due to all the resentment that's been building. I shouldn't have to do it because I'm just staff, but f**k it, it's time to address that s**t. I'm ready to leave the job if they show that they're not serious, but I honestly hope it doesn't come to that."
"I'll always be grateful for their generosity and saving my job when they didn't have to, but what a f**king shame that it's reached this point."
- KonamiMostPoints
Every Daycare Ever
"When I was about 19, one of my jobs was as a telemarketer. I had been doing it a couple of weeks and the company promoted a caller to shift leader."
"He announced that we would have to ask permission to use the restroom. I noped out of there and it's the only job I walked out on without notice."
"I’m not asking anyone for permission to pee."
- Ok_Airline7757
What A Great Idea
"I asked for a market adjustment raise so that my salary would match what competitors were paying, and I was told no because the company couldn't afford it."
"I was the head of accounting. The company could afford it. In fact, I know exactly why the company 'couldn't afford it,' and that's because the owner gave themselves a 100k raise after denying my request."
- blahbabooey
"The boss: 'A raise?! What a great idea, I should get one of those!'"
- RagingAardvark
"Literally."
- blahbabooey
Not Worth It
"My boss asked all 10 of us if we were paid enough for our jobs. All said no."
"Then he asked what was enough. Most of us said another $100 per week."
"He laughed and said, 'Not while you are working for me.'"
"Six people quit that week, and the rest within a month."
- Forever-Retired
Sorry For Your Loss
"My Dad died and I was denied time off."
"They said, 'We can’t give you any vacation time right now, we’re short-staffed big time.'"
"I clarified, 'It’s for my Dad's funeral arrangements. It’s not a vacation.'"
"They said, 'Doesn’t matter. Do you realize we lost three employees and two students in the last two weeks? This is a really difficult time for us right now.'"
"I said, 'Well, I’m very sorry for your loss, I’m sure it is a difficult time for you… I kind of expected to be hearing that and not saying it, but okay. Friday will be my last day. Cheers.'"
"So instead of losing an employee for a week or two, they lost me forever. Good riddance."
- The_Town_Of_Canada
As You Should
"It was my very first job out of college: They told me to arrive at 6:50 AM to do prep for my 7:00 AM shift. When I put 6:50 AM on my timecard, they told me to change it or they wouldn't approve it."
"I'm a new graduate, not stupid. I got another job offer and left as soon as possible."
- Symnestra
An Inhumane Response
"A patient died during surgery. The patient had been in and out of the hospital for months, maybe years. I’d treated them a load of times, and felt like I knew them and their family reasonably well."
"The surgery was something of a Hail Mary pass, but I was still floored when the patient died on the table. I was quite upset in the scrub room after and asked my superior if he would come with me when I spoke to the family."
"He laughed and told me to grow some balls. He spent the following weeks laughing and telling everyone how I had cried when I told the family their loved one had died (I did cry, and I'm not even slightly ashamed of it). I can’t count the number of times I was told in the following weeks that I was too emotional for a career in surgery and should consider another specialty."
"I applied to another hospital shortly after that where I worked with a lovely bunch of people who supported each other."
- IntelligentRepeat568
When Health Isn't A Priority
"I got into a bad car accident and when I finally got home I tried to call both my manager and supervisor all evening but had to leave a voicemail and send several texts saying there was no way I could make it into work the next day."
"The next morning my manager called me and accused me of no-calling and no-showing (which I've never done at any job), and when I told him what happened, he gave me some fake sympathy and then immediately tried to guilt trip me into working overtime at a site."
"When I stood my ground and said I was too shaken up, he kept pushing it but gave up when my supervisor called him and told him to lay off."
"The company also repeatedly sent me late paychecks, denied leave requests, and constantly went back on field assignments without any explanation why."
"At that point, I decided I was done constantly extending myself to the company and having almost no luck ever having communication when I needed it, and called an old employer and she immediately offered me a job. For the first time ever I didn't give a two-week notice and quit on the spot. Didn't feel bad, either."
- TheshizAlt
The Ultimatum
"The CEO said to everyone in an all-staff meeting, 'If you’re not happy, then you can go somewhere else,’ when people were talking about being burned out."
"Shockingly, everyone went somewhere else within the next six months."
"It got so bad, she started sending out messages begging people to ask their friends, family, strangers, literally anyone to apply, and kept saying she didn’t understand why people were leaving."
"She then asked for a survey from people and asked about employee retention during which everyone remaining (myself included, I left two weeks later) filled in that the reason people were leaving was because she told us that other people have it worse and if we’re unhappy to leave."
- The_Rural_Banshee
...Wait, What?
"The first day on the job as a residential framer, the boss asked me if he could borrow 200 dollars."
"I said no, picked up my tools, and left."
"You couldn't ask for a bigger red flag."
- NewHumbug
Get What You Pay For
"I worked at a popular midwestern grocery store where the policy was if you had even a minute of overtime, you were written up. I didn't have enough time to finish my work so I clocked out so I wouldn't get written up and ended up written up anyway. That was the only time I'd ever been in trouble at any job ever."
"It's very frustrating when a company brags about record-breaking months, month after month, but refuses to give a budget to staff appropriately."
"A week later, had my one-year review (after working for one year and eight months, so a little late) and they said they weren't giving me a three percent raise because I was paid too much already. Mind you, when I was interviewed I was promised a three percent raise."
"Two days later took a sales job at a car dealership and two years later moved to RV sales. Loving it."
- armstaae
Classic Game Of 'Identify The Thief'
"They accused me of stealing with zero actual evidence. I gave my notice on the spot."
- II_Confused
"I worked at Linens N Things in college and my register was always even. A coworker was fired because her register was short and we all thought it was odd."
"About a week or so later, my register ended up short also, and the manager said he was taking it from my pay."
"I filed a complaint with the manager above him, and it turned out the manager was actually stealing and blaming the cashiers."
- fluffysloth2010
Priorities
"My Grandmother had passed away and my mother was diagnosed with cancer, so I was taking PTO (Personal Time Off) time off to take care of things."
"I was called into the boss's office and told, 'You need to prioritize better. What's more important to you, family or this job?'"
"I ripped my badge off, threw it on his desk and told him, 'My family,' and went and started packing up my desk."
"I was called BACK into his office and told, 'If you don't at least give us a two-week notice, there's no chance of us hiring you again, ever.'"
"I just laughed, looked him dead in the eye and said. 'I will NEVER work here again, so that's not an issue.'"
"I walked out. No regrets."
- TaraDactyl1978
Not The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
"The manager told me I had to organize my own cover for holidays, and if no one could cover my shifts, I couldn't take leave. No one offered to cover my shifts. Surprise surprise."
- FantasticxCupcake
The Default Employee
"I was the only one left in my department who had been there any length of time. It was healthcare so 24/7 on call, except EVERYBODY called me for EVERYTHING. I wasn't sleeping more than two hours a night, and 80-ish hours a week total. I was dealing with it, I knew it would end."
"I told my boss I was going home because I needed sleep, and he forced me to remote into a meeting anyway. My wife told me to just quit... so I did."
"I quit, deleted my OneNote with all my notes, and then because I'm IT, I deleted the backups of my OneNote, as well. I left those f**ks high and dry."
- KhaosElement
Everyone has a limit, especially when they aren't being valued, recognized for their work, or treated like a human being.
It's refreshing to know that most of these Redditors took note of how they were being treated pretty quickly, but even for those who stayed in their position longer, it seems all have achieved a happy ending in the workplace.