When Is It OK to Walk Out of a Job?

Is it ever okay to quit your job on the spot? WSJ’s Sue Shellenbarger joins Lunch Break with Tanya Rivero to discuss reasoning behind why many are choosing to ‘quit’ on the spot and not look back. Photo: iStock

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[jaredfontaine]

A job is just something to pay bills. There's no connection etc. We have no obligations

[Ether]

Employers will fire you WITHOUT notice.Employees should be able to leave at a moment notice(hence : AT WILL employment).There is no such thing as loyalty at work.Slavery ended Dec 6, 1865 with the 13th Amendment.I've quit jobs on the spot and NEVER had a problem finding another job.

[mistermister]

It’s a 2 way street! They can fire me without notice, I can fire them! Anyone who thinks an employee walking out lacks character is an idiot

[Minn_Aya]

If a company is short staffed and that company is not new, RUN! There is a reason there are few staff there... Unfortunately I had to learn this the hard way.

[KetoZenLifestyle]

If your boss discriminates you lies about your performance and creates a toxic environment for you or targets you get out asap! It will only get worse and you risk damaging your health self worth and general trust in people.

[monabiehl]

I walked out once. I pulled out a piece of letterhead--typed my letter of Resignation and put it in my bosses' office who was not there. I got up and walked out of a job and it was the best thing I ever did. I would not allow anyone to treat me the way that company did. I had only been there three weeks. That company is now out of business. I do not use them as a reference.

[LarryBergelt]

Why is it OK for an employer to fire someone on the spot yet it is still frowned on for the employee to leave on the spot. This is an outdated notion. We still hang on to this when in most cases the employer does not want yo9u after you give notice anyway. In today's job market in all states that I am aware of the law is at will and you are an associate not an employee anymore. I was born in 1955 and this was the trend back when businesses cared about you and you cared about them, but anymore businesses don't really care about you at all. You are another tool to do work or they will replace you and not give one care about you. What is good for the goose is good for the gander. End of story

[ArgyleDinosaur]

I quit my first job without notice because I was being harassed and literally traumatized by management. Specifically one manager, but they all had a hand in it. My last Friday at the job, I walked in to a phone ambush where the highest guy on the corporate ladder called to inform me that I was the one stirring up trouble and that if I couldn't get along with my boss, he would come down from where his office is (a few hours away) and personally terminate me himself. I had already been working a second job for about 10 months at that point, so on my clock out slip the next day, I simply wrote "I quit".

I didn't regret it for a second, and I still don't regret it now.

[nvrgngback]

1. There is nothing noble about prolonging suffering.
2. Most HR departments have stacks of résumés. The company will be fine within 24 hours.
3. Employees are given so little. Wages are stagnant. Living costs are too high. Employers deserve a little hardship.

[ZeRoAtOm]

I just walked out of my job with Walgreens on Friday November 24th 2017. I am feed up with being belittled and talked down to. After a year and a half .... Enough is enough....

[lance_]

I think people are doing this bc they are tired of the double standards that we have to give notice but they don’t. I say treat people and companies the way they treat you and I have yet to hear of a company give a two weeks notice to an employee

[AngelCintiaRockgirl]

Anytime people!! Don't even THINK about rolling over for the concept of not having the freedom to quit, anytime.

[AngelCintiaRockgirl]

I've lived a life of having great jobs, treatment and pay, by quitting bad jobs FAST. There are good and bad and the faster you shove the old one to the curb, the faster you'll get to a good one. Squishy people get abused because they make life about proving, absolute crap, to themselves.

[jellyfrosh]

Most of those quotes from people who regret it sound like people in abusive relationships.

[rayblack]

They keep talking about references but many companies limit the "reference" to nothing more than employment verification to reduce the risk of being sued.

[keokukramey]

I walked out of my job today because the manager was constantly being disrespectful to me and insulting me

[ricoconti]

It's ok for employers to fire anyone right on the the spot so why can't employees walkout ??

[reddroid]

Was new to a restaurant job and we got rushed so I helped my manager bag the food so we can get the line down she yells at me for not bagging the food right, mind you I was new to the job and was not trained on the position on how to correctly bag the food so I walked out.

[MasochistMelons]

If you are blue collar absolutely just quit without notice. Last five jobs i had i quit and had another job with in a few days too a couple weeks. Best thing to do is start looking while at the job so you have one lined up before you quit. But dont torture yourself for two weeks. Instead take two weeks vacation inbetween your new and old job.

[yantithehappymonk]

My regret is not doing it sooner. I’ve endured managers abuse for too long. Couldn’t be happier with my new much higher paying job 😂