“60 Shocking First-Day Stories: What Made These Employees Walk Out for Good?”
Have you ever started a new job, only to discover within hours that it’s not at all what you signed up for? It’s a feeling that sends many fleeing on the very first day—and trust me, you’re not alone in this. From high-tech surveillance systems tracking every twitch of your fingers to unexpected salary drops that feel like a punch in the gut, the reasons for quitting before the coffee break are as varied as the jobs themselves. In today’s read, we’ll dive into real accounts from folks who took a deep breath, evaluated their situation, and said “goodbye” before the sun set on their first day. Buckle up; these experiences range from downright hilarious to shockingly absurd. Are you ready to feel a little better about your own job choice? LEARN MORE.
When I found out their timeclock system didn’t track hours worked, but the minutes spent typing or moving your mouse. And it’d take random screenshots too (if you’re in a video meeting, I guess they get to take pictures of you too?). All that and they wanted this installed on my personal computer. That and a few other reasons made me back out after one day.
The oh ‘By the way we never mentioned it at the interview but you will get 50 percent pay for 6 months till your trial period is over’. I was half way into my first shift when they sprang that on me. I turned around and walked out. No discussion. Didn’t say a word. Just left.
Line job in a factory that assembled magazines. Because of all the paper sliding along the tracks, little bits would gum up the gears and they wanted us to reach inside and pull out all the wads of paper scrap about once an hour while someone MANUALLY held down a button that paused the machine from moving. Refused, clocked out for lunch and left.
I was between jobs and got a temp job helping with payroll and they told me I would have to hold paychecks for people who did not return their uniform and when I pointed out this was illegal (and showed them the law) they said to do it anyway so I quit and went back on unemployment until I found a real job 3 weeks later. Quitting a job because they want you to break the law gets you unemployment in most States.
It was a telemarketing company selling timeshares around the US. My first call was an old lady who told me the story of how her husband fell down the stairs two weeks ago and died right in front of her. My manager was over my shoulder listening in and said something like “OK, now pitch the package.” I left immediately.
Desk job. All male staff. Male boss made a joke that I can feel free to use the kitchen to make food for everyone because “finally we have a woman on the team”. Walked out.
I got a job in town X. One the first day they told me tomorrow I needed to show up to a different office in San Francisco (which is a 90 minute commute there and a 2-3 hour commute home). Not what I signed up for, they legit could not understand why I was leaving.
Work in IT and got a new job as a SysAdmin and on the first day found support tickets where the guy before me was required to track every second of his time through it. Several tickets that read something like “Cleaned office – 15 minutes”.
No thanks. I’m not a child that needs supervision.
Luckily my old job let me come back like I never left.
Only time I’ve EVER just walked off a job site. I was homeless and answered a Craigslist ad for a roofing job (I’d never done roofing before). I was working for a pair of tweakers from NYC. After spending most of the day doing standard labor (bringing materials up a ladder, putting down roofing material and stomping down on it after they hit it with a blowtorch, etc) they wanted me to stand on a 2-inch-wide beam that was rotten and slick from rain- VISIBLY unstable- WITH NO RESTRAINTS OR SAFETY EQUIPMENT WHATSOEVER- and they wanted me to stand on it and use a sledgehammer to smash out as much decaying roof as I could, until I hit a point where the roof was solid again.
I told the guy I wasn’t cut out for that type of work. He told me to quit being an upstate v*gina. I told him to find a downstate p*nis because someone is going to die under their tutelage and I’m not going to let it be me.
He refused to pay me for the 6 hours of intense physical labor I’d already worked and I had to panhandle to get bus fare back… but I didn’t die…
Basic restaurant server job, I was in college. The drive was kinda long, and as a college student that matters a lot. I was mostly getting a job due to feeling like I was inadequate if I didn’t have one.
So I go buy the black clothes required and show up. But the clothes weren’t black enough, due to having a gray lining around the button-up shirt’s collar and cuffs on the *inside* of the shirt. It barely peeked through under certain angles. They told me to leave and come back when the clothes fit their requirements.
