Employees quit jobs for pretty strange reasons
“Why did you leave your last job?” is a question can strike fear in even the most confident job seeker. But you're definitely going to hear it during your next interview.
A stronger economy often gives workers greater courage to change jobs, but the reasons for people leaving vary sharply, including the simply wacky, according to a new OfficeTeam survey.
When pressed, here are just a few of the truly lame reasons people offer before packing it in:
- "One person left because she lost her cell phone too many times at work."
- "An employee said it was his routine to change jobs every six months."
- "A guy said he was making too much money and didn't feel he was worth it."
- "One person left because she didn't want to work so hard."
- "Someone quit because work was getting in the way of having fun."
- "The worker told us he just couldn't get up in the morning."
- "An individual did not like the sound of file cabinets being slammed."
- "A person quit because he hated the carpet."
If you are going to leave, at least do it properly, OfficeTeam recommends. Be sure to
Give proper notice. Tell your boss about your departure first so he or she doesn't hear it through the grapevine. Providing two weeks notice is standard, but if your schedule is flexible, offer to stay longer to train a replacement.
Get things in order. Supply written instructions to team members on projects and make sure they have access to the tools and information needed to complete assignments.
Stay positive. Take the time to say goodbye and thank you to colleagues. Provide your contact information and reach out to those with whom you'd like to keep in touch.
Don't slack off. Use your last weeks on the job to complete as much work as possible on outstanding projects. You want to be remembered as a strong contributor to the end.
Talk before you walk. Participate in an exit interview if it's offered. Be honest with your feedback, but keep it constructive and professional. Your comments and suggestions could potentially help to improve the workplace.
Realize also that before you turn in your notice, you need to do some cleaning up and clearing out, says job-search expert Susan Joyce. Aside from your desk and personal space, collect your old performance reviews and other personnel records and take them home.
What prompted you to leave your last job? Did you walk out in a huff or take the time to set the record straight?
By Gordon Powers, MSN Money
Posted by: SP | May 16, 2021 1:02:49 PM
I left my last job because the cost (time & money)of commuting into the downtown office got too high. I felt my life was worth more than the extra $10, 000 I'd earn after taxes.
As for the "lame reasons" Let's reword them and see if they still seem lame.
Cellphone ... Theft is rampant in the office and my personal posessions get stolen and the company doesn't care.
Routine to change jobs. Person works in sales and hops from job to job to rapidly increase their pool of contacts.
Not worth the income. .. Feels unsure of how money is being earned and wants to leave before a massive fraud is uncovered and laid at their feet.
Didn't want to work so hard.... Physically demanding job that is rapdily destroying their joints and they didn't want to end up disabled in their early 40's
Work getting in the way of fun... Can't drink or make plans because of repeated call in's and middle of the night call in's for endless problems.
Worker couldn't get up in the morning... Person suffering from clinical depression brought on by working excessive hours (research it, you might learn something about excessive work hours).
Didn't like the sound of file cabinets being slammed.. .. Workplace bullying taking the form of slamming cabinets above and behind the head of the unsuspecting victim.
Person hated the carpet... Other employee's bringing in incontinent pets covered in mud leaving the office unhealthy and filthy.
It is funny how the presentation of facts can reflect on these 'work-shy' layabouts.
Posted by: John | May 16, 2021 5:19:59 PM
@SP... I love your spin on thing!!!
Posted by: Frank | May 17, 2021 8:17:29 AM
Can hardly say there's anything wrong with the economy if people feel confident enough to quit a job for reasons like this even if they can be reworded to be legitimate. More than likely Mom and Dad are financially backing up junior. Bed, roof, food and water. Take one of the 4 away and see how fast these people will quit a job.
Posted by: Nicole | May 17, 2021 10:54:22 AM
@ Frank........."More than likely Mom and Dad are financially backing up junior. Bed, roof, food and water. Take one of the 4 away and see how fast these people will quit a job."
I love how you assume "Junior" is the only person that would up and quit a job, for a possibly lame reason, in what are considered tough economic times. Being in my mid twenties and having worked full time since I was 16 (not relying on my parents for anything since I turned 18), I have met far more people of an older more "mature" age that have, or would have, done something similar to what's mentioned here.
While I do agree that there are entirely too many young people in this day and age whose lack of work ethic and sense of entitlement is astonishing, let's not jump to the conclusion that they are the only group of people capable of such childishness.
Posted by: EJ | May 17, 2021 3:27:06 PM
I agree with SP....when you get down to the potential reasons behind, it might not be all it looks like. But, it certainly does make a good story. It isn't always about lazy or unmotivated or entitlement. I think everyone is entitled to be treated with a certain amount of respect and dignity...but it is not always there. This results in 'lame' reasons to leave a job. Not so lame if you knew the back story.
Posted by: Claire | May 17, 2021 7:29:09 PM
Frank: Stop being so ignorant. I am 33 years old and quit a job I hated three months ago. If i hadn't made the leap, and yes - went into some debt because of it, I wouldn't have found the dream job that I am now in. Mom and Dad did NOT finance a penny, nor did I go on EI. If I had waited to find a job before I left, I would have picked the first job that came along because I was desperate to leave and would have been in the same situation. Job satisfaction is important, as is work-life balance. People of all ages realize that - from junior to senior. And...btw...judging by the ignorance of your comment, the 'juniors' that you speak of likely have more intelligence than you.
Posted by: Euro | May 18, 2021 2:11:48 AM
I left my job at the airport because I couldn't take my vacation. I got moved to a different department after letting my employers know about a colleague that was stealing from them. This resulted in me not being able to take my 2 week vacation after a year and few months of working there because all the "vacation slots" were filled until winter in that department. Anyways, my hours got cut, the thief was asked to quit because they were there for a few years and they didn't have the heart to fire them, even after they caught them red handed. I came in to work on my days off whenever they called me in because my manager told me that it is a must and there will be consequences if I didn't. I was under a lot of stress, and even when working 4 hours there on some days, it can get really exhausting mentally because you come in contact with such (pardon my language) douchebag passengers. I did not get any flight benefits because we did not work directly for the company and they only paid me 50 cents more than minimum wage. Can I mention my reason for quitting my last job at my next job interview? I dont think so because my excuse might be considered lame and get put into an article like this.
Posted by: yvette | May 23, 2021 5:14:18 PM
its all fabricated stories to make people look bad in the public eye but the real truth is dissatisfaction of wages and intimidation of workers.....whether they are canadians or not there is always behind the story....and its a common trend nowadays in looking for a job that, its who you know than what you know? and its getting a pattern these days of family working in one company...there is no more the theory of conflict of interest and abused....