Not every job is a perfect fit, but you know a job is really bad when someone doesn't even last a month at it. These workers became fed up with the dirty conditions, the lack of safety, the irritating coworkers, or the terrible bosses, so they decided their best course of action was to leave while they still had the chance.
(Content has been edited for clarity)
Her Manager’s Little Tantrum Convinced Her This Wasn’t The Place For Her
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“I worked in Claire’s for one day. At the end of the shift, my manager asked me to put a bucket load of tiny earring packages back on the walls. A few hours later, I finished and apparently had misplaced a few of them, so she threw all of them to the floor and said to do it again. NOPE!”
“About Half Of The Guys Were Missing At Least part Of A Finger”
“It was a shop that refurbished train suspension hydraulics. About half of the guys were missing at least part of a finger, the maintenance guy was missing four on one hand and one and a half on another. Half the guys were high, and the guy training me stormed out halfway through the second day.
I was like yeah, I’m just going to dip out now.”
He Recognized A Familiar, Yet Troubling, Symbol
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“I was 22 and living in New York City. I was young and dumb. I got an interview for a so-called job in finance. I was invited to a big fancy hall in a midtown hotel for the interview. There had to be a couple of hundred people there. Well, the lights dimmed, the projector turned on, and the guy started talking about money and money management. Then a single human icon appears on the screen…then two under the single one…then three under those two.
Mother clucker, it’s a pyramid scheme! I walked right out. Screw Primerica and their hiding under the Citi umbrella logo.”
She Was Only 16, But That Didn’t Stop The Couple From Trying To Seduce Her
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“I work as a nanny. But when I first got into childcare, I was just babysitting. So it was my first night babysitting for this one family, things went well. I just changed some diapers, put the baby to sleep, and that was about it.
Parents came home and were wasted. They asked me to stay for a little while after they got back which was weird. Then they offered me, a 16-year-old at the time, a drink. Feeling a little pressured, I took it and just sipped on it.
Then the mom got close to me and said I probably shouldn’t be driving home after having a drink. Once again, feeling a little pressured, I was thinking about accepting the offer. So I asked if I’d just be sleeping on the couch.
I’ll never forget her next words to me. She said, ‘Oh no, honey. You’ll be going to bed with us.’
I noped out of there so fast! I think I ran to my car, but it was just a panicked blur. I left my purse there and everything.
After I got home, my mom asked me how it went, and I said it just wasn’t going work out. I was afraid my mom would be mad at me for drinking if I told her what happened, so I never did.
The next day, I asked my mom to go by and pick up my purse. I acted like it just slipped my mind. I was lucky my keys weren’t in my purse that day.
I’ve told friends, but that’s it. They texted me a few times after the event asking if I could babysit and potentially stay the night again. I just ignored them.”
She Was More Prepared For The Interview Than They Were
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“I had an interview at a large state correctional facility to be a nurse. I came with a sheet of paper full of questions and a pencil. I had a lot of questions to figure out whether the insane pay was worth my time. I was interviewed by an HR employee and some lady with a fancy title who wasn’t even a nurse and was not even the manager of the nurses. I have no idea why she interviewed me. Once they were done interviewing me, I whipped out my long list and my pencil. I could see nervousness wash over their faces. They could hardly answer any of my questions, the answers they did give for some of my questions were mediocre. The only question they could answer with certainty was this one:
Me: ‘I have been told that the nurses can be mandated to work up to 24 hours. How often are nurses being mandated?’
HR: ‘Well, it’s happening quite often. But that’s why we are interviewing you! We are hoping to change that!’
That concluded my questions. I still had quite a few more, but after hearing that I was like, NOPE. The lady with the fancy title could see I had many more questions written down when I began to fold up my sheet of paper and put it away. She looked so defeated. The pair acted like they’d never been questioned during an interview before, and maybe they hadn’t. I would think any nurse interviewing at a prison would at least make a mental list of questions to ask.
They offered me a job the following evening. Obviously, that was a big, fat, ‘Heck no!'”
His Would-Be-Boss’s Temper Didn’t Make A Good Impression
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“I wanted something part-time when I was at university. I applied for at the local cinema chain and got an interview. It was one of those high turnover places that meant if you got an interview, there was a 95-percent chance you got a job.
The guy in the box office radioed to his manager when I arrived and was told to take me to room 7. We got to room 7 and waited. And waited. And waited. About 25 minutes passed before the manager started screaming abuse over the radio because we were not in room 2.
So off to room 2 we went. It was all the way on the other side of the building (15 screen cinema). The manager started trying to turn on the charm for me, and I said, ‘If that’s how you treat your employees in front a job candidate, there is no way I am ever working for you,’ and asked the other guy to show me out.
I’m sure it made no difference to his behavior, but it saved me a lot a potential abuse.”
She Was Immediately Put Off By The Husband
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“Back in college, I used to work part-time as a nanny. One summer, I landed a sweet-sounding 40 hour/week (Monday-Friday) nannying job, looking after a baby and toddler.
I was super excited about all the money I was going to make working that many hours, but the weird thing about this job was that the unemployed dad was also going to be at home with me. He was supposed to be spending all his time looking for a job, and I was watching the kids while the wife was at work.
That first week, on day two or three, he started hinting about his marriage problems and how his wife sleeps on the couch. The next day, he asked me to try out his fancy new massage chair. I reluctantly agreed, and he just stared at me while I laid on this vibrating chair and was like ‘…Oh yeah, nice, great, thanks.’
He then offered to give me an actual massage sometime, and maybe I wouldn’t mind giving him one too?
On Friday afternoon, I went home, told my parents (who I was living with for the summer) everything, and my mom called the guy and told him I wasn’t coming back the following Monday or ever. He then sent me a text saying he was ‘disappointed in me.’
Ugh. And his poor wife.”
His Father Was Having A Heart Attack, But His Boss Couldn’t Care Less
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“I was 18 and working at Blockbuster. I was helping the manager before opening shift by getting new items stocked on the shelves that came in that morning. My mom called me and told me that my dad had a heart attack and she was panicking while waiting for the ambulance. Why did she call me at work to tell me this? The Blockbuster I worked at was in a strip mall type area behind my cul-de-sac. My house and the Blockbuster were separated by a small alley and a three-minute walk. I told my manager what was happening and asked if I could leave to help my mom while they waited for the ambulance. She said no. I just stood there looking at her, thinking she couldn’t be serious. I would be gone for all of 10 minutes and back helping her if needed. She stressed how important it was to get the things done that needed to be done and I could only leave if I called around to the other workers and found someone to come in and cover for me while I was gone. I took off my name tag, slammed it on the counter, and walked out. I never went back for any reason. For any who might wonder, my dad came out fine, though he was in the hospital for a few days.”
She Did A Little Digging Online And Realized She Almost Made A Huge Mistake
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“I applied for a graphic design from home job. I nailed the interview and had absolute confidence I could provide this dude what he was asking for.
I got the job, and the first thing he said was to take a rather large check that would be mailed to me and buy my equipment. It was supposed to be from a special vendor that was to engrave the laptop and provide software.
It was a scam. I looked up his business on Google, rather than through the link he sent me. I found the exact same crappy website with dozens of different CEOs.
I told him to not send me a check and that I was not longer interested. The check was going to be fake, and the money I would be sending to the vendor would end up being my own once the bank found out.
This was a legit job posting on LinkedIn that was from a premium member who had a company page on the site with a physical location. I’m used to working with small businesses, so nothing seemed out of place aside from his very odd English.”
His Manager Had Interesting Ideas About Customer Service
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“I was 19 and started work at a LubePros oil change shop.
My manager was a 24-year-old guy who, within the first hour of me working there, bragged about hanging around the trails near a local high school and beating up 14 and 15-year olds for their money and illegal substances.
He also said that if I’m cleaning out a car and I find illegal substances or if I see pills, to take them and give it to him. He had a racket where he would steal illegal things from people’s cars and threaten to call the cops if they didn’t let him keep it.
I left at the end of my shift, called the corporate number and quit, telling them everything this guy was doing.
Drove by there the next morning and a cop was questioning him. The place closed a few months later.”
He Was Fine With Finishing The Game, But Not Under Those Terms
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“I was interviewing for a contract position at a small game development company, and they told me they were looking for someone to help finish up an existing project.
The game looked like it was made in MS Paint. As if they had just hired some random guy off the street and asked them to make some art for them. Granted, it was a mobile game and sold for the standard 99 cents, so maybe that’s not the worst, but the game itself doesn’t look engaging at all either. But I figure, worst comes to worst I could make some money on the side with some low-effort work.
Then they told me that my pay would be a percentage of the sales. Noped right out of that one.”
She Expected To Have To Sell Greeting Cards, But The Other Requests Were Too Much
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“I worked at a Major Greeting Card Store to make a few extra bucks (already worked at Major Retailer-Mart and Major Grocery Store).
On the first day, I sat through several videos. Each of them encouraged me to follow customers throughout the store and suggest they purchase laser-cut cards (which were apparently all the rage at the time). When I came back to the floor for my training, the manager encouraged me to adopt a hand signal to show the cashier so I could discreetly show them that I was responsible for the sale of that particular card.
Then, before I left, the manager asked to frisk me as a part of Major Greeting Card Company’s policy to reduce employee-based shrinkage. When I said I didn’t think that was entirely appropriate, they said a pat down or a search of purses/bookbags was a condition of employment.
So, I walked out the door.”
None Of That Was In The Job Description
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“Three days after my two-week training. That’s how long I lasted.
I was supposed to be a seasonal temp worker for a national propane company. The job distribution and training consisted of taking calls off-hours for people who wanted refills and acting as a messenger service, referring their contact info their local ‘store’ when they opened the next day. Easy-Peasey.
When I got out onto the floor, I found I was expected to be a dispatcher for drivers AND ALSO FIRST POINT OF CONTACT FOR ALL EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. Things I had never been so much as briefed on in training.
The first shift I had to field a call from a local police officer who was on site to a horrific propane truck crash. I got to wake the guy’s district manager in the dead of night, tell him his worker was dead, and the overturned truck was blocking a few lines of the freeway, and the police were trying to get a hold of him.
That was just the start: A customer got the smell of garlic and eggs in the house? I got the call. (What do I do next, Miss Dispatcher? ‘Heck if I know. Get out of the house ASAP?’) CO detector is going off? I got the call. (Instead of 911 for some reason?!)
I had ZERO interest in being an underpaid, not-trained emergency dispatcher. It’s the only job I took off on without giving a two-week notice. I was nice enough to finish out my shift on the third day, but that was it.”
He Was Told To Expect His Coworkers To Try And “Get Him In Trouble”
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“I went to my orientation at a boot factory. They’re government contracted and pay minimum wage, so I figured I’d work there awhile and look for something better.
After we did the usual paperwork signing and such, we were taken as a group onto the factory floor for a tour. It was hot, it was crowded, it stunk, and everyone working looked annoyed by our presence. Okay, I guess not everyone loves their job right? No biggie, I’m sure this won’t be so bad.
Then our guide informed us in no uncertain terms that our coworkers quite often give new people bad information to get them in trouble or make them mess up. They’d even be the ones to rat you out. Then we’re told that our foreman is the type to yell for no reason, ask people if they’ve been drinking in an accusatory way for no reason, and is a giant jerk.
I took a few moments to think after these last revelations, said, ‘Nah.’ And walked out of the building without a word to anyone. Screw that noise, Captain. I’m not putting up with all of that for $8 and some change an hour.”
His Strict Rules For His Children Crossed Several Lines For The Nanny
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“I’m a nanny. I once had the father tell me that all of his children, ages 13 through 1, had to strip naked and be spanked on their butts across my knee for breaking any rules. Rules included spilling anything) even water), being loud, failure to obey any command instantly, basically being children was a punishable offense.
I called Child Services and noped the heck out.”
They Pulled A Classic Bait And Switch And Just Hoped He’d Go Along With It
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“I went into an office for an interview. They said they had several positions available and I wanted to do some administration stuff. Welp, after the interview they told me to get in a van to do the next part of the process. We drove an hour away so I could shadow one of their door to door salespeople. They would ask residents to go into their basement to check their hot water heaters to see if they were eligible to replace them with their company’s own. I felt pretty uncomfortable about this and felt pretty ticked my whole day was gone doing this. The worst part was the girl I was shadowing spent half the day sitting around in the truck reading magazines and waiting for people to come home from work. I was asking questions about the job, and she got defensive and said, ‘Well I decide if you get this job or not,’ to which I replied, yeah I don’t know if I want to do this. But she kept insisting that it was her who decided if I worked. I don’t think she understood I meant that I didn’t want to do this crap… Freaking waste of a day.”
This Guy Was All About The Booty
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“I got a job at a factory that made cardboard cutouts or the cardboard for cutouts. It was a first shift job had to be up at 4 a.m., and was off by 4 p.m. The guy that I was paired with to show me the ropes was this hillbilly dude who just talked about eating the boss’ daughter’s booty all day and what he did to his wife’s booty. I was only there a day and a half. I left at lunch break of the second day.”
Their “Shady Business Practices” Could Have Messed Up His Career
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“I was hired as an intern manager for a local non-profit recycling plant. This meant I would hire and train interns for this ‘amazing’ work opportunity. It turns out for them ‘interns’ meant working for free doing everything for the organization event and marketing wise while also cleaning the bathroom and taking out the trash for the whole place every week. That’s super illegal for being way too close for slave labor. I was on contract for minimum six months, but I managed to get out of it after two. I ain’t risking my career for their shady business practices.
While yes it is legal for non-profits to have unpaid interns and give them a level of responsibility, this place had no marketing or event planning staff and relied on interns to be able to do the jobs and have the quality of a professional. Besides always being hounded by the CEO that the interns who had no experience or training weren’t producing the same quality of work someone who’s been in the industry for at least a few years this does enter a gray area where even a full non-profit may be protected.”
This Is Why You Shouldn’t Hire People Under False Pretenses
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“I went into work night shift. I was told I would be made management after six months and was supposed to be trained by the night shift manager as he was retiring.
Said manager looked at me and said, ‘You’ve had retail experience before?’
Me: ‘Yes.’
Him: ‘OK great. Here are the codes to do anything you need to with the register. I’m not supposed to give them to you, but here they are. Don’t call me for anything or I will fire you. Use the bathroom right now, and I’ll be back to relieve you in two hours.’
The night shift manager was about 30, which I found strange as how the heck would he be retiring? So after coming back from the bathroom, I asked him, ‘Are you retiring?’
He looked directly at me and said, ‘No. They tell everyone that to get people on night shift.’
I looked at him and said, ‘They shouldn’t lie.’
He replied, ‘Why not? We need people.’
Almost laughing, I said, ‘Here’s why.’ I proceeded to walk straight out the front door while saying, ‘I quit.'”
They Couldn’t Answer One Simple Question For Him
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“I was being recruited to do College Painters Pro, one of those groups that supposedly teach college kids how to start a house painting business over the summer. Throughout the entire group interview, he kept talking about how independent we’d be and wouldn’t have a boss and such followed immediately by comments of ‘with our commission, of course.’ I asked him three times what exactly they, the company, were for if I could just do everything myself. He never had an answer, so I went to take a bathroom break and just left. Pretty sure that group is a scam. Please tell your friends because I see them recruiting at every college this time of year.”