Woops! I Think I Quit My Job..

[Reef Papi]

Im going to try to keep this as short as possible so I apologize in advance if the story reads like a novel. But I think its funny and its a true story too that just happened to me today. But here it is...

Let me start by saying that I work in the San Diego area for a pretty large non-profit organization, and I make pretty decent money. Im paid on a salary and the skills required for this job are highly specialized so its not something that you can just apply for off the streets.

Now back to today. Today was just a normal 8 hour work day. Nothing special, the usual hustle and bustle and everyday scenarios. But what caught me off guard is that right before I left for the day my "boss" told me that he wanted to meet with me tomorrow morning at 10am at the corporate office. ???. I was completely shook. First of all, my company NEVER makes their employees drive to the corporate office. Second, the company is EXTREMELY strict on making sure that you work a FULL 8 hour work day. So for them to ask me to come in a 10am, when I normally come in at 8am, was very odd. And third, if anybody has ever seen the movie Office Space, companies usually always fire people on a Friday, and im sure you all know what day tomorrow is. So I started to worry a bit. To make things worse I told my boss that I had an appointment with a client tomorrow morning and he said "dont worry about it, itll be taken care of for you".

Alright so at this point im driving home and I started getting all these thoughts in my head of being fired. Ive NEVER been fired before and lately my boss has brought up to me a few complaints from clients which I personally thought was not my fault. In a moment of stupidity, I made the decision that I had to play this like a game of chess, and right now my Queen was stuck in a rut. So what did I decide to do? I decided to play it smart and make a drastic move right this moment, I decided to resign before getting fired. So in an instant my phone was dialing my bosses cell number and he picked up. I started talking about how I love working there and its a great job but that its not right for me and that Ive found a better job so I needed to resign. My boss says "is that what you want?". I say "yes it is". He says "ok well Ill accept your verbal resignation, we can still talk tomorrow morning at 10am and if thats something you still want to do then you can submit it in writing." I said "ok" and hung up the phone.

But it gets better...

Immediately Im not thinking of how Im going to support my kids, or pay the rent, or eat. Im thinking about all the reef equipment I WONT be able to afford anymore because of this (thats how you know this hobby is a hell of a sickness). So in a moment of clarity I came up with the idea of calling my coworker who has been with the company for many years to see if he knows whats going on. So I call him up, explained what happened, and he cuts me off mid-way and says "oh yeah man, they did that to me a few months back too... they call you in one day and basically just ask you stupid things like 'is there anything we can do to improve your work environment?' and 'how can we help you be a better employee with this company'.. its complete b.s. but hey youre still getting paid to listen to them yap, you just have to sit there and sign papers saying that you understand the hardships of the job and then you go back to work." LOL!

So not only do I feel like a complete jack @$$, but even IF my boss lets me un-resign then itll be super awkward because now he thinks that dont think this job is right for me and that ive been looking for another job already. Admittedly I dont plan on staying there, but I also am not dumb enough to resign before actually securing another job somewhere else. So this is where im at right now. So tomorrow morning when you guys look at the clock and see 10am hit.. send a few prayers my way, I think ill need it. :o

[DaChrisDude]

Wow, lol.

If you're on friendly terms with your boss, the best thing might be to simply tell him the truth -ie that you thought you were being fired and make it into an awkward joke. That certainly wouldn't work for everyone, but depending on your boss it might be the best way.

Good luck!

[SolRo]

Pretty much should have realized you weren't getting fired when he said you could talk about it at 10am tomorrow before getting it in writing.


Hmmm, maybe tell em tomorrow that you had a bad week, you over-reacted, and thought you were going to get fired tomorrow?

I don't know if there's a better way to explain it than that.

[barometer]

OMG! You know what they say about assuming...
Well I bet it seems worse to you than it actually is. Honesty is the best answer man, just tell it like it is like the others said. Most should understand that feeling of "man I might get fired", maybe even your boss. Best of luck with it :)

[coral diver]

Well for me since i have employee under me i could understand your dilema you could always be honest to him after you find out what it is that he what from you tell him what went in to your mind tonight on your way home before you called him and made a total #@$!& of your self that is if he did not fire you

[Reef Papi]

Pretty much should have realized you weren't getting fired when he said you could talk about it at 10am tomorrow before getting it in writing..

See, I had already thought about that too. And the first thing that came to mind was that they wanted to fire me ASAP meaning im terminated THAT day (I figured this was the case because they didnt want me to even work a full day tomorrow). And by resigning they might have to keep me for the 2-weeks since its in their policy to give 2 week notice periods. So I was thinking they just wanted to talk about having me quit that day and not doing the 2 weeks.

[SolRo]

OMG! You know what they say about assuming...
Well I bet it seems worse to you than it actually is. Honesty is the best answer man, just tell it like it is like the others said. Most should understand that feeling of "man I might get fired", maybe even your boss. Best of luck with it


That's what I'm thinking...if it's a big company, and your boss has been around for a while...the same situation may have happened before.

[Reef Papi]

I should also add that since my company is a private organization its run pretty casually and everyone there is pretty close. So Im sure by tomorrow afternoon itll be Headline news.

[SolRo]

See, I had already thought about that too. And the first thing that came to mind was that they wanted to fire me ASAP meaning im terminated THAT day (I figured this was the case because they didnt want me to even work a full day tomorrow). And by resigning they might have to keep me for the 2-weeks since its in their policy to give 2 week notice periods. So I was thinking they just wanted to talk about having me quit that day and not doing the 2 weeks.

I dunno man, if they are planning to fire you tomorrow, I don't think they will give you 2 more weeks just because you resign before they have a chance to axe you.

[FlipCyd]

I think you should use your "this job isn't for me" and give some insight to what could make it a job you would enjoy. Remember what we talked about the other day, you only have a few more months. Hang in there Roland, the same thing happened to me before I got the call.

[Techknowledgy]

Just go in there and tell him the truth. Make sure you begin with, "you know boss, I have been talking this over with my wife and ........." You can always un-resign. It costs money for anyone to lose good employees.

[marineman1978]

Thats a crazy day. You should just tell your boss like it happened and hope he's cool with it. Definatly need keep the fingers crossed.

[afitzwater]

Wow that sucks, I think your best bets gonna be honesty... just tell him the truth...

I wish you the best of luck...

[dbrooks]

Tell him to F-OFF! Jobs are a dime-a-dozen in San Diego...even spacialized jobs.

Look for the silver lining...been there - done that.

[TaxGuru44]

I don't want to sound cynical but here goes..

I work at a CPA firm (and we actually audit and provide tax services to MANY NFPs). Anyways, Things here are pretty political and pretty cut-throat. You're problem is even if you come 100% clean, (which is the ethical thing to do) and I am assuming I were your boss, I would still want you removed because if I knew that an employee would just run off and quit @ the first sign of trouble why should he/she be a part of the firm?

Anyways your best bet would be to say that you were under some heavy pressure with "domestic issues". Domestic problems NEVER get questioned. And that you would love to remain a part of the team and that this is really what you love to do..then go into what the not-for-profit provides to the community, blah, blah...

THIS WILL SAVE YOUR JOB, I PROMISE. Don't think of all this as lying, you are trying to feed yourself and your family..not to mention your beloved reef.


P.S. So if you didn't want to get fired, why would you resign??? :confused:

But then again this is all just a tax accountant's $0.02

[malachai629]

I vote you hear him out and then, grinning, explain that you resigned bc you were certain you were to be fired. You'll be fine, it'll blow over, nothing is ever as big a deal as it seems in the beginning.

[mazilla]

tell him the truth. i wouldnt make you resign if i didnt want you gone, i would just laugh about it. like i'm laughing now :)

[Therapy]

Whats the "rules" on that? Can you collect unemployment if you quit a job? What if you are fired from a job, can you collect it then?
Can he make you quit a job over a verbal resignation over the phone, dont they need to have it in writing?
Go into work tomorrow like nothing happened. When the boss says you quit yesterday say WHAT? I did no such thing?!!! Phone converastion, what phone conversation??!!

[Reef Papi]

P.S. So if you didn't want to get fired, why would you resign??? :confused:

I resigned because I truly believe that the one thing we carry with ourselves as we move through our career paths is our reputation. And being fired has such a negative connotation to it that it could ruin all chances for a better job in the future.

Resigning on the other hand can be a result of a variety of reasons some of which can have a positive connotation if the circumstances are right (like if I resigned because the business practices were unethical or immoral, etc.)

Thank you all for the words of wisdom. Im really taking in the general consensus here and have been planning out the conversation tomorrow. Im just trying not to over-think it too much because thats exactly what landed me in this trouble in the first place.

[Reef Papi]

Whats the "rules" on that? Can you collect unemployment if you quit a job? What if you are fired from a job, can you collect it then?
Can he make you quit a job over a verbal resignation over the phone, dont they need to have it in writing?
Go into work tomorrow like nothing happened. When the boss says you quit yesterday say WHAT? I did no such thing?!!! Phone converastion, what phone conversation??!!

I think you cannot collect unemployment if you resign but you can if youve been laid-off or fired under certain circumstances. But I honestly would rather resign than collect unemployment because certain government jobs (like two that I have applied for recently) actually ask you if you have ever received public assistance in any form. And im not sure why they ask you that but it cant possibly be seen as a good thing.

[swissfish]

But I honestly would rather resign than collect unemployment because certain government jobs (like two that I have applied for recently) actually ask you if you have ever received public assistance in any form. And im not sure why they ask you that but it cant possibly be seen as a good thing.

there is a big difference between being fired and layed off. Everybody will get layed off at one point in a career. To be fired the company must have good reasons. For laying someone off they don't.
Fired=no unemployment. Layed off=unemployment
Unemployment is not public assistance. You and your boss are paying into a fund every month (look at your deductions on your paycheck). It is like an insurance, If you need it it is there if you don't the money is gone.

[marineman1978]

10 am is coming. keep us posted!

[Reef Papi]

there is a big difference between being fired and layed off. Everybody will get layed off at one point in a career. To be fired the company must have good reasons. For laying someone off they don't.
Fired=no unemployment. Layed off=unemployment
Unemployment is not public assistance. You and your boss are paying into a fund every month (look at your deductions on your paycheck). It is like an insurance, If you need it it is there if you don't the money is gone.

I know the difference between being laid-off and fired. And unemployment insurance is not directly deducted from an employees paycheck, thats social security. The funding from unemployment insurance comes from the taxes you and your employer pay to the government. So, technically yes it is being deducted from your paycheck, but paying taxes is mandatory and there isnt a pre-determined amount specifically deducted for unemployment insurance.

[Reef Papi]

10 am is coming. keep us posted!

Im about to leave right now, wish me luck :o

[victortrav]

well i wish you the best of luck got about an hour till resign / unresign. ive got a similar story but with a happier ending.
This was a while back i am a drafter in the civil engineering field.
I went in to work all dressed up shirt tie and such. and im a casual guy all jeans and t-shirts. But i had no clean clothes at all except the nice stuff. Well while i was working my boss came to me and asked why i was all dressed up. I am a pratical joker to the end. I would be the guy that pulls the chair from under you as you sit down. Well i tell him that i found a new job that they were not living up to my expectations. I was waiting on a raise that the company was taking forever to give me. Well i tell my boss that they kept giving me the run around on my raise and that it was not fair so i am leaving. All this came out of my mouth with out any thought what so ever. He tells me wait right there he needs to go talk to the VP. Then it dawns on me. Holy sh#$ i just quit my job. if i fess up im certain to get fired, ive made my bed time to take a nap. So my boss comes back takes me up to the big office. Him and the VP set me down and start talking to me asking me what the problem is and such. And all i can think is holy sh*& i just quit my job, cuz i dont have clean laundry. Well i stick to my story that they made me promises that they dont seem to want to keep. After about a half hour of them talking to me and me being scared as hell. I walk out with an awesome raise, and a strong desire to either throw out all my casual clothes or get an extra washer and dryer. I never did admit to them what really happend. But man talk about your stress level. What i did learn or i should have learned is "dont pull out a gun unless you are willing to fire it." and careful not to shoot your own foot off !!!

[JediReef]

Just tell him the truth.. You guys can laugh about it..

[marineman1978]

thats funny. Glad it worked out. I think Im going to dress up Monday :)

[marineman1978]

Just tell him the truth.. You guys can laugh about it..

that depends on how cool his boss is.

[Reef Papi]

UPDATE TO THREAD TITLE: College Educated & Hard-Working Individual w/ Experience in Eligibility and Training.

So I just got out of the "meeting" and I wont spoil it for you so here is how the whole thing played out.

Receptionist: "Ok theyre ready for you"

Me: "Ok thank you"

(I walk into the conference room, its completely silent)

Unknown Person: "So I spoke to (my boss) and he says you have expressed your desire to move on from this employment with your resignation and we accept. You can give your resignation letter to me now or mail it."

Me: "...."

Unknown Person: "We wont ask any questions and we dont give any explanations to future employers that might have inquiries. It seems you gave a pretty detailed account to (my boss) yesterday evening so we can make this as simple as possible. Im sorry that you feel this employment wasnt fit for you and we wish you the best of luck."

Me: "......................"

My Boss: "......................."

Unknown Person: ".......*cough*..........."

Me: "Ok, thank you."

(I exit the room and cannot believe that I just resigned...)

So thats that people. I know a lot of you expressed some real advice here on this thread and I appreciate it. Unfortunately the man upstairs just decided that it was time for me to move on to other things, so thats that.

On the bright side, I do have an interview tomorrow morning that ive been aware of for about 2 weeks now. The only downside is that its a county position and its specialized so even if the interview is successful I dont plan on being hired anytime within the next few months.

[marineman1978]

wow. didn't expect that. well GL.

[mattstr]

I've been following this thread, and just got done reading the update. Made me nauseous (for real) reading the account of the meeting...that is horrible. I think we all figured it would end up being no big deal...I'm pretty surprised. I hope things turn out well as you move forward.

So you deal with eligibility? I have no idea where you work or exactly what field you are in, but if it has anything to do with medical/insurance eligibility, please send me a PM...I may be able to help.

-Matt

[DaChrisDude]

dang...

GL with a new job...

[jblaze]

Does this thread confuse anyone else? He is doing nothing wrong but assumes they are going to fire him so he quits, regrets his decision but does nothing to fix it.

[Reef Papi]

Does this thread confuse anyone else? He is doing nothing wrong but assumes they are going to fire him so he quits, regrets his decision but does nothing to fix it.


I never said I did nothing wrong. I actually specifically stated that my boss had spoken to me about a few client complaints in the past few weeks but I didnt want to make the story any longer so I decided not to go into detail about what the clients complained about, and what exactly was discussed between my boss and I in the past few weeks. Also I didnt want to go into detail about the company or the type of work I did because that would be foolish.

Yes, I did jump the gun on the purpose of the meeting today. But from what I know about the company they are very strict and very disciplinary. Furthermore it is a privately owned company so they arent bound to any rules or regulations when terminating an employee. And I had not been with the company long enough to know what was going on. After talking to my coworker he admitted that he thought he was being axed too when he first went in for the meeting.

About not doing anything.. what could I have done? When I called up my coworker and found out what the meeting was really about it was late in the evening. I wasnt going to call my boss back in the middle of the night and make things worse. The meeting was still going to take place in the morning the next day so I figured I would let things calm down and talk about it then. I had no clue they would handle it the way they did.

[dbrooks]

What happened to the "F-OFF" part!? That's the best part about quitting a job!

No big deal. Pick yourself up and dust yourself off...there are TONS of jobs available in San Diego for professionals.

There is a silver lining to everything...again, been there, done that.

[Techknowledgy]

Someone I respect very much told me two things about life that stick and are appropriate.
1. You can love your job but your job won't love you back.
2. When one door closes another door opens, but it is hell in the hallway.

Hang in there. You have a new full time job, it is finding a new job. Are you on LinkedIN? If not I can send you an invitation. Just need your real email address.

[Yolo]

We have all been there from the "I quit" to the tape the key on the desk and leave. Lots of opportunity out there for people who show up on time, have a good attitude, and show a genuine interest in what they are doing.

Sepnd as much time looking for a new job as you did working in one and you will be back at it in no time. Get up at the usual time, get dressed, and if you have to, go to the Public Library or Kinkos (your new office) and get going.

Its a numbers game...for every 100 you put out there you get 10 interviews, etc.

Good Luck

m

[malachai629]

*Numbed with Shock*

Yeah, I didn't expect that outcome either. However, every time I've ever been in any situation which left me separated from ym job, it's always ended up being a gentle push towards a better direction . . . turn it into a positive, that's all you can do. Best of luck to you, buddy.

[j_electric]

roland
hope everything works out for you I was let go from a very well known
utility comp. here in town and the best part of that is when i went ape $%^#
in the office it probaly was not very professional of me but damm it made me feel so good! ,I've grown up from that behavior now and feel much better about what I do and I make more money now then I would of been there
so dont worry everything works out in the end

[Nick_Kun]

roland. tsh tsh tsh

[pirate2876]

youll be ok man.i was in your shoes not even a week ago.i now have 2 jobs, with one of them being a dream position at the exact place i wanted to work.it will get better,you just have to go bust your a$$ and get something you really want to do.

[Reef Papi]

Thanks everyone, wish me luck in my interview tomorrow.

The amount of positive input everyone has given (except Nick of course) has been really amazing.

BTW Nick, I know you need someone to maintain that tank of yours. I only take 30 min lunch breaks and I do speak blue-throat triggerese. A very rare language skill.

[Nick_Kun]

Maybe, we can start a fish store with KT-150, FlipCyd and Wanaleime...lol I knew you had a hidden talent.