Company “Punishes” Employee For Leaving By Giving Them Work Every Day For Two Weeks
InterviewIt seems that nightmarish post-two weeks’ notice scenarios have become a running trend. A week ago, it was a boss who fired the guy on the spot simply for handing in his resignation letter. This time, it’s a supervisor who made a worker’s next two weeks a living hell.
As the user by the name of ‘TheKittensAreMelting‘ shared in his infuriating r/antiwork story, the reaction to his departure from work wasn’t what you’d call appropriate. Not only did his superior switch up the schedule so that he would be forced to work from sun up to sun down, but he’d also held the poor guy’s days off hostage, demanding only one thing in return — that he would stay.
Making changes in your career can be scary
Image credits: Ketut Subiyanto (not the actual photo)
While it may seem surprising that anyone could do that to their employees, especially the hard-working ones, the recent data might have an answer: in April, May, and June 2021 alone, a total of 11.5 million workers in the US quit their jobs, with 48% of the total surveyed participants actively planning to change jobs. Sounds like the global pandemic was the iceberg and the broken job industry its Titanic.
Still, nothing gives you a right to treat your tireless workers like a piece of machinery — be it the “Great Recession” or the “Great Resignation”, a term that was coined by Dr. Anthony Klotz to describe the mass exodus of workers leaving their jobs after Covid shook up the world.
“There are pent-up resignations that didn’t happen over the past year,” Klotz, an associate professor of management at May Business School at Texas A&M University and organizational psychologist, told Bored Panda. He believes there are a lot of power dynamics at play when someone is resigning and that can make some managers react poorly. “Most of the time, when you’re an employee and you work for a company — the company has all the power. As soon as you decide to quit, the power balance shifts.”
Especially when there are managers who will sabotage the remainder of your work just to make your life a living hell
According to Klotz’ research, there are two biggest factors that determine how two weeks’ notice will be taken by the superior — one of them is fair treatment. “The resignation period is the last chance to get even with your company. If your company’s treated you well, that’s your last chance to pay them back,” he told, adding that the same principle applies if things went the other way around.
What if both you and your manager were satisfied with each other — you know, no hard feelings — but somehow your resignation letter showed their true colors? Klotz likens it to being dumped by your high-school sweetheart. “How do people usually respond when somebody breaks up with them? We get upset and say, ‘Fine, get lost.’ In the same way, emotions can get the best of supervisors as well,” he told.
On the bright side, he believes that the last few decades have showed a positive change. “It used to be that it was always a betrayal. Now, if an employee is resigning, more and more organizations say, ‘Let’s send them on their way, wish them good luck and continue to keep in touch with them so that we can bring them back as a ‘boomerang employee’ at some point in the future.'”
We have a feeling u/TheKittensAreMelting won’t be finding his way back to the same company after how awfully he was treated on his way out. However, Klotz thinks that “the rise of boomerang employees could last for the next five years.” And studies conducted by Research Now in 2016 support this notion: nearly one-third (29%) of all participants have returned to a previous employer, while 41% didn’t shy away from the idea that one day they could boomerang back.
Supportive responses inspired the author to take some action
As in most cases, when you sense that you’re being treated unfairly, especially after all you’ve done for the company — it’s only natural that you want to fight back. But Philip Landau, an employment lawyer at Landau Law firm based in the UK, suggests not rushing into it because the legal definition of what amounts to workplace bullying or harassment often lies in a grey area.
“You need to make sure that you are receiving unfair treatment by your line manager, as opposed to being on the receiving end of robust but reasonable instructions,” Landau told Bored Panda. “Some managers have a rather stern approach which can be unpleasant, but if you are not being singled out, this may not amount to unfair treatment.”
He then pointed out that it’s always for the best to record everything that happens between you and your manager in a diary, “so that you can present the facts clearly and with suitable evidence” when the right time comes.
Here are some of the reactions people had after reading the story
Finally, Klotz reminded workers that the resignation period is a stressful, turbulent two-way street for both you and your manager—although we often don’t see it that way. “When I do hear about managers handling it poorly, I understand the psychology of why it happens. Not only you’ve made the manager’s job more difficult because they have to manage the remaining employees who now have a larger workload. They also might start thinking, ‘Why did she leave? Maybe we should follow them?'”
Just like Landau, Klotz says there’s no justification for burning that bridge as soon as the resignation is handed in. But it still happens. “Many employees will decide to be signed off during their notice period for stress and anxiety so that they don’t have to go back into work once they have resigned,” Landau said, confirming that post-resignation harassment does happen quite often.
There are many reasons why someone wouldn’t choose to proceed with legal action, rather bite their tongue and suck it up. Besides spiraling anxiety, there’s also social stigma attached to it: as this 2018 study shows, HR professionals and the broader public perceived people who had quit their jobs as altogether less competent, less warm and less hireable from the moment they became unemployed. And the only way to diminish this stigma was to offer proof that you left the job due to external factors, as in unfair treatment by your monstrous boss.
But in order to do that, you have to have enough finances and backbone made out of the strongest titanium to go forward with the legal motion, right? Landau calms us down and reminds us that there are plenty of organizations that will be able to help those in need. Besides pro bono helplines offered by many universities (at least in UK), “there is the Citizens Advice Bureau, the ACAS helpline, and employment lawyers who will offer a free initial consultation.”
Hey panda, hungry for more stories like this? Here, check this and this out!
Kinda disappointed that he worked the two weeks, even with his days off. They're gonna pull this crap with every employee who quits, holding the threat of a bad reference over their heads, and it needs to be brought to someone's attention.
Exactly! I don't know what size/type of company this is, but my first thought was 'this is why exit interviews exist'. Threatening employees is not a way to retain them.
Load More Replies...What record? If you need a reference give your friends phone number tell them they were your supervisor or don't use that company as a reference at all since they threatened you. Give them a bad review put it in their record. Do it anonymously if you have to. Get your friends and family to do it too. This is ridiculous what corporations get away with.
If this is in the USA, immediately report it to the Department of Labor. That's super illegal, and the text messages prove the intent.
I didn’t see it mentioned anywhere, but there is no actual law requiring an employee give two weeks’ notice. After all, in employee hiring documents there is a statement to the effect of “the company can terminate the employee’s job at any time without notice.” The employee can do the same. The two weeks’ notice thing is just a courtesy, and they can’t legally hold it against you.
I don't understand the whole "two weeks notice or it goes on your record" thing. What record? It isn't like I am breaking the law or violating some treaty. If you can't treat me like a human being, I am not going to work for you.
Some really crap advice in this thread. Look at what is in your contract. If you are required to give 2 weeks notice, then your pay may be witheld if you don't work out your two weeks. On the other hand, what are your contracted hours? If it is a 40 hour week, then you should expect to work those 40 hours, no more, no less. It sounds like this is a rotating week with no regular days off, so you might not get to pick your days off, but you should not be being asked to work more than your regular hours for each week. However, if you do work those hours, the have to pay you for them, which might be particularly good for you if you get paid overtime.
You assume there's a contract? I didn't see anywhere that said they were under contract. Most jobs are "open-door." If there's no contract, they can leave without 2 weeks notice. If they already have a new job, really don't need to worry about a good recommendation. A company that retaliates over a resignation letter isn't going to give a good recommendation anyway. Of course they should look at any documents they signed upon starting.
Load More Replies...I’m not sure why it matters. I’d have laughed in their face and just left then and there. I don’t see what they think their reference will do for me, especially if I tell my new employer that I had to leave that company early due to management harassment after turning in my two weeks. That’s not normal/legal behavior but I know it happens.
At will employment just seems so wrong... if I would be fired I would have 2 month notice, or they can let me go instantly but they have to pay 2 months salary, if I want to quit I would have 1 month that I'm required to work, but usually during this time people use their unused holidays.
Yeah, "at will" is pretty damaging and the companies hold the vast majority of the power. If we really wanted "at will" we would implement UBI and watch abusive employers poop diamonds.
Load More Replies...HR doesn't care if you are mad about your treatment. HR will only care if you threaten to sue for constructive dismissal, which you should have. You had agreed upon days off and they changed the terms of your employment without consent
Oof... one job ... I was 'let go' after a few months because I had not "reached target". Please note: no target was given. Also, the business had essentially lied about the resources and materials I had to work with. They implied having done basic things like previous advertising, already having a client base, basically being 'known' to a small local community. Which was 100% a lie. Then, when they gave me a 'two week notice' they decided to treat it as a 2 weeks of forced over-time labour. Punished me for them letting me go - still trying to figure that one out...
Idk who needs to hear this but giving two weeks notice is a courtesy. It’s frowned upon to not give notice under normal circumstances, but if they are going to be like that then just leave 🤷🏻♀️
Nobody thinks of the money, OT or not not working for two weeks can and will leave bills unpaid
Wait, you handed in your resignation and don't have another job lined up? That's just stupid. Why not just refuse the extra work, take your days off and when they fire you you can claim discrimination and wrongful dismissal and collect unemployment.
If you quit where my husband works, you get walked out by security immediately. No such thing as two weeks notice.
I got scheduled past my two weeks notice and was expected to work after I quit. And not as bad as the article, but I had excessive hours scheduled.
Why didn't anyone tell OP to sue? By law, you can't work more than 7 days straight. Plus OP had prove via text that there was retaliation going on. The reason they said "we normally don't do exceptions" and took it back means that they knew that OP could easily sue. OP could've made a good penny whilst waiting on the other job.
Yeah, but OP was trying not to burn bridges and even though the direct supervisor was being a jerk, there are probably people the OP can still get a good reference from. This would have lit all that on fire and dumped a bunch of fuel on it.
Load More Replies...Unpopular opinion: work is still $$ in your pocket, and the company is paying you for those extra hours I’m guessing and it sounds like the assholes will be gone for your remaining shifts……I clean peoples’ toilets for a living by choice because not a lot of people will do it so I’m the one making the money…just an upside to a really negative work situation
It wasn't at all clear that the OP was getting paid overtime and it was clear that it was retribution. Yes, work is money but someplace with graveyard shifts where her supervisor isn't the owner is likely an exploitative workplace anyway and signing up for more exploitation probably isn't as good as standing firm that you will do what you agreed to do.
Load More Replies...I am happy I live in Europe, as an employee in the US you are just screwed
The US is a big place and not every state has "at will" exploitative labor laws. I don't know if any state has the equivalent of some of the better EU member laws but there are labor protections in many parts of the US.
Load More Replies...The 2 weeks notice is a courtesy, not mandatory. Where I work, if salaried personell give a 2 week notice, unless they are well connected, they are fired immediately. You owe your employer nothing. You work for a wage, they pay you. Obligation ends there.
It's really hard to part ways with some companies when you might have to rely on them for a reference, but they are trying to screw you over anyway. When it comes to your next job, you can't win. Either you try and pre-empt by explaining their bad behaviour, which still makes you look bad, or you don't mention the issue and when they call for a reference, your ex-company does you no favours.
Report them to the Department of Labor for a FULL INVESTIGATION. It's ILLEGAL to schedule workers for more than 8hrs/day or 40+ hours a week!
I don't know about the scheduling for 40+ hrs/week but it's definitely not illegal to schedule for more than 8+ hrs per day. Lots of places have 4x10 schedules and I think only professional drivers are capped at 12 hrs/day. Also, mandatory overtime is a thing.
Load More Replies...see, this is the beauty of leaving a company. You gave your 2 weeks notice. You can use use up the remainder of your sick and vacation time and don't have to deal with that s**t. Technically you're not walking out, or quitting short of the 2 weeks end time. You do have choices.
I know laws can vary state to state, but here in Illinois employees are required to give at least 24 hours off for each calendar week.
That's why Illinois sucks. Bunch of pansies that manage their lives better
Load More Replies...Love how American companies are asserting dominance over their employees and how the employees are afraid to fight back. WTF can happen if they refuse to go along with complete lunacy? Op stated that she already had found another job. There's no better moment in your life to tell your former employer that they can go and fück themselves for the next 2 weeks if they try to "punish" you for leaving.
Hope all fire employment opportunities see this post you made. Not that you plan to leave mommy's basement any time soon
Load More Replies...Looking at these responses/comments says volumes about the state of the US economy. You all feel you're the most valuable thing ever because your mommy always told you so growing up. No drive, no ambition, no adversity to make you a better person in any way. Bored Panda is exactly like real pandas in that it has no legitimate reason to exist. You are all pathetic. You all point to Europe as a great model, there is so little innovation from there to prove it's effectiveness. Strength, fortitude, ethics, advancements all come from being challenged and hard work. You are all the downfall of humanity.
Awww, honey, look at you, trying so hard to be a troll just like a big boy! So adorable!
Load More Replies...What a whiny little piece of crap. "My schedule was 8-12 hrs a day for two weeks with no day off". We're they only paying straight time for all those hours? Were they giving you the worst duties during those hours? Were they denying breaks? I've worked those hours and more just to better myself and your whining about it. What a loser. Somehow people like you fail upward though. Guess you're just playing hard to get as a strategy maybe? Two weeks notice is a courtesy anyway to prevent burning bridges. "I don't shy away from work" (except when they ask me to do my job). Just a garbage person. No wonder China is America's better. See how you like their work requirements when they take over.
You're a gross pig with no understanding of how the world, or humans in general, work. But go off king, defend the oppression of the working class, it's a great look
Load More Replies...Kinda disappointed that he worked the two weeks, even with his days off. They're gonna pull this crap with every employee who quits, holding the threat of a bad reference over their heads, and it needs to be brought to someone's attention.
Exactly! I don't know what size/type of company this is, but my first thought was 'this is why exit interviews exist'. Threatening employees is not a way to retain them.
Load More Replies...What record? If you need a reference give your friends phone number tell them they were your supervisor or don't use that company as a reference at all since they threatened you. Give them a bad review put it in their record. Do it anonymously if you have to. Get your friends and family to do it too. This is ridiculous what corporations get away with.
If this is in the USA, immediately report it to the Department of Labor. That's super illegal, and the text messages prove the intent.
I didn’t see it mentioned anywhere, but there is no actual law requiring an employee give two weeks’ notice. After all, in employee hiring documents there is a statement to the effect of “the company can terminate the employee’s job at any time without notice.” The employee can do the same. The two weeks’ notice thing is just a courtesy, and they can’t legally hold it against you.
I don't understand the whole "two weeks notice or it goes on your record" thing. What record? It isn't like I am breaking the law or violating some treaty. If you can't treat me like a human being, I am not going to work for you.
Some really crap advice in this thread. Look at what is in your contract. If you are required to give 2 weeks notice, then your pay may be witheld if you don't work out your two weeks. On the other hand, what are your contracted hours? If it is a 40 hour week, then you should expect to work those 40 hours, no more, no less. It sounds like this is a rotating week with no regular days off, so you might not get to pick your days off, but you should not be being asked to work more than your regular hours for each week. However, if you do work those hours, the have to pay you for them, which might be particularly good for you if you get paid overtime.
You assume there's a contract? I didn't see anywhere that said they were under contract. Most jobs are "open-door." If there's no contract, they can leave without 2 weeks notice. If they already have a new job, really don't need to worry about a good recommendation. A company that retaliates over a resignation letter isn't going to give a good recommendation anyway. Of course they should look at any documents they signed upon starting.
Load More Replies...I’m not sure why it matters. I’d have laughed in their face and just left then and there. I don’t see what they think their reference will do for me, especially if I tell my new employer that I had to leave that company early due to management harassment after turning in my two weeks. That’s not normal/legal behavior but I know it happens.
At will employment just seems so wrong... if I would be fired I would have 2 month notice, or they can let me go instantly but they have to pay 2 months salary, if I want to quit I would have 1 month that I'm required to work, but usually during this time people use their unused holidays.
Yeah, "at will" is pretty damaging and the companies hold the vast majority of the power. If we really wanted "at will" we would implement UBI and watch abusive employers poop diamonds.
Load More Replies...HR doesn't care if you are mad about your treatment. HR will only care if you threaten to sue for constructive dismissal, which you should have. You had agreed upon days off and they changed the terms of your employment without consent
Oof... one job ... I was 'let go' after a few months because I had not "reached target". Please note: no target was given. Also, the business had essentially lied about the resources and materials I had to work with. They implied having done basic things like previous advertising, already having a client base, basically being 'known' to a small local community. Which was 100% a lie. Then, when they gave me a 'two week notice' they decided to treat it as a 2 weeks of forced over-time labour. Punished me for them letting me go - still trying to figure that one out...
Idk who needs to hear this but giving two weeks notice is a courtesy. It’s frowned upon to not give notice under normal circumstances, but if they are going to be like that then just leave 🤷🏻♀️
Nobody thinks of the money, OT or not not working for two weeks can and will leave bills unpaid
Wait, you handed in your resignation and don't have another job lined up? That's just stupid. Why not just refuse the extra work, take your days off and when they fire you you can claim discrimination and wrongful dismissal and collect unemployment.
If you quit where my husband works, you get walked out by security immediately. No such thing as two weeks notice.
I got scheduled past my two weeks notice and was expected to work after I quit. And not as bad as the article, but I had excessive hours scheduled.
Why didn't anyone tell OP to sue? By law, you can't work more than 7 days straight. Plus OP had prove via text that there was retaliation going on. The reason they said "we normally don't do exceptions" and took it back means that they knew that OP could easily sue. OP could've made a good penny whilst waiting on the other job.
Yeah, but OP was trying not to burn bridges and even though the direct supervisor was being a jerk, there are probably people the OP can still get a good reference from. This would have lit all that on fire and dumped a bunch of fuel on it.
Load More Replies...Unpopular opinion: work is still $$ in your pocket, and the company is paying you for those extra hours I’m guessing and it sounds like the assholes will be gone for your remaining shifts……I clean peoples’ toilets for a living by choice because not a lot of people will do it so I’m the one making the money…just an upside to a really negative work situation
It wasn't at all clear that the OP was getting paid overtime and it was clear that it was retribution. Yes, work is money but someplace with graveyard shifts where her supervisor isn't the owner is likely an exploitative workplace anyway and signing up for more exploitation probably isn't as good as standing firm that you will do what you agreed to do.
Load More Replies...I am happy I live in Europe, as an employee in the US you are just screwed
The US is a big place and not every state has "at will" exploitative labor laws. I don't know if any state has the equivalent of some of the better EU member laws but there are labor protections in many parts of the US.
Load More Replies...The 2 weeks notice is a courtesy, not mandatory. Where I work, if salaried personell give a 2 week notice, unless they are well connected, they are fired immediately. You owe your employer nothing. You work for a wage, they pay you. Obligation ends there.
It's really hard to part ways with some companies when you might have to rely on them for a reference, but they are trying to screw you over anyway. When it comes to your next job, you can't win. Either you try and pre-empt by explaining their bad behaviour, which still makes you look bad, or you don't mention the issue and when they call for a reference, your ex-company does you no favours.
Report them to the Department of Labor for a FULL INVESTIGATION. It's ILLEGAL to schedule workers for more than 8hrs/day or 40+ hours a week!
I don't know about the scheduling for 40+ hrs/week but it's definitely not illegal to schedule for more than 8+ hrs per day. Lots of places have 4x10 schedules and I think only professional drivers are capped at 12 hrs/day. Also, mandatory overtime is a thing.
Load More Replies...see, this is the beauty of leaving a company. You gave your 2 weeks notice. You can use use up the remainder of your sick and vacation time and don't have to deal with that s**t. Technically you're not walking out, or quitting short of the 2 weeks end time. You do have choices.
I know laws can vary state to state, but here in Illinois employees are required to give at least 24 hours off for each calendar week.
That's why Illinois sucks. Bunch of pansies that manage their lives better
Load More Replies...Love how American companies are asserting dominance over their employees and how the employees are afraid to fight back. WTF can happen if they refuse to go along with complete lunacy? Op stated that she already had found another job. There's no better moment in your life to tell your former employer that they can go and fück themselves for the next 2 weeks if they try to "punish" you for leaving.
Hope all fire employment opportunities see this post you made. Not that you plan to leave mommy's basement any time soon
Load More Replies...Looking at these responses/comments says volumes about the state of the US economy. You all feel you're the most valuable thing ever because your mommy always told you so growing up. No drive, no ambition, no adversity to make you a better person in any way. Bored Panda is exactly like real pandas in that it has no legitimate reason to exist. You are all pathetic. You all point to Europe as a great model, there is so little innovation from there to prove it's effectiveness. Strength, fortitude, ethics, advancements all come from being challenged and hard work. You are all the downfall of humanity.
Awww, honey, look at you, trying so hard to be a troll just like a big boy! So adorable!
Load More Replies...What a whiny little piece of crap. "My schedule was 8-12 hrs a day for two weeks with no day off". We're they only paying straight time for all those hours? Were they giving you the worst duties during those hours? Were they denying breaks? I've worked those hours and more just to better myself and your whining about it. What a loser. Somehow people like you fail upward though. Guess you're just playing hard to get as a strategy maybe? Two weeks notice is a courtesy anyway to prevent burning bridges. "I don't shy away from work" (except when they ask me to do my job). Just a garbage person. No wonder China is America's better. See how you like their work requirements when they take over.
You're a gross pig with no understanding of how the world, or humans in general, work. But go off king, defend the oppression of the working class, it's a great look
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