Have any of you ever spontaneously quit a job? Was it worth it?

[PokerGuy]

Engineer, sounds like a miserable situation. I'm curious, how is your relationship with the boss, outside of the fact that he's overselling/over scheduling and has a different phylosophy about how to do the work? Is he a reasonable person? Does he respect his employees?

If he's a reasonable person, I'd suggest having a good non-confrontational conversation with him about expectations. Approach it from the angle that you want to be more effective and meet his expectations. If he's not, then just start cutting down the time you put in and use the extra hours to find another job.

Given the current economy, I wouldn't just walk out without a backup no matter what.

Good luck!

 

[monkeydelmagico]

More you do, less they appreciate it and MORE they give you. Going up and beyond = you are a sucker to the company.

Performance penalty +1

I believe Engineer is one of the outstanding performers that can be taken for granted. Have you shopped around? I resigned from a job of nearly 10 years. No prospect lined up. Had to relocate the family. It was very thin for about a year as I worked temp jobs and even did some waiting tables. I kept hammering away at a couple of companies that I really wanted to work for. I got my break and have been with my current company nearly 12 years. While it's a good gig I STILL apply and go on interviews just to keep an eye on whats out there.

 

[Tweak155]

This is funny... I agree, we're just pawns to companies to be bled dry. But there's another forum I frequent about careers. There, a bunch of people would be calling people not willing to do more than 40 hours a week "entitled".

I'm willing to work more than 40hrs a week but it will be reflected in my compensation, be it a higher salary that reflects my over 40hrs/wk average or I'm paid by the hour.

A few one-offs without pay I probably won't mind, but on a consistent basis? Nope.

 

[Engineer]

Now that I've calmed down, I'm going to take my time (assuming nothing blows up) and look for a new job, but it has got to be a very good job (working conditions - hard to judge) but the pay could be lower if it's the right job. I also am taking tomorrow (7/3/14) off - my first of 10 vacation days used - 9 months into my 12 month vacation calendar year.

I'll be taking 7/18/14 - 7/27/14 off and going on a cruise. Hope to recharge and clear my mind. Will be doing this with or without this job (should the need arise over the next few weeks).

Apparently, I'm not the only one he's been pissy to lately. Even his son, the mechanical designer, has been complaining about him to the office manager and she said that's the first time in the 10 years that she's known him (the son) that he's ever complained about anything like this.

Of course, that happens when you quote a job for $232,000 for 3 conveyor systems and the total is at $300,000 for the first 2 and rising. On top of that, he quoted another set of 3 for $225,000. Nice. (the second set would be cheaper as engineer costs would be far less but material and labor would be the same. No chance....).

By the way, this thread has the perception of too may worked hours. To be honest, that was never the issue. It was an issue of wanting more per hour worked, not so much the hours. When you take on jobs and EVERY job has the same due date, there are bound to be issues (and we even told him up front). I think he's pissed because we lost a job because we took too long and also the fact that he is having to do jobs that were given to me because I couldn't get to them in time (and now he can't get to them either because he's too busy).

 

[Imp]

Good luck on your decision.

Kind of sounds like the company is going into the ground and your boss knows it. Or he's desperate for more profits...

 

[VulgarDisplay]

I'm ready to take this plunge every day. I'm putting in 55 hours a week in my management job. Getting paid for 40, and I am forced to do $12/employee work every night because my place of work refuses listen to our requests for help.

 

[Dr. Zaus]

Now that I've calmed down, I'm going to take my time (assuming nothing blows up) and look for a new job, but it has got to be a very good job (working conditions - hard to judge) but the pay could be lower if it's the right job. I also am taking tomorrow (7/3/14) off - my first of 10 vacation days used - 9 months into my 12 month vacation calendar year.

I'll be taking 7/18/14 - 7/27/14 off and going on a cruise. Hope to recharge and clear my mind. Will be doing this with or without this job (should the need arise over the next few weeks).

Apparently, I'm not the only one he's been pissy to lately. Even his son, the mechanical designer, has been complaining about him to the office manager and she said that's the first time in the 10 years that she's known him (the son) that he's ever complained about anything like this.

Of course, that happens when you quote a job for $232,000 for 3 conveyor systems and the total is at $300,000 for the first 2 and rising. On top of that, he quoted another set of 3 for $225,000. Nice. (the second set would be cheaper as engineer costs would be far less but material and labor would be the same. No chance....).

By the way, this thread has the perception of too may worked hours. To be honest, that was never the issue. It was an issue of wanting more per hour worked, not so much the hours. When you take on jobs and EVERY job has the same due date, there are bound to be issues (and we even told him up front). I think he's pissed because we lost a job because we took too long and also the fact that he is having to do jobs that were given to me because I couldn't get to them in time (and now he can't get to them either because he's too busy).

He's out of money and trying to get enough cash flow to cover his debts: expect a paycheck "delay" or to bounce soon.

 

[Engineer]

He's out of money and trying to get enough cash flow to cover his debts: expect a paycheck "delay" or to bounce soon.

I talked to the office manager and she said that funding is actually not bad right now.

I took a moment and looked at my next project and noticed the following 2 lines:

Mechanical Design: 120 hours (his son)
Electrical Design: 12 hours (me)

This involves a PLC (programmable logic controller) and HMI that I've never used. It also involves a Fanuc R2000 robot (big boy with 400 pounds payload) along with required safety setup and network setup for I/O (EtherNet/IP), 4 sets of safety light curtains, safety gate circuitry, multiple conveyors (AC 3 phase motors pulling 3000 pound pallets using multiple sensors and VFD's to start/run/stop conveyors), a vision system (to determine robot X and Y coordinate commands), multiple sensors including analog sensors for robot Z coordinate commands, and all of the other stuff (panel components, panel drawing (AutoCAD), electrical drawings, bill of materials, etc.). I'm not sure if getting quotes and ordering this stuff is included in the 12 hours or not but probably is since there is no separate line item for ordering time.

12 hours.....nice. :|

Now the 12 hours could be a typo but that's the quote that was translated into the signing contract....so we're on the hook for that amount regardless. Also note that electrical design is only the stuff I listed above and not the programming, wiring, panel builds, debug, etc. That stuff has time of their own but they are under quoted as well (IMO - but not as bad as the electrical design).

 

[brianmanahan]

wow

i do not think the words "hours" means what they think it means

 

[IndyColtsFan]

This is funny... I agree, we're just pawns to companies to be bled dry. But there's another forum I frequent about careers. There, a bunch of people would be calling people not willing to do more than 40 hours a week "entitled".

Those people are what I like to call "suckers."

I mean, yeah, when you first start out, it might help to put in extra time to help you ramp up quicker. But once you're established? No way. These companies wouldn't give away a bunch of free stuff to their employees, so why should an employee give them free labor? I don't work for a company because I think it is a great crusade or mission in life. I work to put food on the table, a roof over my head, and to have some luxury items. I'll dump a company the millisecond I'm tired of them, the same they would dump me the millisecond they calculated that I am too expensive for them. It is a business relationship and nothing more to me.

I've got news for those people who think working more than 40 hours regularly is a badge of honor - the ones who always talk about their "careers" and how they're "career oriented." With few exceptions, your jobs are pretty freaking meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Mine is too - I'm not curing cancer, saving lives, or landing men on Mars. I realize that and also realize how stupid and pretentious it is to act as if your "career" somehow defines your value as a person. You job is the means to an end, not the end itself.

 

[werepossum]

The only two engineering jobs I've left, I left without another job. once I just decided I couldn't take any more and instead of going in, I went out and found another job. Took one day to get the interview, got the offer next day, so the second afternoon I went back in to clean out my desk. Second time I told them I was leaving as soon as they found a replacement. That took a couple months, but the day I was told was my last day. In both cases I found better jobs easily, but in this economy that may or may not be your experience. My own experience though is that the recovery is finally happening; we've hired two new people in a couple months and we're still slammed.

 

[werepossum]

I talked to the office manager and she said that funding is actually not bad right now.

I took a moment and looked at my next project and noticed the following 2 lines:

Mechanical Design: 120 hours (his son)
Electrical Design: 12 hours (me)

This involves a PLC (programmable logic controller) and HMI that I've never used. It also involves a Fanuc R2000 robot (big boy with 400 pounds payload) along with required safety setup and network setup for I/O (EtherNet/IP), 4 sets of safety light curtains, safety gate circuitry, multiple conveyors (AC 3 phase motors pulling 3000 pound pallets using multiple sensors and VFD's to start/run/stop conveyors), a vision system (to determine robot X and Y coordinate commands), multiple sensors including analog sensors for robot Z coordinate commands, and all of the other stuff (panel components, panel drawing (AutoCAD), electrical drawings, bill of materials, etc.). I'm not sure if getting quotes and ordering this stuff is included in the 12 hours or not but probably is since there is no separate line item for ordering time.

12 hours.....nice. :|

Holy crap! 12 hours?

One way or another, you need to bail immediately.

 

[Engineer]

I have taken the last two Friday's off (first two vacation days since my vacation started over on October 11th of last year) and it hasn't helped much. My boss hasn't been too unpleasant lately but I just can't shake the feeling. I thought long and hard on giving my two week notice yesterday (on my off day) but thought that I would try to get to my 10 days off starting this Friday (planned vacation from several months ago - cruise time).

I suspect that he has forgotten about my vacation (and other - preplanned projects) as he has already told customers that their projects would be complete by this Friday (start of my vacation) or during the first part of the following week (while in vacation). I have not corrected any of them nor will I. He has also told a customer that we would be installing a job on Monday and Tuesday of next week when he was clearly told (and quoted) that it would take 4 to 5 days to do the job. I will be taking the vacation with or without a job....that I can be sure of.

Edit: I have also worked 8 hours per day with the exception of one day while on the job site. I decided to work with another co-worker for a few extra hours to get the job done and not have to go back. Oh, and the job that I was chewed out over because I said that there was no way to squeeze another job in and still complete it by 7/3/14 is still at the shop and going. If it doesn't get mechanically completed by Wednesday (not likely), it will wait until I come back making it complete during the week of the 7/28/14. Basically, I was chewed out for stating the obvious and was told that I have a bad attitude. I have not said anything in the form of an "I told you so" (yet).

 

[Ns1]

good on you Engineer.

But the writing is definitely on the wall...

 

[Fenixgoon]

I have taken the last two Friday's off (first two vacation days since my vacation started over on October 11th of last year) and it hasn't helped much. My boss hasn't been too unpleasant lately but I just can't shake the feeling. I thought long and hard on giving my two week notice yesterday (on my off day) but thought that I would try to get to my 10 days off starting this Friday (planned vacation from several months ago - cruise time).

I suspect that he has forgotten about my vacation (and other - preplanned projects) as he has already told customers that their projects would be complete by this Friday (start of my vacation) or during the first part of the following week (while in vacation). I have not corrected any of them nor will I. He has also told a customer that we would be installing a job on Monday and Tuesday of next week when he was clearly told (and quoted) that it would take 4 to 5 days to do the job. I will be taking the vacation with or without a job....that I can be sure of.

:thumbsup:

best of luck to you.

 

[RaistlinZ]

I've done it.

Was working at a rental car company. Just walked into HR one morning and quit. Best decision I ever made, as I'm in my dream job now.

 

[BoomerD]

I've never had any loyalty to jobs because the jobs no longer have any loyalty toward their employees...so yes, I've quit many, many jobs without notice...and usually without having another job lined up before I quit. (although it's definitely better to have a replacement lined up before you do.)

Went to work one morning on a job that was less than great...constant equipment break-downs, boss who was a screamer, hurry-hurry-hurry attitude...had the project manager climb my ass about something that had nothing to do with me...
I turned to my boss and said, "Fuck this. Call the hall and get someone else." and walked to my truck. (it was August...no crane operators worth a shit available...but too bad)

IMO, life is too short to work shitty jobs...it's one thing to work long hours or in bad conditions for a company who appreciates it and treats you well, (and compensates you for extra hours) but when the company treats you like shit on top of it...fuck that.
Time to find a better job.

In your case...with what you do...it should be easy to find a good replacement job...probably one BETTER than what you already have...better hours, better pay, better conditions. Maybe even in a better location...time to move west!

There's a fuck-ton of work in the Seattle area...

 

[MetalMat]

I quit my job as a logging field engineer in the oil field after a year and half of it back in 2006 with nothing in line. I ended up getting a job in automation sales and have been in that field ever since, I don't regret it at all.

 

[Chaotic42]

Yep. McDonald's. My manager was smoking crack in the bathroom. When the store manager came in, I told him and left.

I spent the next two months unemployed. I sold most of my possessions for food and bill money. Eventually the power was cut and I lived without it for a while. I ended up going back to McDonald's.

Good luck with whatever you do, by the way. It sounds like you need to get the hell out of there though.

 

[Hugo Drax]

I can't say yes or no. At times, cash flow is an issue and other times now. He has managed to keep it going pretty well for 11 years. I'm so ready to find something else....even with less pay.

I don't live to work....I work to live and I'm just beaten down......*sigh*

Life is too short, no one regrets working too little when at their death bed, you can't turn back the clock. Your life slips away like an hourglass every second. I would say fuck it and quit.

 

[CptObvious]

I'm seriously considering bailing out of my current job. The management here treats employees like dirt, especially the competent ones by dumping all of the work on them, micromanaging them, and even pressuring them to do borderline unethical sh!t. I've gotten several merit pay raises and awards at this job, but none of it means much if you don't respect what you do.

There is a serious lack of decent jobs around here and I idiotically signed a lease extension last month, but it's getting to a point where I think I need to get out regardless.

 

[DaWhim]

I just did it this year. I quit my job after about 4 years. every year, I work for this bank for the tax season, about 4-5 months.

last year, my team was 6 people including me. I went back this tax season, the cool manager was no longer than, now we had a manager that doesn't know sh1t to manage the team. 1 person left last year that never got replaced. another business analyst left and they replaced him.

Anyhow, my foreign wife came for 2 weeks, they wouldn't give me any day off. as a consultant, I didn't get paid if I didn't go to work. On top of that, the new business analyst guy quitted!

What I saw was more work for the same pay, so I demanded a $5/hr raise. It was an ultimatum and I didn't get it, so I was out of work.

on the bright side, I had started a business the year before and it was growing. Now I spend my time to grow it. It is more flexible, but less free. Most important is I enjoy doing what I do.

 

[Aikouka]

You don't work for a company, you work in a sweatshop. Find something first and then quit. I don't work more than 40 hours when I'm salaried unless it is the rare project where I may need to work a few extra hours for a couple of nights.

The one thing that I disliked about my first job was how they pushed the idea of it being a 40-hour work week -- salaried of course. However, you go there, and then they drop the usual bomb, "we'd like you to at least work an extra 10%". Throughout my first year, I worked the hours that I needed to (at least 40, of course). I think my longest work week was about 55-60 hours when I was put on third shift due to lack of available SIL (System Integration Lab) time. What was the comment? "Well, you only averaged about 42 hours per week" "Yes, because I usually could finish my work well within 40 hours." "Then go help someone else."

My thought? "Okay, so you want me to take up a coworker's time for him to delegate some of his work to me?" If my team leader thought that another group within our team needed my help, then he would've asked me to help them, and I would've gladly done it. In other words, it wasn't needed and it takes up time on my side and the other group's side just to set everything up and potentially teach me the things I need to know to do the job.

The biggest thing about it that bugs me? That was a defense sector job, and why does a defense company want me to work more hours? That's because I don't get paid for it, but they do. The hours get charged to the contract, which is money in their pocket. At my current job, I get comp time for any hours over 40. If I don't use it by the end of the year, it gets paid out at 100% normal hourly rate.

 

[Engineer]

That's because I don't get paid for it, but they do.

I've had my boss do this to me several times. We would get a time-material job and I would be required to work after hours or on the weekend. He got paid (1.25 times rate on weekends too) and I saw ZERO. Again, I understand the salary concept but it goes farther......if I were to work less than 40 hours during a week, I was required to 'make it up'. If the company shut down during Christmas week, I had to use vacation or not get paid (remember, I get only 10 days per year and there is no other paid time off. Have been told repeatedly that there is also NO comp. time).

I find this completely against federal labor law on salary positions.

 

[dmcowen674]

I talked to the office manager and she said that funding is actually not bad right now.

I took a moment and looked at my next project and noticed the following 2 lines:

Mechanical Design: 120 hours (his son)
Electrical Design: 12 hours (me)

This involves a PLC (programmable logic controller) and HMI that I've never used. It also involves a Fanuc R2000 robot (big boy with 400 pounds payload) along with required safety setup and network setup for I/O (EtherNet/IP), 4 sets of safety light curtains, safety gate circuitry, multiple conveyors (AC 3 phase motors pulling 3000 pound pallets using multiple sensors and VFD's to start/run/stop conveyors), a vision system (to determine robot X and Y coordinate commands), multiple sensors including analog sensors for robot Z coordinate commands, and all of the other stuff (panel components, panel drawing (AutoCAD), electrical drawings, bill of materials, etc.). I'm not sure if getting quotes and ordering this stuff is included in the 12 hours or not but probably is since there is no separate line item for ordering time.

12 hours.....nice. :|

Now the 12 hours could be a typo but that's the quote that was translated into the signing contract....so we're on the hook for that amount regardless. Also note that electrical design is only the stuff I listed above and not the programming, wiring, panel builds, debug, etc. That stuff has time of their own but they are under quoted as well (IMO - but not as bad as the electrical design).

The 12 hours is insane.

Get out as soon as you can.