Dysfunctional workplaces are, sadly, not uncommon, and while most of us are familiar with the so-called “red flags” that can help us spot a toxic company before accepting a new role – sometimes, we fall for the charm and come to regret it later.

“Redditors who walked out of a new job on the first day, why did you walk out?” – this person took online, inviting folks to recall their job walkouts. The thread managed to garner nearly 4K upvotes as well as 2K comments containing some pretty bizarre tales. 

More info: Reddit

#1

Was very clear about my schedule. Needed to work days because I went to school at night.

The first shift I was scheduled for was 8PM-8AM. I quit on the spot.

If an employer is going to f**k with you that early on, its not worth giving them a chance.

Image credits: anon

#2

This happened about 5 years ago during my senior year in high school. I used to work at restuarant washing dishes. This one saturday(my day off) they called me in for an afternoon shift because the pm dishwasher called off. So i go in around 4:30 pm and to my horror i walk in to the kitchen and see that everything is dirty. Almost nothing is clean idk how thats possible. I ask the owner and he says that the am dishwasher also called off. They decided they didnt need anyone till pm. I start trying to catch up and the manager comes in and starts yelling me to hurry up and asking me why theres so many dirty dishes, pots and pans. I try to explain but he keeps yelling so ignore him. Not even 30 minutes later he comes back and starts ranting again. After that i just walk out.

Image credits: WhalePeople

#3

I was working minimum wage at 16 directing car traffic and parking at the local fair grounds. It was hot and I was told in the same sentence that I was both not allowed to carry a bottle of water and all of us kids were expendable.

So I walked off.

Image credits: anon

#4

I was working in the woods cutting timber and making good money. I could pocket $200 in half a day's work. I was waiting to get into the Boilermakers apprenticeship program, so I just needed spending money. My dad was convinced I needed to be working a 40 hr/week job for someone else, so got me a job at his friends sawmill. He thought I liked working with wood,or something. It paid $5.15/hr. I went along with it to make my dad happy. A couple hours into the first day, some jerkoff tried to hurt me on purpose. I had been warned he would do it. I walked the f**k out of there and completely changed my outlook on advice from my father.

Image credits: CoolioDaggett

#5

I had qualified to be a high school teacher, but as the summer wore on, I had not found employment. I accepted a job at a camera shop, and just before my first day began, a local principal called me and said he desperately needed my qualifications to teach two different subjects and if I showed up for a 10 A.M. interview and passed it, I would have a job. I went to the camera shop and apologized saying I had found a teaching job and would not be able to work at the shop. They were disappointed but they understood and I ended up at that school for thirty years.

Image credits: Oregonguy1954

#6

Just did this the other day actually. I'm a care aide, or nurses aide depending on where you're from, and I was hired privately. I went in for orientation and left after 4 hours. They wanted to to lift and carry the person who couldn't weightbear, no gloves, leave them alone while not steady and some other stuff. Noped out and reported to appropriate places.

Image credits: Notashiela

#7

I've said this on Reddit before but I am an auto mechanic and I left a shop within half a day before when they wanted me to sell shocks and struts to a customer who only needed wheel alignment.

Image credits: gearhead488

#8

Got a job doing deliveries of very heavy products that was supposed to be a two man job. Showed up to find out the other guy was just training me and I was on my own. Not worth destroying my back for $10 an hour

Image credits: RealKenny

#9

I walked out halfway through my first day. The job was nothing special, just going to be washing dishes on weekends while in high school. The guy who was supposed to be training me was a real jerk, made comments about my breasts getting in the way, so I left him with all the work. Who in the hell thinks to make stupid comments like that. Still makes me mad.

Edit: sorry about language

Image credits: CanadianGirlsRule

#10

Took a job as night auditor at a hotel. As I was being trained by a 30-something guy I was supposed to replace for the weekend shifts, he told me that because of being understaffed, the manager had made it impossible for him to take his one week of paid vacation the previous year before he hit the “use it or lose it” time.

If the management was going to f**k over this guy who had just lost his wife and had two young kids with the one little benefit they bothered to offer, they would f**k me over too. I told him he deserved better and walked out.

Image credits: LogisticalNightmare

#11

Because a guy said he was going to slit my throat. It was my second job. A newsagents in 1997. I believed him so I f****d off sharpish.

The guy has been in jail repeatedly for stabbings over the years since.

Image credits: anon

#12

Was at a McDonalds night shift.
Got no training, the other four people there including the manager was high as a kite, and they all smoked in the managers office, while leaving all the work to me.

They yelled at me when I had no idea how to operate the silly little drive through machine when a customer came through with a large order.

Decided that wasn't a good place for me to stay ;P

Image credits: AstralLamia

#13

I walked out of domino's after 3 days because nobody washed their hands and the stress of making 20 pizzas in 10 minutes sucked. I also realized I couldn't hear well answering phones

On the positive side I was really patient with this nice old man over the phone and he came into the store to compliment me by name. Thankyou old man wherever you are

Image credits: gnzake77

#14

Selling home water filters on commission. Asked a question "What happens if the water purity tests are in range?" Got told loudly..."Lie."

I walked out so fast that I'm highly surprised that the doors didn't spin around in circles.

#15

Went to audio school (like studio practice), and the 'recruiting/resources' department found me a spot with an audio tech company.

It was essentially "set up super heavy equipment for 15 hours, and get paid 10$ an hour, no overtime; at the opposite end of town, find your own way there".

Start of the day I quickly realized it was all construction workers, and 3 of us from my school. There was nothing audio related, it was just unloading equipment for a concert. Setting up trusses and lighting.

About 3 hours in, I was asked to grab one of the spotlights and hoist it up on the stage. I picked it up, and it must have weighed at least 80 lbs. The guy yells "DON'T F*****G DROP THAT!" super angrily, before I even moved.

We got a dinner break, and I was just like "f**k this s**t" and took a 70$ cab back across town to get back home. I think I lost money, but learned that work environment is not for me.

#16

My girlfriend did this just this week.

Had gotten a job at an office where there was maybe 5 minutes work an hour, but due to the nature of the work bags had to be left at the door, phones weren't allowed, and the computers had no internet access.

She was apparently told "you get used to doing nothing".

After a full day of being around people who just stared into space for 7.5 hours a day she refused to go back.

Image credits: Nephrited

#17

I was hired at a shoe store to take over when the current manager left, which was in 2 weeks. The day is started, the district manager came in to talk to me. He said I was "too young" and he wouldn't even consider hiring me as manager, but I could stay as a minimum wage sales person.
I had left a good job as manager of a sprint store for this, and only left because I was hired to be the store manager. I told him that wasn't okay, I was hired as the manager, and if he wouldn't consider me then I was going to look elsewhere.

He said "this is what mean. That immature attitude of 'if I'm not getting my way I quit' is why I won't consider someone so young." And called me childish for leaving.

Image credits: TooLazyToBeClever

#18

I watched my boss (white woman) touch a black employees hair (who was obviously distressed by this) and say "I wish i could just switch hair with you, having WOOLY hair must be so cool" Nah girl, we ain't doing this.

#19

Teaching, the class I was assigned to was almost 100% irredeemable little s***s mid-day I walked. I started at another school across town, never looked back. Posh kids are the worst.

#20

Because I couldn't get out of bed the next day.....

Worked at a car cleaner's yesterday (my first part-time job). Turns out they didn't use water, so you had to get on your knees and wipe the dirt off the wheels with a rag.... Muddy, dirty, greasy wheels....

Did I mention the pay was below minimum because " I was a student"

Sorry, but slavery was abolished long ago. 15 cars in, I said I'm going home. Also, just use a jet-spray already :/

#21

Took a job selling cellphone covers at the mall. I didn't find out till my first day that I only got paid when I made a sale. I promptly quit and took a seasonal job with the mall's JC Penny's.

Image credits: CrotchWolf

#22

Was hired to be a “PRN” dietitian at a very small rehab/step-down facility. Everybody there was very nice and welcoming, but they let it slip during the orientation that I was only hired to fill-in for a 2-week period of which the currently employed dietitian would be taking a vacation.

Wasn’t comfortable going through all the b******t that is working alongside a new set of nursing staff and MD’s in a new work area, then being told that I was no longer needed. If they would’ve told me from the beginning that I was hired for only 2 weeks, I would’ve rightfully told them to go f**k themselves.

#23

Owner was too busy playing grab a*s with a waitress, in full view of me, as I was waiting for him to discuss managing his restaurant. He hired me the day before as GM. I witnessed this behavior for at least 20 minutes. When he came into the office, I shook his hand and thanked him for the opportunity then said I had a change of heart and left to sound of him giving me s**t for "quitting".

Image credits: GeckoFlameThrower

#24

I had no specific job, I was pretty much doing everything (dishes, making food, cleaning) which wasn’t really a problem, but the boss told me I could work for 8 hours and only get paid for 4. I walked out without saying anything

Image credits: PoorKidSporeKid

#25

It was a call center job; their policies from dress code to attendance to when you could talk to other people or go to the rest room was too strict for the work involved.

Image credits: anon

#26

Second day was left to run place with 16 year old employee. Other assistant manager no showed when my shift should have been over. Had an event I needed to be at and store manager didn’t seem to care too much. Needless to say ended up there extra hours because I didn’t want to bail on 16 year old employee and was late to event.

Manager called when I never went back and I said if it is that screwed up on day two it wasn’t worth it for me.

Image credits: WhoDis2122

#27

I was going to work for a forest service company just managing and creating trails. Found out after orientation they pay once a month. I could handle that but I wasn’t fond of the 1 year contract they wanted me to sign saying I wouldn’t look for other work and if I left before my year was up I was to repay a percentage of my earned wages. I got an $8 check for 5 hours of training.

Image credits: kenbisbee

#28

I worked at a liquor distribution warehouse for one shift. I was a lot smaller than the guys working there, but I was new and they had to put me through the ringer or whatever and stood around a lot while I lifted heavy cases of liquor for hours. The supervisor kept coming back with lists near the end of the shift saying “last one”. This happened like 7 times and my 8 hour shift slowly became a 12.5 hour shift. By the end I could barely move and the big guys had to take over for me. During the day I ran over my foot with a skid of Hennessy and on my very slow walk home I threw up on the sidewalk. Never went back. Made $130 though.

Image credits: shadowokker

#29

Stop and Shop when I was younger. Applied for a stock position, sat down for an interview and got accepted for a stock position. Showed up a couple days later for my first day and they told me they did not need anyone for stocking and I had to work in the deli. Not just that day, that was going to be my permanent job. I explained that wasn't what happened in the interview or on the application, they came back with a nice version of take it or leave it. Figured I give it a shot, went over to the deli department and someone there gave me a two minute explanation of the cutting machine. Then it was straight to working with a couple other employees during a heavy rush. This specific store gets busy. Walked out for lunch and never came back.

Image credits: BottleNcanClapUrHand

#30

In college I was working as a radio personality and ended up with occasional side- gigs as a result. One of the side- gigs was a commercial for a local bar, where I was playing the bartender.

They offered me a few nights a week bartending, I guess to add authenticity to the commercial. I DEFINITELY could have used the extra money at the time, so I accepted.

My first day was one of the worst working days of my life. Not only did I receive absolutely no training, but the entire rest of the staff/ owner left upon my arrival. I had never made a drink professionally in my life, and I was literally alone for the entire shift, where we were absolutely packed.

It took me until nearly 5AM to finish closing the bar, as I didn’t know how anything was supposed to look. The bar was in the next town over from my school, and there was a snowstorm that night. I totaled my car on the way home, which caused me to miss my 8:00AM class.

I called the owners as soon as I was able and quit, never to return again.

Image credits: when-cats-attack

#31

First day in a cubicle farm. They wanted no social interaction between workers. Encouraged headphones. Schedule breaks so workers wouldn’t interact with each other at all.

Just weird. It was a temp job. I asked for another assignment.

Edit:It was a temp assignment in Columbus not far from Ohio State. About 20 years ago.

Image credits: mapbc

#32

I was thrown into serving food to patrons in my first hour, made a mistake so was put on the ice cream bar. Couldn't keep up because I didn't immediately remember 30 different sundaes when the owner of the place tells me "he usually puts the young women in the front since they have a hard time memorizing things"

I got my free lunch and never came back.

Image credits: berryblondebb

#33

One of my friends got a job as a repo man, said he felt like such a piece of s**t taking furniture from people that he quit after one day.

Image credits: el_muerte17

#34

I started working in this bar, they only served some food easy to cook like hamburgers and sandwiches. I saw my boss picking up a cheese slice from the floor and put it back in the hamburger. Bye new job

#35

Couldn't hack it, people clearly didn't want to have people knocking on their doors trying to sign them up to stuff

Image credits: anon

#36

Second day, but I was underage working under the table because I wanted money. I was collecting chickens. After two 8 hour shifts of breathing chicken s**t and hacking up black stuff, I was out.

Image credits: CatchingRays

#37

I got hired at a liquor store. The guy who was training me was a sleazy old dude with a tattoo on his inner lip that said "sit here" in Japanese. Aside from that, the place was clearly going out of business. 9 out of every 10 customers who walked it would even ask if we were going out of business. A few hours into my first shift, lip tat guy asks me if i want to walk over to Quik Trip to get a snack or anything. I say sure and then just walked out the door and went home.

#38

I took a temporary job as an 18 year old..it was in vegas and they gave me a square shovel to dig a hole in super hard compacted dirt

I knew immediately this wasnt for me

Image credits: BaronSciarri

#39

I got a job at a deli and almost cut my finger off the first day. I went to the hospital and never went back to the job.

Image credits: anon

#40

Couldn't find the job site. It was not at the address they gave. I had showed up an hour early so I searched the area, asked multiple people, etc.

Called the number they gave me if I had "any concerns, absolutely anything at all - 24/7!" a few times and left messages. Just went home and emailed them that I quite. They were pushing that number quite hard during the training week. Like it was your universal point of contact and was your beacon of light.

Ever since then I don't beleive in "open door" policies or anything like that. In my experience the more they insist that they are completely open/ready to be contacted the more they are compensating for the fact they aren't.