Quitting a toxic workplace and shutting the doors with bad management behind them can feel overwhelming. Especially if you really tried to put up with all the nonsense and stay positive even when the facts showed the opposite.
No wonder the last day and even the last minute in that job can feel not just special, but as memorable as if it happened yesterday. So when someone posed a question “What was your final ‘eff you’ to a boss you didn’t like?” on Ask Reddit, the thread went viral, amassing 21.1k upvotes.
Below we wrapped up some of the most interesting stories people shared.
#1
They withheld $8,000 in pay and hired a lawyer to defend their actions. I hired a law student and we beat them into submission.
Image credits: cantstopwontstopever
#2
Sent them to the feds for Medicare fraud and they got fined 41.7 mil.
Image credits: Darwina1226
#3
I was a program director developing and piloting a new program, and after a year of being overloaded and telling our exec director I either needed a second person or a smaller caseload, he pulls me into his office and goes “We don’t really think you’re a good fit for this position, but you’re a bright young lady and we’d hate to lose you. I’m giving you the option to stay and be my secretary. You have until 7am tomorrow to decide.” I took an early lunch, walked to my other job, asked if I could take on more hours, walked back, and told him I had found other employment and would have my stuff cleared out by noon. He asked if I could stay 2 more weeks to train a new person, and I told him no. What if we paid you a consultation fee? No. But you’re the only person in the county certified! Should have thought of that earlier.
Bonus: This was in the middle of an audit, where it was discovered that he owed me about $3000 from unpaid hours. I like to call it my leaving bonus.
Image credits: Intrepid_Knowledge27
#4
Working retail I quit at the register on Black Friday. I had recently gotten another full-time job and was keeping this retail gig because I liked the employee discount and due to my other job this check was pure fun money, all that is to say I didn’t *need* the retail job.
My store manager comes over at hour 7 of my shift, with chaos and a line 100 people long, and has the nerve to tell me my up-sales(fishing for promo signups, i.e. rewards, credit cards etc) weren’t cutting it for how much traffic I was seeing. In front of the customers! I already couldn’t stand this B so I said, “You know what you do it, I’m done” and then I apologized to my coworkers on the way out.
Image credits: GreedoInASpeedo
#5
Mechanic at a commuter airline. Boss wanted me to sign off a plane pre-flight inspection. I refused to sign because the plane was not airworthy. He told me if I wished to continue working, then id better sign. My response: then I guess I don’t work here anymore. I picked up my tool box and left.
Image credits: Griffie
#6
I was thinking about quitting but has holding back. I scheduled a vacation with 3 extra days. It was a once in a lifetime type of trip. He rejected my vacation request. I thought about it for a couple of hours. Went to his office and told him ‘I’m taking the trip no matter what.’ The next morning the boss met me at hr and gave me a formal written warning. I responded by giving him my 2 week notice. They apologized and tried to convince me not to leave but it was too late.
Image credits: likn16
#7
My exit interview when I was asked the reason for leaving, I simply said their name and nothing more
Image credits: mixologist998
#8
After working my entire career for a company as an engineer… I was laid off with others for no reason. Remaining boss requested all my files so they could continue my work. I said the day I leave you will get all my files. Last day of work I accessed the main frame and down load not just the relevant files… 20 years of files… tons and tons of folders and files all in random folders… I sent him the link. He signed off . I left. He contacted me a few days later and said that’s not what I meant by all the files. I said I don’t work there anymore I have no computer… I gave you exactly what you asked for.
Image credits: AdditionalCheetah354
#9
I worked hard over the course of a year to get all my former coworkers I cared about new jobs.
Image credits: stebuu
#10
My boss had been completely ignoring me because he perceived my actions of talking about an upcoming project with the COO (his boss) as me “going over his head”. It had been almost a month and he hadn’t agreed to meet or talk with me, he would only send me tasks via email.
I was tired of the childishness so I found another job. With my resignation letter in hand I walked to his office to resign and he predictably refused to meet with me claiming to be too busy, so I continued to walk to the COO’s office to let him know I was resigning. The COO asked if my boss knew which was the perfect time to let him know about the silent treatment I had been receiving. My old boss no longer works there 🙂
Image credits: ShredInTheWoods
#11
Was inline for a promotion after my old supervisor was fired for ethics issues. Boss decided to open the requisition, interview and hire a person all in the 2 days I had off.
Since the person hired had no experience in my department/field, I was expected to train my new supervisor, and the other new people they also hired.
I did none of that, quit (gave my 2 weeks), and didn’t explain a single thing to anyone in those 10 days. Supposedly it took almost half a year to get close to where they were before this all went down.
Image credits: 180Proof
#12
Took the taxi home after being wrongfully dismissed. Tipped the taxi drive $250 on company expense.
Image credits: Budrich2020
#13
When I left, he promised to take half what I was making and spread it among the team as raises to cover the extra work. He was trying to stop the exodus as I was the 3rd person to leave in a short time.
So when I left I handed my pay stub (minus social security info) to the team and said
>Just in case he tried to lie. This is what I make.
He tried to lie. They also realized they were being underpaid by a good chunk.
He told me that was a breach of confidential information and they could sue me. I told him to sue me then. Never heard from that company again except for tax docs.
For those unfamiliar, in the US you are legally allowed to disclose your own pay. And its illegal for your employer to tell you that you cant.
Im assuming if he did try that HR or the lawyers quickly corrected him before they had to hand me a settlement.
Image credits: AlphaTangoFoxtrt
#14
The milk I’ve been injecting into his chair with a hypodermic needle should be getting real rancid right about now
Image credits: CG1991
#15
My boss and I had butted heads a few times after she took over the office. After finding a much better job I handed her a list of my job responsibilities, which she asked for because she didn’t understand what I did there.
“This is too much, we’d have to distribute all this to like 4 different people” and I said “yea” and walked out. Spoiler: she didn’t do any of that and was fired less than a year later as the office was falling apart.
Image credits: ijustcomment
#16
My co-worker bought cake and ice cream for the office. Someone asked what we were celebrating.. and he said his last day.
Image credits: garethrory
#17
I gave him a two-hour notice when I quit. He had a habit of firing people on the spot when they gave advance notice.
Image credits: California_Sun1112
#18
I bought the .com version of the domain name for their business and made him buy it off me for a grand. I think it made him like me more, ironically.
Image credits: Katyperri
#19
Salary was delayed by 2 weeks and was about told to be lenient because the company is growing and needs our help and cooperation. I waited for another week but I was ignored. I left the job without notice and upon them calling me to sue me, I replied “You have money to sue people but no money to pay employees.”
I switched job and I am at a better place right now.
Image credits: nanoqueen2
#20
She was a psychopathic narcissist. I knew she was plotting to leave her husband. Because I found it on a numbered to-do list on top of her desk. I was floored that she would leave it where her husband could see- it was a home office in one large room. I took a photo.
She proceeded to harass and gaslight her husband, who took off one night and slept in a parking lot. When he returned the next day she said “you left me, so it’s over.”
After she royally screwed me over for the umpteenth time I quit. A few weeks later I sent the photo to her husband, copied her, and wrote, “For your records” in the subject line.
Then I reported her to the IRS.
Image credits: reddit.com
#21
I worked at a dry cleaner for a summer. Front desk, cash under table type of job. I worked 50 hours one week and he told me he’d pay me time and a half for the OT. I go into work on payday and my cash envelope is not in the drawer. I called him and asked about it and he told me he couldn’t pay me for my work yet. I kindly informed him that I was taking the money I was owed, and locking up the shop, and left.
Image credits: DiamondHandDwight
#22
I reported him to the work inspection.
He was employing more trainee than the legislation allows for a company this size and was making them work them like full paid workers, with basically no formation at all.
He got controlled and fined a big amount of money, had to give money to previous trainee that had worked for him, etc… His company closed for bankruptcy after that.
Sweet justice.
Image credits: Grin-Guy
#23
Applied for a full time job at a daycare. Interview was on Friday and the director said she would text me over the weekend to tell me my hours for next week. Yay! I got the job!
Monday rolls around and no text or email from her so I am sitting in my pjs at home thinking I’m out of work. At 10am a random number calls me and she asks me to come in for 11. I let it slide thinking she lost track of time or whatever.
By the end of the day I asked for my schedule and she said she’ll contact me tomorrow morning at 9am. The next day is the same thing, except this time she calls at 11am asking to come in for 11:15!!!!! I waited TWO hours for her call. Now I have no car and live 15 minutes away. On top of this the shifts were only 4ish hours long, so the job isn’t even full time. I tell her I need a schedule by the end of the day. Didn’t get one.
The next day she calls at a random time but too late, I’m busy at an interview with a different job! I tell her I’ll stop in to get my cheque by the end of the week because she can’t respect my time and lied on the ad about being full time. Also I am not getting paid to be on call.
Image credits: dcdcdani
#24
Worked in China in a language training center. Left the country without informing anyone at work.
Once I was out of China, I posted all the info I had about the benefits foreign workers were supposed to have but never had (tax reimbursement, pension savings, etc.) and how HR & Finance appropriated them in regional and local WeChat groups both in English and Chinese.
Also posted addresses of local government offices where foreign workers could inquire about the aforementioned benefits or complain about lack thereof.
Image credits: Gombock
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