50 People Who Quit Their Job On The Spot Share What Did It For Them

To learn more about this topic, we reached out to Pamela Skillings, Co-Founder, President and Chief Coach at Big Interview, the #1 job interview training platform. Pamela was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and detail some of the reasons why employees might spontaneously quit.

"In my experience with coaching clients, people only quit on the spot when they have been pushed to their limit," she shared. "This could be due to months or years of a toxic boss or work environment or even due to a single wildly inappropriate incident."

Pamela noted that most people prefer to give two weeks' notice and leave on good terms, even if they hate their job. "But sometimes, patience and perspective run out," she says.

"I would always advise stepping away and taking at least a moment before giving in to the impulse to quit on the spot. In some cases, you may decide it's still the right move, but usually some space will allow for a calmer, more reasoned decision that benefits you more in the long term," the expert added.

And although Pamela has never quit on the spot herself, she admits that she's been tempted to! "Sometimes it helped to just take a walk around the block and imagine quitting with a dramatic exit line."

As painful as it may be to stick around for two more weeks, Pamela recommends giving your employer a heads up that you're leaving if it's possible without sacrificing your own best interests. "It's always better to leave on decent terms and maintain a professional reputation," the expert says. "A lot depends on your relationship with your manager and your experience at the company."

"If you've been treated well and know a sudden departure would put your team in a bad situation, give as much notice as possible," Pamela told Bored Panda. "If you haven't been treated with respect and need to leave sooner (perhaps a new job with an immediate start date), then I think you have to prioritize your future well-being over workplace etiquette."

As far as how employers can try to prevent workers from quitting on the spot, Pamela says, "Companies should be sure to train all of their managers and model respect and fairness from the top down. They can't let bad managers get away with bad behavior. Even at good companies, people quit because they can't stand their horrible manager. Managing people well is a learned skill and a lot of managers don't get the guidance they need."

"If you find yourself regularly tempted to quit your job on the spot, you need to get serious about planning your next move before the stress burns you out completely," Pamela added. "Take a mental health day if you feel you're at your limit. Use some of the time to update your resume."

And if you need to brush up your interview skills before applying to new jobs, be sure to check out Big Interview!