I (22F) quit my first job out of college today. For background I was an RBT working at an ABA company (for anyone who doesn't know, it means I was delivering therapy to individuals with autism).
This company is relatively new (1.5 years) and has had at least 3 complete staff turnovers since it opened. It has an “anti-gossip policy” that basically means that if you are unhappy with how you are being treated, keep your mouth shut. They hand out written warnings like candy and in a staff of about 20 people total, I have seen 12 people be fired or quit in my time there. Everyone feels like they are walking on eggshells because policies change every day and you can get in trouble for basically anything. The clinical side of the company is completely neglected in favor of trying to enforce policy and the kids are suffering for it. The owner edits clock outs for time worked if you end up being with a client past your designated time and the options are: stay and not get paid for the time or leave and get fired (I think this one is illegal and am filing legal action). They also recently took away all breaks and lunches so we have 8 hour shifts where we are delivering therapy and behavioral intervention to physically aggressive children and no reprieve. The company is also opening a new location and moving resources there so we have been tight on support and staff for the last month or so. At least half of the staff is looking for new jobs and that is only the people that I am personally aware of.
This week was the last straw for me when I was given a written warning on Wednesday for being in a room with a client (young and nonverbal), a camera, and a supervisor with the door closed, being told to leave the door open, and then moving to another room where the cameras worked WITH THE SUPERVISOR and closing the door. The written warning was given with no previous warning and was given to me by someone who is not my supervisor or anywhere in the chain of command above me. Leaving doors open is also not a policy in the handbook or something that I have previously been told. We frequently have closed doors at the clinic as some of the children have loud behaviors that upset other clients. Thursday the company demoted the only competent supervisor and fired a clinical supervisor with no previous warnings or documentation. I called out for Friday on Thursday night due to food poisoning and was called by the owner twice, texted and messaged on teams to tell me that I have to come in because we are understaffed.
So I came in and put in my two weeks – they told me they were letting me go 10 minutes later. My exit interview was about an hour long of me telling them why I was leaving (many of the reasons that were listed above as well as others). The other 4 people (manager, HR, supervisor, and scheduler) were in the room, expressing sympathy and saying they were sad to see me go. They told me that they thought I was amazing with the kids, that I was excelling clinically, and that they knew I would succeed anywhere I went. After the hour, the owner joined the meeting via phone call and immediately began berating me. He said that I was too young and too egotistical to realize that no company is going to treat me better than they are. He also said I needed to grow up and join the real world and that all of the issues I have with the company are my fault for not bringing them to their attention (I did, all the time). After about 2 minutes of him yelling at me, I said “I am doing this exit interview as a courtesy to the company to help you guys improve, I am not being paid to listen to you lecture me”. He told me that this resignation was coming “dangerously close to a termination” at which point I asked the HR rep if she needed anything else from me, and I left.
Basically I think the owner is a huge narcissist who started attacking me for quitting (he didn't hear any of my exit interview so had no reason to be angry). The company is doing at least one illegal thing, maybe more, and this job was shit. Everyone I have told that I left is congratulating me and saying they are proud of me. I'm so tired.