I need some advice about how to give notice to my current employer. [Preface this with I have a new job already lined up.]
He is a terrible business owner and sits on orders for weeks. I have witnessed several clients saying they feel ignored and becoming frustrated with how long it takes him to create a plan for their project, or to even meet with them on site. I’ve caught him in multiple lies that he tells clients with zero remorse. He comes in late, leaves early, and makes me sit in his showroom just to have someone here. I feel like he baited me into this position – promising me I would become a designer and that I would be doing walk-throughs on site with him. He’s only taken me once in the 5 months I’ve worked here right when I started. I confronted him 2 weeks ago and asked when his timeline is to teach me what he agreed to teach me, and he said “I have no timeline.. it just depends on how quickly you pick this up.” But he doesn’t teach me anything when I’m here. He could be coming in when I am here to expand my potential, but he is on his own clock and doesn’t care about my growth. He even brought back a former employee to help with the big projects. All the clients I was working with have now been given to this past (now current) employee and it’s clear that I am not needed and my role has now been reduced to checking in inventory and to wait for 2 years to do walkthroughs (that’s how long it took the past employees… because he doesn’t make a plan to teach.)
He also denied 2 of my time off requests that were put in with more than enough time in advance. He doesn’t provide medical, dental, vision, or commission. He doesn’t like when I ask questions and needs complete silence to work, so 100% of the time it is just he and I sitting 4 ft away from each other. He only wants to discuss anything during “meetings” (time designated to have a conversation).
This man is also very hard to read and smiles when he’s angry and talks shit about every client he has behind their back. I hear all of it. He thinks everyone around him is incompetent, including vendors and employees that he’s in contact with from other companies. His favorite thing to do is complain and point fingers and swear at his desk. He makes me extremely uncomfortable.
I have been searching for a different position for 2 months. I just signed a contact to start a new position in an unrelated field and negotiated my salary which will be $15,000 more annually. In any situation like this I would usually give 2 weeks notice, but I’m worried he won’t want me to stick around since the state I’m employed in is an “at will” state, and it seems like he could very well tell me to leave if he wanted to because (1.) he behaves in a petty and untrustworthy manor most days (2.) it’s very slow right now and not much is in the works and (3.) he has his past employee currently helping.
He fired someone in the past effective immediately on a day she came into work with a letter. I’m considering doing the same and just keeping quiet for the next 2 weeks, and maybe hand him the letter on my way out the Friday before this new position starts. So 3 days notice. If I can get fired on the spot (and I have) without warning, or 2 week’s notice, why can’t I fire him on the spot?