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Antiwork

Was hired as mechanical engineer but worked glorified janitor. Tell me your quickest “I quit” story

I was excited to work for this company located in my town. They produced metal fabrications, and I was hired for the engineering and maintenance of the machines. During the interview process, I had to take a bunch of assessments for electrical, plumbing, and general handyman. On my first day, I'm given a few rolls of shitty paper towels with simple green and was told to “clean the tracks for garage doors.” OK I had to convince myself that this was part of maintaining the equipment but maybe hoping for better cleaning supplies (someone give my a scrub brush at least!) A few hours later and 3 garage bays down, my boss comes to inspect and says, “It doesn't look clean!” Ok.. next day, I loaded my truck with tools, cleaning agents, and brushes. Figured ok, I'll give you clean. The boss tells me, “Clean all air intake vents.” No…


I was excited to work for this company located in my town. They produced metal fabrications, and I was hired for the engineering and maintenance of the machines. During the interview process, I had to take a bunch of assessments for electrical, plumbing, and general handyman. On my first day, I'm given a few rolls of shitty paper towels with simple green and was told to “clean the tracks for garage doors.” OK I had to convince myself that this was part of maintaining the equipment but maybe hoping for better cleaning supplies (someone give my a scrub brush at least!) A few hours later and 3 garage bays down, my boss comes to inspect and says, “It doesn't look clean!” Ok.. next day, I loaded my truck with tools, cleaning agents, and brushes. Figured ok, I'll give you clean. The boss tells me, “Clean all air intake vents.” No problem. I saw a maintenance cart in storage and made this fantastic cleaning cart with a vacuum. My boss saw this and lost it that I was using a cart and said I'm working too fast also makimg him look bad since i brought all stuff from home. At this point, I'm amazed. I'm starting to see all the maintenance problems (walls need painting, kick plates falling off, bathrooms needed fixing), and I'm cleaning vents. I was getting annoyed and thinking what I got myself into. On the way to lunch, I see a frozen spot in the parking lot. Quickly, I went to my bosses office asking for a key to the utility closet to throw some salt on it. “No, I'll call the contractor for that,” he says… For literally a 1 ft frozen puddle, they called a contractor.
At this point, I'm starting to second guess my decision to work here, but I couldn't finish the day. I came down with chills and a fever. Covid rapidly set it. I looked for my boss, but he was out for lunch, so I told HR who instantly sent me to Dr to get tested. I called my boss up a few hours later, telling him I'm positive. The first thing he states is how I'm on my first week of work, and I'm already calling out… he's disappointed. 5 days off, no matter how I felt. A week goes by, and I go in. There was a section of wall that got scraped by a palet lifter. I told the area operator, “I'll paint it when there are no more deliveries.” I started getting supplies ready and my boss saw me. “What are you doing? I have light fixtures for you to clean.” I tell him I was going to quickly touch up that wall. “We have a guy who comes in for that off books.” So I start cleaning these old, brittle light fixtures. My first 3 cracked, so I brought it to my bosses attention, saying we need new clear housing. I get scolded for breaking these fixtures. At this point, I'm DONE. I did what he told me, and after he left, I started packing up my desk area. The next day, I come in with the simplest letter to HR (not my boss).
I HEREBY AM GIVING YOU NOTICE OF MY RESIGNATION EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY.
My boss saw I was meeting with HR and demanded to be present, but thankfully, he was issued away. HR stated that they were very aware of my skills and were looking for positions for me, but the problem came down to this. My bosses name is the same last name as the owners. “He might be a horrible boss, but they're always going to pick him over anyone else,” I was told. After the HR meeting, he demanded to meet with me, asking me why. He showed me not one ounce of politeness or respect. I stated that and walked right past him, giving him a copy of my letter. I worked a total of 18 hours. Best decision ever.
Now, I have my own handyman/maintenance business with 2 crew workers. I've learned lessons on how to treat my workers. The better you treat them, the better they treat you.
What's your fastest I QUIT story?

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