Is it appropriate to walk out after giving notice before my two weeks are up?

Question

I started my job two months ago. Since then I have learned we are over staffed and I spend the majority of the day with nothing to do. I found a new job that is a better fit and handed in my two weeks notice.

It has been a week and I’ve been getting the cold shoulder from my boss. He will blatantly ignore me and make passive aggressive jabs directed at me.

I don’t have anything to do and will spend seven out of the nine hours I’m here trying to find anything to do, while being mistreated and I don’t want to finish out my two weeks.

Would it be inappropriate to leave at the end of the day? I’m considering leaving a note or email with the HR person, but I’m not sure how to best handle the situation.

Answer 1

It would be unprofessional to leave and just not come back without any warning or reason or anything. What would not be unprofessional is to go to your boss and say something like: "I feel like I'm being underutilized here over the last week or so. I'd like to move up my end date; this would benefit me by having some free time, and would benefit you for not having to pay a week of my salary. Would you be amenable to this?"

Ask your boss this and see what he says. You're essentially asking for unpaid vacation during a time when the company clearly doesn't need you, so all else being equal it shouldn't be too hard to get.

Answer 2

My question is would it be inappropriate to leave at the end of the day?

Yes it would be inappropriate.

You gave two weeks notice, so either tolerate the cold shoulder and work out the two weeks, or talk with your boss and ask if the notice period can be reduced to a single week.

Even if your boss isn't acting professionally, you should. And keep in mind that you only have to endure getting paid for doing nothing for one more week.

Answer 3

It would be unprofessional and immature.

You are leaving for a reason, and in a week, it will be over. Either ignore him or reply to his jabs with something to the effect of "Well, this time next week, neither one of us will have to deal with the other."

Keep busy by asking your coworkers if they need help with anything. Be as kind, helpful, and soft spoken as possible. It will make him look petty and you will look good, and very professional, if you rise above it.

This is important, as you never know who you could be working for or with in the future. There may come a time when you either go back to working for this company, or with people who once did. Your actions, good or ill, will follow you.

Also, on your last day, be sure to thank everyone and tell them what a pleasure it was to work with them. Include your boss's name in the list of people you enjoyed working with. That will not only be the professional route to take, but if he ever says anything bad about you, it will make HIM look unprofessional. The best revenge is to leave with professionalism and class. Being happy your last week will drive your boss crazy.

Enjoy your time, and know that every sincere smile you have on your face will irritate him to no end.

Answer 4

It would be unprofessional.

Yes, your boss is being a jackass, but that doesn’t mean you should be as well. Unless there’s an actual safety issue or something, the professional thing is to ride it out. It’s not about your boss - it’s about the impression you leave on HR, your co-workers, and yourself about your professionalism that will pay off long term.

Answer 5

I'm posting this answer as a frame challenge to your question. The core issue you're facing is an overabundance of time where you aren't doing anything valuable, and no one seems to care. Walking out early would be one option, but while it might be unlikely for you to face consequences, it would be unprofessional.

I would encourage you to instead re-envision this time as a rare and valuable opportunity for paid personal professional development. Pick something in your field that you're interested in, but never had the time to pursue, and use your excess time to study it --maybe even create a proof-of-concept project.

In my field, IT, there are always periods of downtime, and there are always new things to learn. My ability to use downtime productively has been a key part of my success and continued advancement in my field. Moments when you are not expected to do defined tasks don't have to be an enforced waste of time.

Answer 6

A lot of answers here asking if just leaving is unprofessional, but none state this fact you state bluntly at the opening of your question here:

“I started my job 2 months ago…”

Okay, so it is indeed unprofessional to leave 1 week into a 2 week notice period. That said, here is the question that I will ask you:

Does a job you have barely been at 2 months actually matter in the long run?

Do you plan on using this place as a reference? Do you forfeit pay or something else that is tangible by just leaving? If the answer to these questions are “No…” my advice is you should just leave and clearly state why:

• Boss is Acting Unprofessional: You tried to be nice about leaving, but your boss is making your life in the office miserable.
• Nothing to Do: You literally have nothing to do but be physically present and don’t feel that is right.

In my humble opinion, if you were there for — let’s say — three months or longer, perhaps you should stick it out for the full 2 weeks.

But if you have only been there 2 months and you don’t plan on using the employer as a reference or have another professional reason for staying, just leave.

The note you should leave with HR should not be nasty or vindictive. It should be honest and and productive towards the company. Something like:

“Look, I have only been here 2 months, gave 2 weeks notice, but my boss has been making the last week miserable. Since I have only been here for 2 months, I don’t feel obligated to endure another week of this treatment.”

You are not burning a bridge by just ditching a job you had so little roots in; you are simply stating: “This is not working out…”

And for perspective, 20-ish years ago many employers would only consider a “new employee” truly a part of the team after a full 3 months. After 3 months many places would then offer you things like health insurance and such because many employers know people don’t really know how they would fit into a workplace after those first 3 months.

My advice? Move on. Make it easier for all sides.

Answer 7

There are a few good reasons to leave before your notice period is complete but not many:

1. Family emergency,
2. Immediate to protect yourself from abusive treatment, or
3. Mutual agreement between you and your employer. I think that's the end of the list.

I'm assuming (1) is not in play, and for (2) a "cold shoulder", while unpleasant, does not rise to the level of abuse, nor does it create an immediate need for self-protection.

You MIGHT be able to talk it over with your boss. "Do you really need me to come in any more?". However, depending on how bureaucratic your employer is, and how distant your HR department is, changing your departure date might create an administrative hassle that your boss wants to avoid.

In that case, it's better just to stick around and wait it out. Chill and bill.

Answer 8

My first impression was that you don't just walk out of a job unless they've done something really bad, but then I realized that's for cases where they need you the next day, and/or need time to hire and train someone else. But you're in a situation where they don't need you for the extra week. This Forbes article hits that really well:

Quit without giving notice if there is nothing for you to train anyone else on[...] Quit your job without a notice period if you've only had the job for a month or two and there really isn't anything for you to do for two more weeks.

You're not hurting them in any way if they don't need you for anything during the next week.

Answer 9

I'm guessing you won't use this place for references or you already have your certificate of employment, so improving the relationship with your boss won't likely be of real concern.

However, blatantly violating your work contract by staying away and putting that in writing really is your worst option. Understandably, the company will, at the very least, withhold one week of your salary. You'll get more trouble than one week of absence is worth.

Sickness

What's the sick policy in your jurisdiction and/or company?

In many places, you only have to visit a doctor in case you're sick longer than three days. That would open, let's say, an opportunity.

In general

Instead of sitting at your desk (I assume you have a desk job), you could chat up coworkers, drink coffee, stroll around the buildings, take extended breaks, come in late, leave early, etc.

Answer 10

You said "two weeks." Of course your boss doesn't have to like it. And, your boss can tell you to go ahead and leave sooner. But ... you said "two" weeks.

Answer 11

If you're being treated badly, my suggestion is, something I’ve always wanted to do:

Start singing, take this job and shove it, and walk out the door. Don’t look back. If the boss is being a jerk he won’t give you a good reference. You might feel better. I'm old and speak from experience.