Over time I’ve asked friends, family, and coworkers, “What would it take for you to walk off your job?” Or, if walking off is too extreme, “What would it take for you to give your boss your two weeks notice?” Or, “If you returned home this evening and were presented with something … a phone call, a piece of mail, a package, anything … that would cause you to give your boss your two weeks notice, what would that be?”
I never ask this because I don’t really want folks to quit on short notice, but rather to see what’s important to them, what their dreams are, to see if I can spark some dream in the lives of those I’m talking with.
Unfortunately, most respond with a new job offer, found out that they’ve won the lottery, or were retirement eligible. All of these are legitimate answers, and very safe especially when folks have responsibilities such as a spouse, kids, mortgages, and the like.
But what else is there to life? What types of things are being put off due to the time constraints associated with a job? Vacations? Kids T-Ball game? A second honeymoon? A pet project?
What is it that keeps us at the job we’re in, what is being missed along the way, and what is the threshold where we just say, “Nah, this is too much! I’ve sacrificed (fill in the blank) way too much,” and then do something about it?
I’ve actually walked off jobs twice, once in High School when I was working for Pizza Hut and the other while in College when I was working for McDonald’s. The reason for the first was along the lines of “Nah, I’m good.” The second was because I found a better paying job. Good reasons at the time, but I’ve never just left, especially as an adult, especially one with responsibilities.
Unfortunately, there are more than enough times over the past 40 years where I have pushed aside my hopes and dreams for jobs that don’t seem to matter. But due to the fact that I still need to be the “responsible adult” and provide for my family, my dreams are set aside, and never get readdressed. Maybe soon I will find a way where I can make those dreams a reality and politely walk away.
The closest I’ve come was after college when I was still moving furniture. Two of us were in the waiting area about noon one beautiful Friday when the Dispatcher approached us with two small jobs. The first was slated to take two to three hours. The Dispatcher handed us the paperwork and held onto the second set of paperwork, just in case someone else came back early enough to run with it.
The two of us took off and returned about 3:00 and proceeded to check in. The second job hadn’t been filled and the boss was waiting for us. So my partner went to take care of the truck while I went to take care of the paperwork and pick up the second set.
As I stepped into the waiting room I saw a good friend about to leave for the day.
“Larry! Where ya runnin’ off to?” I asked.
“Going fishing. You coming along?”
“Sure am,” I replied. “I’ll be right there.” I then proceeded to drop off that first set of paperwork and follow Larry out the door.
No sooner did I hit the parking lot, but my co-worker had pulled the truck around to the front. He immediately noticed something was missing.
“Where’s the second set of paperwork?”
“With the Dispatcher,” I replied.
“Why? Weren’t you supposed to be returning the paperwork from the first job and picking up the paperwork for the second?”
“Yep. I dropped off the first set of paperwork, but I’m going fishing.”
“Uh, there’s still work to be done!”, he came back.
“Good luck with that, I’m going fishing.” My co-worker just stood there dumbfounded as I got into my car and followed Larry to one of the quaintest bass fishing ponds I’d ever seen.
It was nothing against my co-worker, and I do hope the job was taken care of. But, I’m surprised I wasn’t fired!
Have you ever just walked off a job? If so, why? If not, what’s the closest you’ve come? Please, tell me the story!