# Is it unethical to accept a bad job knowing that you will take another job tomorrow if offered one? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 6, 2019, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273 "2019-08-06T20:30:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/21 "2019-08-07T03:59:01Z")
As long as you give them an honest effort while there and the appropriate notice once something better comes along I feel you are fine. I don’t feel you are under any moral obligation to tell them you don’t plan on unpacking much. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/22 "2019-08-07T04:03:33Z")
Do you need to eat? Keeping yourself fed through working a job you’re not terribly happy about for as long or as short as that’s the job you happen to have is perfectly ethical. There’s no need to inform the bad-job people that there are other jobs you’d rather have, and that in fact you’re already trying to get one of those: if they’ve been paying attention to the world around themselves, they already know that most people would rather work elsewhere. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/23 "2019-08-07T04:20:51Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > Ethical or not, I wouldn’t hesitate to accept a less desirable job, knowing that I might drop it like a hot rock next week. > > If I was troubled by this, when the second, better offer comes in, I might try to push the start date for that job 14-21 days into the future. I then explain the situation to my boss at my current, less desirable job. I’m leaving, does he want me to give notice, does he want to renegotiate the terms of my employment to try to get me to stay or is it just better for him if I bail now and let the chips fall where they may? If I can’t push back the start date of my newly offered employment, current boss gets screwed and I will not lose sleep over it. In my experience it is a bad idea to renegotiate the terms of current employment in this situation. They now know you have been actively looking elsewhere, and at the first opportunity they will bid you farewell. It’s also not unusual to tell the new employer that you will start in X days as you want to give your current employer fair notice. This gives you points for being a decent person and less likely to screw over the new employer. Depending on the type of work, if you give 2 weeks’ notice and they just want you to go immediately, they may even pay you for the 2 weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/24 "2019-08-07T06:28:10Z")
> [@doreen](#): > > That’s not true. Companies often have policies that restrict what can be said about an ex-employee, and I’m not going to say that there is _no_ state or city that legally restricts what a company can say - but in general, if a company is called for a reference, they are perfectly free to say you just stopped showing up after a week, that you quit after a month to take another job, that you were fired for excessive absences etc, etc, - just as long as they are telling the truth. Plus the employer almost always says if they would hire that person again. If the person walked off the job without notice, the answer would be no. I once had to tell someone I knew at the other company that I couldn’t give the person a reference. But I said “I’d really like to be able to,” enough times that they got the message. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/25 "2019-08-07T06:59:51Z")
My 18 year old did this last month. He had a summer job lined up back in April but their office flooded and they transferred operations to their HQ 2 hours away. He put in loads of applications and was told by one company that they would hire him at $15/hr but were waiting for budget approval. Meanwhile as a fallback he had applied and was accepted to work at a summer daycamp counselor for $7/hour. On the first day of camp he still hadn’t heard from the $15/hr company so went to work. He heard on Wednesday that the other job had the budget approved for him to start the following Monday. He worked at camp until the end of the week; he worked at the same camp last year and saw a few people leave because they’d gotten other jobs. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 11:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/26 "2019-08-07T11:22:04Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > But on the other hand, the employer has some leverage. If you walk out on them, you can’t use them as a reference. I know, I know, you can’t say anything bad about an ex-employee when a future employer calls, but it happens, I promise, and it happens in ways that the applicant isn’t going to find out about. If I get a call regarding a reference for someone who used to work for me, I’m totally honest. I’ve said everything from, “you’d be lucky to have her, I was sorry to see her go” to, “he’s a total train wreck, gave no notice, wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire”. Maybe things are different with small businesses, but this has been my experience. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/27 "2019-08-07T11:31:39Z")
I’d say quitting in a week is fine if you’ve been hired off the street. But if your company hired you from, say, a temp agency and had to spend thousands to buy out your contract, then yes, you’re being unethical. I’ve seen it happen. I hate corporations as much as the next progressive, but yeah, do that and you’re a jerk. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/28 "2019-08-07T12:53:34Z")
Not usually. I was in a similar situation. I was offered a job and accepted, even though I had other possibilities. I couldn’t be sure they’d come through. One of them did, and I accepted that. I then told the first person the situation. He was not happy, but accepted it. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/29 "2019-08-07T13:03:01Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > Nope. There’s an inherent power differential between a worker and an employer and considering the employer doesn’t even hesitate to fuck over the worker at their own whim it’s just stupid to worry about the employer’s well being over your own. But in principal a system of ethics that says other people have to do right or else I’m entitled not to, is not a really a system of ethics. Especially if vague general references to ‘they’d fuck _me_ over’ excuse bad behavior. If that’s my approach I might as well just admit I don’t have any ethics. That’s in general. In specific cases it often depends on custom and expectation of what a person’s ethical obligations are. There are jobs where people are constantly turning over, working for a week is nothing out of the ordinary, and employers have no expectation otherwise. There are jobs where that’s not true. And it could be a job in the same field as better jobs I’m seeking, and the fact that I left so soon could reflect badly on me in that ‘community’. It isn’t necessarily 100% about ‘worrying about the employer’s well being’, it could splash back on me. OK, the latter wouldn’t be true if I took a job as cashier at Big Box and stopped showing up after a week because I landed the job as assistant business manager at Cubicle Farm which really was a better job, and no contact between BB and CF. My only objection here really is to the form of argument ‘[vague] they [I speculate] wouldn’t be ethical so I don’t have to be ethical’. I’m not sure the example given is actually an ethical question, depending. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/30 "2019-08-07T14:46:31Z")
I don’t understand the question. Is there some reason you would stay at ANY job if a “better” one came along tomorrow? Look, there’s nothing “unethical” about it. I’ve seen it happen many times and have done it myself. And these were serious corporate jobs, not low-wage cashier positions. Often people are sold a bill of goods about a job. After a few weeks or months, they find out it’s not what they were told it would be. So they look for another job or go back to their second choice to see if that position has been filled. Of course you wouldn’t use them as a reference. What would they say? “Yeah, he worked here for about month, decided it wasn’t for him, then moved on.” Now, if you keep doing this, I might think you are a flake or have unrealistic expectations about a role. Also, what do you mean by “bad” job? Are you talking about a long commute? A massive cut in pay or position? A terrible boss? My only problem with taking a “bad” job is that unless you find a better job soon, that becomes the benchmark for your next job. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/31 "2019-08-07T14:50:24Z")
> [@SmartAleq](#): > > Nope. There’s an inherent power differential between a worker and an employer and considering the employer doesn’t even hesitate to fuck over the worker at their own whim it’s just stupid to worry about the employer’s well being over your own. +1 ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/32 "2019-08-07T16:32:38Z")
I decided not to go for a job for this sort of reason. The guy only had two employees and wanted a commitment. He implied that he’d been burned by flighty younguns, but I suspect he’s just a grumpy old jerk. Only part of it was my own ethics, though. It would have been only part-time to start, no benefits even if I got moved up to full-time, and much lower pay than I should get. There was no way I could take that job and not take anything else ASAP. ---
**Author:** ![Mallard](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Mallard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mallard)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/33 "2019-08-07T17:10:00Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If I get a call regarding a reference for someone who used to work for me, I’m totally honest. I’ve said everything from, “you’d be lucky to have her, I was sorry to see her go” to, “he’s a total train wreck, gave no notice, wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire”. > > Maybe things are different with small businesses, but this has been my experience. Lots of employers fire employees on the spot when they “give notice.” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/34 "2019-08-07T17:15:35Z")
> [@Mallard](#): > > Lots of employers fire employees on the spot when they “give notice.” Not me. I use those two weeks to attempt to find a replacement. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/35 "2019-08-07T17:19:32Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > If I get a call regarding a reference for someone who used to work for me, I’m totally honest. I’ve said everything from, “you’d be lucky to have her, I was sorry to see her go” to, “he’s a total train wreck, gave no notice, wouldn’t piss on him if he was on fire”. I don’t know how true it is, but I’ve heard that giving a negative recommendation can open the company up to a lawsuit from the past employee. They can sue for damages because they didn’t get the job and they may say that the company is unfairly trashing his reputation. Regardless if that’s true or not, it may mean time with lawyers and judges that the company wants to avoid. That’s why many companies only give basic info about employment history rather than any qualitative statements about the employee’s performance. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/36 "2019-08-07T18:02:26Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I don’t know how true it is, but I’ve heard that giving a negative recommendation can open the company up to a lawsuit from the past employee. They can sue for damages because they didn’t get the job and they may say that the company is unfairly trashing his reputation. Regardless if that’s true or not, it may mean time with lawyers and judges that the company wants to avoid. That’s why many companies only give basic info about employment history rather than any qualitative statements about the employee’s performance. I’ve heard that as well, but have never been sued despite being brutally honest on the phone. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/37 "2019-08-07T18:15:31Z")
Not at all. Unless you sign a contract, you owe your employer very little. I had one co-worker whose college grad started work at a pretty good job, and on the very 1st day, she got an offer for her dream job. Her mom asked me what I thought. In my mind, there was no question. I don’t see that co-worker any more, but for the next year or so, the dream job was everything the young woman had hoped it would be. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/38 "2019-08-07T19:47:07Z")
Some jobs have a probationary period of 90 days where they can fire you without giving you notice. If I were in that probationary period, I would assume that meant I wouldn’t have to give two weeks notice (or whatever) if I found a better job. I have been in jobs where, if you quit or got fired, you got escorted out the door immediately, as well as jobs where they made me work the full (IIRC) four weeks after I gave notice. I did it because my new job was OK with it, and because I didn’t want my old company to screw me over on my accumulated PTO. My take on it is if you agreed to two weeks notice, you should work the two weeks even if you have only been there a day, if the company asks you. The flip side of that is that there would be no probationary period as described above. IANAL - if you quit without giving notice, does that screw up your unemployment compensation? Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/39 "2019-08-07T19:52:24Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > I don’t know how true it is, but I’ve heard that giving a negative recommendation can open the company up to a lawsuit from the past employee. They can sue for damages because they didn’t get the job and they may say that the company is unfairly trashing his reputation. Regardless if that’s true or not, it may mean time with lawyers and judges that the company wants to avoid. That’s why many companies only give basic info about employment history rather than any qualitative statements about the employee’s performance. I don’t know if it is the law, but at several different companies I was informed that I was never to say anything beyond the former employee’s start date, end date, and job title. Nothing more - no answer to “would you hire this person again?” either. One company I used to work for even f\*cked that up - they gave the wrong start date and made it look like I was lying on my resume. But they were jerks in general, and had been ever since they acquired the company I was working for. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2019, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273/40 "2019-08-07T20:11:51Z")
(I apologized if someone has made this point in this thread. I did a pretty good scan for it but didn’t notice it. But failing to see something … happens.) I look at this from another point of view. The person who would have gotten the job if the “temp” person hadn’t taken it. This person didn’t get the job. Maybe to them this would be a step up. Crappy but not as crappy as their current job or being unemployed or whatever. So they have to keep looking. The “temp” person might hang around long enough that the 2nd place finisher won’t be in line to get the job when it becomes available again. Plus some people live quite close to (or below) the edge and a missed paycheck or two can be a calamity. My advice: don’t be a jerk. Let someone who maybe really wants it have it. It is _not_ a simple employer vs. “temp” person situation. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-unethical-to-accept-a-bad-job-knowing-that-you-will-take-another-job-tomorrow-if-offered-one/838273.md?page=3)