# Workers who put in their notice then act the fool their last few weeks on the job **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 25, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676 "2016-05-25T16:51:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/21 "2016-05-26T18:10:01Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > My last day I was sitting in an interminable QA meeting on somebody else’s code. 5:00pm arrived, then 5:15, then 5:30, and still we went on. Finally I stood up and said, “As of about forty minutes ago, I don’t work here. Good luck.” My manager said “Sit down - we’re not done here.” > > I responded, “What are you going to do - fire me?” and walked out. > > Regards, > Shodan I got fired over lunch hour and the boss said, magnanimously, “And it’s alright with me if you take the rest of the day off.” So of course I laughed and said “You do realize you can’t give me time off if I don’t work for you any more…” ---
**Author:** ![LH75](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lh75/32/4438_2.png) [@LH75](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LH75)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/22 "2016-05-26T18:25:51Z")
I work for a fire alarm company. The pool of licensed technicians is not really that large, and we all know everyone. We have a continuing education requirement and the classes are pretty limited. Moving from one company to another is a pretty regular occurrence. Some of my colleagues have worked for all of the available companies at least once. Burning bridges is a bad idea. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/23 "2016-05-26T18:41:38Z")
Most places I’ve worked didn’t require any notice to be made for people to act the fool. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/24 "2016-05-26T18:59:31Z")
> [@LH75](#): > > I work for a fire alarm company. The pool of licensed technicians is not really that large, and we all know everyone. We have a continuing education requirement and the classes are pretty limited. Moving from one company to another is a pretty regular occurrence. Some of my colleagues have worked for all of the available companies at least once. > > Burning bridges is a bad idea. I can see burning bridges would actually help out a fire alarm company 🙂 ---
**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:** [May 26, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/25 "2016-05-26T20:40:30Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > There’s a limit on how many hours vacation can be paid in severance pay. > > Long time employees at my job often take vacation time during their last two weeks before retiring or changing jobs. > > They come in just enough to help with bringing people up to date on any unfinished projects. I may be wrong, but I thought accrued vacation was yours, and it is carried as a liability on the company balance sheet - I’ve worked for places which required people to take a week off to burn it up. AT&T used to give vacation January 1. When I left during the Trivestiture January 15 I had five weeks accrued - and got paid for every minute of them. There were some personal days which were not vacation which were use it or lose it days - those we wouldn’t get paid for, and so we used them. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/26 "2016-05-26T21:42:01Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I may be wrong, but I thought accrued vacation was yours, and it is carried as a liability on the company balance sheet - I’ve worked for places which required people to take a week off to burn it up. > > AT&T used to give vacation January 1. When I left during the Trivestiture January 15 I had five weeks accrued - and got paid for every minute of them. There were some personal days which were not vacation which were use it or lose it days - those we wouldn’t get paid for, and so we used them. The first part sounds right. My company allocates all PTO on Jan 1. also, but I thought they could reduce that when you leave to correspond with the time worked. I don’t have plans to test that any time soon, but something to look into if I ever move on. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/27 "2016-05-26T22:00:29Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > …I responded, “What are you going to do - fire me?” and walked out… I hope you gave them your regards first. mmm Sorry, couldn’t resist 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2016, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/28 "2016-05-26T22:01:57Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I may be wrong, but I thought accrued vacation was yours, and it is carried as a liability on the company balance sheet - I’ve worked for places which required people to take a week off to burn it up… My place gives you a percentage of unused time based on how long you have worked there. It maxes out at 50 or 75%, not sure. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/29 "2016-05-27T07:25:21Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I responded, “What are you going to do - fire me?” and walked out. > > Regards, > Shodan Who amongst us has not wanted to do that at some point in our employment careers? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 10:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/30 "2016-05-27T10:11:13Z")
One of my clients had a worker who handed in his notice and on his last day advised everyone that his supervisor was promiscuous and exactly how he would like to take advantage of her promiscuity, and how he would love to do some very immoral and downright illegal things to her. He is surprised that he has lost all benefits and has a Court date. Idiot.:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/31 "2016-05-27T11:56:13Z")
I think a lot of people forget that if we take you off the schedule during that two weeks, you’re not being fired. But I think a lot of employees forget a lot of things\*, or at least truly don’t understand them. In that case, I’ve had employees put in their two weeks and after a few days we take them off the schedule, for one reason or another, and them come in complaining about it and I have to explain to them that we don’t need them anymore and since they quit… It’s funny how often they say ‘but I said I can work two more weeks’, ‘yeah, but that doesn’t mean I have to let you work two more weeks’. OTOH, if your business has a history of marching people out the door when they put their two weeks in, they’re not going to do that. They’re going to quit on the day they’re ready to never walk into the building again. > [@Maggie\_the\_Ocelot](#): > > Heh. When I worked at a bookstore, there was one of the assistant managers who I loathed. He put in his notice…and then apparently, with three days to go, let a friend use his discount (a major no-no and firing offense). At my store we consider letting other people use your employee discount stealing. At my store, stealing gets you fired on the very first offense. Like, if I catch you putting money in your pocket or I see you ring one of your friends up for half price or you punch out and grab something out the backroom as you leave, you won’t be coming in tomorrow. \*This reminds me of when one of my employees didn’t show up, I called her and her explanation was “I have a lot of homework today and can’t make it in, so I’m going to work tomorrow instead”…“Um, you’re a cashier, it doesn’t work that way”. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/32 "2016-05-27T14:29:28Z")
I thought from the thread title that this would be some Republican diatribe about Obama but apparently not. ---
**Author:** ![howye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a9adbd/32.png) [@howye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/howye)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2016, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/33 "2016-05-27T16:18:39Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > I don’t know if it was acting the fool, but I gave notice at one job and they made me work the full four weeks out. > > And I was actually trying - documenting everything, meetings up the wazoo with everyone so they understood what I was working on and what remained to be done, etc. > > My last day I was sitting in an interminable QA meeting on somebody else’s code. 5:00pm arrived, then 5:15, then 5:30, and still we went on. Finally I stood up and said, “As of about forty minutes ago, I don’t work here. Good luck.” My manager said “Sit down - we’re not done here.” > > I responded, “What are you going to do - fire me?” and walked out. > > Regards, > Shodan Along the same lines as others, your were a damn saint for being there at 5:00, PTO or not. To expect someone to stay past normal working hours on their last day and then give them crap about leaving is just mind numbingly dumb. Even if that is burning a bridge, I can’t imagine coming back to such a place anyways. And I hear about places that will march you out on the day of notice, never can find one to do it. Now I work someplace that can’t do that by law. I enjoy my current work by there will come a time when I am counting down the seconds to my release from this fluorescent lit box. ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2016, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/34 "2016-05-28T00:52:19Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > No, but the choice is simply whether to put up with it, or tell him the more he goes on like this, the happier you’ll all be to see him go. With no send-off drinks or mementoes. And see how much more sulking there’ll be till then. We just had a guy leave who spent his last two weeks talking about “getting out of hell” and how much this town sucks. I joked that we should give him a “go away party” 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2016, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676/35 "2016-05-29T11:56:58Z")
I was at a job where I offered to stay on two weeks after I quit and they said, “No leave immediately” so I did. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/workers-who-put-in-their-notice-then-act-the-fool-their-last-few-weeks-on-the-job/755676.md?page=1)