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Should we also put down the two-week notice?
Let me preface this by saying that I just left a really toxic job and it made me realize this is the last time I want to go through this. So I wanted to chat about it.
When I first entered the workforce after graduating high school, my mom gave me some classic pieces of advice.
“Always be on time”, “Be respectful”, and “If you plan on leaving, make sure you give them two weeks’ notice”.
I spent a couple of years bouncing around in retail positions and babysitting for family friends. The bulk of my early experiences were in jobs with severely high turn-around rates and it made me question a lot of my mom’s advice.
I then began to nanny for families I found on online childcare job boards. I ended up extremely lucky with my first two families. They treated me well and paid me well. I had benefits too. I felt like I had found my calling and so for five years, between two families, I was extremely satisfied with my work.
Then the pandemic happened. Parents began working from home. If you think this isn’t a big deal, go search through any nanny forum on the internet specifically about WFH parents and you’ll find one common denominator, micromanaging.
Like most people around the start of the pandemic, I wanted to switch gears. I wanted to start a thriving business and “be my own boss”. This didn’t happen as I had planned, I love my Etsy shop, but I am not that kind of artist.
My artistry centers around words and the magic that can be created with them.
So after a year, I went back to work. First I took a retail position but soon realized people had somehow gotten nastier since the five years I last held a retail job.
I jumped ship, and spent a little more time unemployed, before accepting a position at a daycare. The director was really kind and funny and made me feel so welcome during the time I interviewed and then my first day of training.
However, things quickly went downhill fast. The red flags would constantly be raised and I felt a little bit at a loss. So I convinced myself to hold out a little longer until I found a new position.
As soon as I found my new position and accepted the job, I informed my boss. I sent a simple email detailing I was leaving, my last day, and a brief reason why. I gave ample notice, nearly three weeks before I had planned to leave.
My email was met with emotion and manipulation. I felt guilty for leaving. I felt like a bad employee.
Yet the more I discussed this with people I trust, I began to realize I was simply being manipulated. I became angrier than I had been. Within a week, I immediately left my position. I had had enough.
I had enough of the guilt-tripping. Of the unnecessary comments about my plans to leave. The dirty looks from others as though I had done something wrong.
So this leads me back to my original point of this article, I want to end the toxic job cycle. I will have to work for the majority of my life, I was not born into wealth. Despite this, I want to be able to enjoy the work I do, no matter what it is. I plan to have many careers over my lifetime because I want to try out jobs that interest me, spark creativity within me, and make me feel like my work is important.
I understand that not everyone agrees with this type of attitude. Many of my older family members have been in the same job for decades. And if that’s your thing, more power to you.
The workforce is changing. In some places, across vast oceans, people only work four days a week without seeing a cut to their pay. People are no longer giving two weeks’ notice to jobs that suck the life out of them and rob them of mental and emotional well-being.
I applaud those people.
Overall, I am slowly finding my way in life. I am extremely lucky to have a supportive partner who can pick up the slack sometimes.
I am excited to start my new position and continue growing my little online presence. And who knows, maybe one day I really can be my own boss. We’ll just have to wait and see.