A stronger economy often gives workers greater courage to change jobs, but the excuses — ahem, reasons — offered for jumping ship can leave many employers perplexed.
An OfficeTeam survey revealed just a few of the strangest reasons employees have given for handing in their notice at work.
29 reasons to quit a job
There are many different kinds of logic that get people to finally say “I quit.” Here’s a look
“We had someone quit to participate in a reality show.”- “An employee said it was his routine to change jobs every six months.”
- “One person left because she lost her cell phone too many times at work.”
- “Someone left because her boss lost the dog she had given him.”
- “Our employee said he was joining the circus.”
Some individuals simply had to follow their true calling:
- “One worker quit to join a rock band.”
- “A staff member quit to climb Mount Everest.”
- “There was an individual who left to play the trombone.”
- “One worker left to become an apple farmer.”
- “An employee wanted to enter a beauty contest.”
It may be hard to fault these professionals for their honesty:
- “A guy said he was making too much money and didn’t feel he was worth it.”
- “One person left because she didn’t want to work so hard.”
- “An individual said he was bored.”
- “Someone quit because she was going to live off her trust fund.”
- “An employee said work was getting in the way of having fun.”
- “A person quit because informal dress was not allowed.”
- “The worker told us he just couldn’t get up in the morning.”
And there were other employees who suffered from sensory overload:
- “He quit because he didn’t like the way the office smelled.”
- “One employee didn’t enjoy the cafeteria food.”
- “An individual did not like the sound of file cabinets being slammed.”
These shortsighted workers gave notice when a day off might have sufficed:
- “One person quit to watch a soccer tournament.”
- “We had someone leave because he had to stay home to feed his dog.”
- “An employee left because he wanted to watch a movie with his girlfriend during work hours.”
Some individuals couldn’t ignore their eye for interior design:
- “A person quit because he hated the carpet.”
- “One worker did not like the colors of the walls.”
- “The employee quit because the office building was unattractive.”
- “Someone felt the lobby area was too small.”
- “She hated the lighting in the building.”
Then there was the worker who gave his employer the silent treatment:
- “He just walked out without a peep. We have no idea why he left, and we were not able to contact him.”
“How you leave a job can be just as important as what you did while you were there,” said Robert Hosking, executive director of OfficeTeam. “Regardless of the reason for resigning, making a graceful exit by tying up loose ends and thanking colleagues shows your professionalism and can help you down the road in your career.”