This Boss Just Tried To Refuse To Accept An Employee's Resignation, And This Better Not Become A Trend

    "Congratulations on retaining the most insubordinate and disrespectful employee you could possibly imagine. I will be in tomorrow two hours late and leave five hours early with a one-hour lunch."

    When you put in notice at a job, sometimes things can start to get a little weird. Like, I've heard of bad bosses giving departing workers the silent treatment or immediately showing them the door upon getting their two weeks’ notice. But recently, a Reddit user shared that when they tried to quit their job, their boss simply...didn't let them do it???

    On the subreddit r/antiwork, u/worthlessfloor shared a screenshot of this email from their boss and wrote, "Tried to quit my job and they said no."

    Memo saying that when they were hired, they committed to a minimum of one year with the company

    People naturally had a lot of questions about this, because what the heck??? And also, why??? And many folks wanted to know if the user had anything about this time frame in their contract or if they had gotten a sign-on bonus, since they could be required to pay it back if they left before a given date.

    Man signing a contract

    In a comment, the user elaborated on the situation, writing, "I read through every piece of information I signed with the help of a lawyer I know, and there is nothing stating this on paper. According to [employer], I agreed to this during the interview. Staying on and just not doing any work or something similar isn’t really an option. I’m quitting for more reasons than that I just don’t want to anymore. I also don’t work remote. Any amount of malicious compliance or pretending to work would involve showing up to the office. I work in a medical office. Entry-level position, not licensed or anything like that. I received no sign-on bonus."

    Person handing their boss an envelope marked "Resignation"

    The email has also been posted on Twitter, where it's been viewed over 6 million times and stirred up lots of discussion.

    Tried to quit the job and they said no

    Twitter: @BadGyalMisty

    In the Reddit thread and on Twitter, people are reacting to this boss's wild email and sharing how they'd respond in this situation, and it's honestly pretty funny.

    One Reddit user suggested replying, "Congratulations on retaining the most insubordinate and disrespectful employee you could possibly imagine. I will be in tomorrow two hours late and leave five hours early with a one-hour lunch."

    Another user pitched this as a response: "That’s very kind of you to continue paying me through 3/6/23, but I will not be working after [date]."

    And others compared the situation to a bad breakup.

    Me when someone tries breaking up with me https://t.co/B7Qn3rD1b0

    Twitter: @BroookeAmber

    Well, the original poster blessed us with an update, sharing how they responded calmly and professionally to this very strange email.

    The employee's letter saying they will not be able to stay longer

    And they even included the boss's response, in which they explained this person would be marked as ineligible for rehire if they left before the one-year mark. To be honest, if I were the poster, I can't imagine wanting to go back to that employer after this nonsense, so LOL at that threat.

    Email from employer explaining that the poster is correct about their legal status but would be marked ineligible for rehire, references, and recommendations

    The boss also said that the employee would be ineligible for future references or recommendations. Typically, I'd advise trying to leave a job on the best terms possible so you have those good references and recommendations, as you never know when you might need them. However, in this case, it seems sooo not worth it. This employee is clearly ready to go, has another job lined up, and doesn't have a legal obligation to stay. Unless this company is the only big employer in town, I'd say run. Run far, run fast, and don't look back.

    Now I'm curious — if this happened to you, what would you do? Tell me all about it in the comments!