Ever left a job for a silly reason you stand by?

sillymcnasty

My job is making it increasingly difficult to take my bicycle to work. I live in NYC and we have this mess called the MTA that I must avoid at all costs.

I swear if I could bike to a different job and not have a problem I'd leave so fast. "Why are you leaving?" "Cause I can't keep my bike inside even though it is completely out of the way"

stryder144

That is a quality of life issue and it isn't silly. I am not sure I would tell a prospective employer that is why I am leaving a company but I could see it being a reason for leaving one.

dhay13

My last employer told me I needed to go back to school to get an accounting degree (my job was IT System Administrator).I refused and was told if I didn't we would have to part ways so I packed my stuff and left. Not silly on my part nut silly on the employers part. My replacement is now doing IT and AR.

revbox

Jobs are much like relationships. Today's cute little flaw turns into an annoyance and after a few years is now an extreme point of frustration. Eventually the little switch flips and you realize you don't want to deal with whatever that is anymore.

TechGromit

This didn't happen to me, but I know someone who quit because they couldn't watch baseball during work. A computer operator at the Atlantic City Race Course computer room used to watch Baseball games during work while he was performing his job. The manager didn't have an issue with it, until the computer operator guy started making too many mistakes, so he took away the TV. He resigned over this fact and even foolishly gave the manager a letter of resignation letter stating this. When he tried to collect unemployment, his employer showed the letter to the unemployment office proving he voluntarily resigned and used this as reason to deny him unemployment benefits.

DatabaseHead

dhay13 wrote: »

My last employer told me I needed to go back to school to get an accounting degree (my job was IT System Administrator).I refused and was told if I didn't we would have to part ways so I packed my stuff and left. Not silly on my part nut silly on the employers part. My replacement is now doing IT and AR.

That is strange, sounds like a parent trying to live through their kid in sports.

Fulcrum45

I left a job years ago because I made the mistake of dating a co-worker and when we broke up I couldn't stand the sight of her anymore. It seems silly but in hindsight it was really hard to work with that kind of distraction- especially with other co-workers not knowing and referring to us as a couple.

sillymcnasty

stryder144 wrote: »

That is a quality of life issue and it isn't silly. I am not sure I would tell a prospective employer that is why I am leaving a company but I could see it being a reason for leaving one.

Well, everything else is fine. I get OT every week, HOURS of downtime per day to study. Free food many times (financial industry = tons of business meetings. We get leftovers lol).


But my god, if I had a giant suitcase nobody would say boo. But because I have 2 large wheels it is somehow frowned upon.

albinorhino187

Learn to unicycle, and drop those two large wheels down to one.

UncleB

sillymcnasty wrote: »

But my god, if I had a giant suitcase nobody would say boo. But because I have 2 large wheels it is somehow frowned upon.

This may be a delicate point, but do you have fresh clothes and shower when you get to work? If not, you may be unpleasant to be around and not be aware of the smell so it may not be so much the bike that is the issue but the impact if has on your aroma. Apologies if you are one who keeps clean and smell free.

Is there a quantifiable reason for not being willing to take the train? If it is because you hate it and can only give vague reasons then this indicates irrationality and intolerance that may well be causing you to make bad decisions - investing in a few councelling sessions could be an excellent way to help you see if this is the case and could help you in the long run.

What you see as perfectly reasonable may not be what your employer sees as the same. You may see the bike as not being in the way while your employer may see it as an eyesore dripping oil and dirty water (when it rains) on the carpet. My point is you should try to see both sides and consider a solution that makes both happy.

Why not get a folding bike and put it in a bag when you get to work - sorted!

I'm not trying to have a go at you, just help you see the different sides and options

sillymcnasty

UncleB wrote: »

This may be a delicate point, but do you have fresh clothes and shower when you get to work? If not, you may be unpleasant to be around and not be aware of the smell so it may not be so much the bike that is the issue but the impact if has on your aroma. Apologies if you are one who keeps clean and smell free.

Is there a quantifiable reason for not being willing to take the train? If it is because you hate it and can only give vague reasons then this indicates irrationality and intolerance that may well be causing you to make bad decisions - investing in a few councelling sessions could be an excellent way to help you see if this is the case and could help you in the long run.

What you see as perfectly reasonable may not be what your employer sees as the same. You may see the bike as not being in the way while your employer may see it as an eyesore dripping oil and dirty water (when it rains) on the carpet. My point is you should try to see both sides and consider a solution that makes both happy.

Why not get a folding bike and put it in a bag when you get to work - sorted!

I'm not trying to have a go at you, just help you see the different sides and options

lmao. Hygeine is not an issue. Fresh clothes and shower wipes.

As far as reasons to not take the train -- the MTA is abysmal. Smells, delays, costs, beggars, etc. When I bike I get there faster, cheaper, and with a workout.

And yes, it is at most an eyesore. No drippage, I don't bike in the rain. Those days I take the MTA. It isn't my employer considering it an eyesore, it is out of the way. No staff would ever see it. There's construction going on inside the building and I guess even though it isn't in the way they don't want to risk damaging it and being liable for something.

I probably can get a folding bike, but won't. I'm one of "those cyclists" that bike in the city. Speed is the name of the game. lol

p@r0tuXus

Is there enough room outside for even a small bike-rack? That would make them appear more progressive and appealing to younger tech professionals to project an image of an eye toward the future.

DatabaseHead

albinorhino187 wrote: »

Learn to unicycle, and drop those two large wheels down to one.

Brilliant solution!

MontagueVandervort

sillymcnasty wrote: »

I probably can get a folding bike, but won't. I'm one of "those cyclists" that bike in the city. Speed is the name of the game. lol

Have you thought about a powered skateboard, or if the lack of exercise is a problem, then just skateboard in general? They're a lot more concealable.

bigdogz

TechGromit wrote: »

This didn't happen to me, but I know someone who quit because they couldn't watch baseball during work. A computer operator at the Atlantic City Race Course computer room used to watch Baseball games during work while he was performing his job. The manager didn't have an issue with it, until the computer operator guy started making too many mistakes, so he took away the TV. He resigned over this fact and even foolishly gave the manager a letter of resignation letter stating this. When he tried to collect unemployment, his employer showed the letter to the unemployment office proving he voluntarily resigned and used this as reason to deny him unemployment benefits.

Strike 3 !!!! You're OUTTA here. LOL

MontagueVandervort

Lulz ^^^

TheFORCE

sillymcnasty wrote: »

My job is making it increasingly difficult to take my bicycle to work. I live in NYC and we have this mess called the MTA that I must avoid at all costs.

I swear if I could bike to a different job and not have a problem I'd leave so fast. "Why are you leaving?" "Cause I can't keep my bike inside even though it is completely out of the way"

So many places in NYC where you can chain yout bike. Why do you have to take it in the office?

sillymcnasty

TheFORCE wrote: »

So many places in NYC where you can chain yout bike. Why do you have to take it in the office?

Thieves.Everywhere.
And I have a decent bike.

sillymcnasty

I’m not looking for a solution here lol. I’m just wondering if anyone left for silly reasons like not being able to bring your bike inside.

UncleB

I have never left for a silly reason - sometimes I would use one as a hook to move on, but that would be to mask a bigger issue I wasn't ready to deal with (eg feeling the team had a dynamic I just couldn't gel with and I was being left out of a lot of the more interesting stuff going on).

If you have a job that pays well, gives you enough of a challenge to remain engaged and has no major pain points then it is a huge risk for most people to throw it away for such silliness.

ande0255

If you stand by your reasoning bro, ain't **** silly about it

DatabaseHead

sillymcnasty wrote: »

I’m not looking for a solution here lol. I’m just wondering if anyone left for silly reasons like not being able to bring your bike inside.

You come to an IT board with a situation and not expect us to provide solutions?

You sound like my wife, of course we are going to offer solutions. Even if mine was agreeing with the guy who suggested you learn how to ride a unicycle.

JK

With that said..... Yes I am bounced from a 3 month contracting gig right after they offered me a full time job. I gave them a days noticed. My reason was the guy across from me was a HUGE GRUMP and I couldn't stand working with him. Mr Negative

packetphilter

There was one week I wanted to go to Chicago and the company wanted me to work instead. So I went to Chicago. I wasn't unemployed too long after that.

Kinet1c

sillymcnasty wrote: »

My job is making it increasingly difficult to take my bicycle to work. I live in NYC and we have this mess called the MTA that I must avoid at all costs.

I swear if I could bike to a different job and not have a problem I'd leave so fast. "Why are you leaving?" "Cause I can't keep my bike inside even though it is completely out of the way"

I'd leave my job if I couldn't store my bike securely, wouldn't even hesitate. As mentioned, it's a quality of life issue and a big one for me.

MontagueVandervort

sillymcnasty wrote: »

I’m not looking for a solution here lol.

Whoa, how is that even possible? lulz

sillymcnasty

MontagueVandervort wrote: »

Whoa, how is that even possible? lulz

Because I’ve tried solving it already. And it is for the best that I don’t bring it.
Lock it outside -> Thieves.
Unicycle/Skateboard -> Not feasible for me lol. Don’t even know how to unicycle and I would probably die on a skateboard.
Foldable bike -> Not economically smart for me. I already have a bike and won’t get a second one just to appease my oppressors lol

NetworkNewb

Get a cheaper bike if you are too concerned about someone stealing it outside. I don't see anything wrong with the employer not wanting you to store your bike inside. I understand you say it is out of the way. But what if a bunch of other people wanted to start riding and storing their bike inside because they see you do it? Then the employer will have to deal with a bigger problem. Probably best to cut the issue off before it becomes an problem. They don't want a bunch of bikes in the office, sounds pretty normal to me.

I bet your going to find a good majority of companies you won't be willing work for if that is where you draw your line. Maybe it's different in New York, would be weird for someone to bring their bike in the office in the last few places I've worked though.

sillymcnasty

NetworkNewb wrote: »

Get a cheaper bike if you are too concerned about someone stealing it outside. I don't see anything wrong with the employer not wanting you to store your bike inside. I understand you say it is out of the way. But what if a bunch of other people wanted to start riding and storing their bike inside because they see you do it? Then the employer will have to deal with a bigger problem. Probably best to cut the issue off before it becomes an problem. They don't want a bunch of bikes in the office, sounds pretty normal to me.

I bet your going to find a good majority of companies you won't be willing work for if that is where you draw your line. Maybe it's different in New York, would be weird for someone to bring their bike in the office in the last few places I've worked though.

My last job at a college had an indoor bike rack at every entrance. That was great. Also, I started commuting to work years ago, with a walmart brand bike. My god, my biggest worry was even if it would be able to GET to Manhattan (From Queens), without falling apart.

NetworkNewb

Lol

TheFORCE

sillymcnasty wrote: »

My last job at a college had an indoor bike rack at every entrance. That was great. Also, I started commuting to work years ago, with a walmart brand bike. My god, my biggest worry was even if it would be able to GET to Manhattan (From Queens), without falling apart.

You commute to Manhattan from Queens? On a bike? From where in Queens and to where in Manhattan? Thats a long route man.

hurricane1091

I worked in Philadelphia. I've watched bike thefts happen. Unless you want to take your tires off everyday, there's no way I'd leave my bike outside.