leaving my job gave a 2 weeks manager very rude.

Nurses Relations

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I am an RN and just got hired onto a new facility. I have been driving 50 miles one way to work and wanted to find a hospital to work at closer to my home, which I did. I turned in my notice I asked for my last shift to be 1 week and 6 days from then (6 full 12 hour shifts). Well, my manager wanted to have a meeting with me this past week and it was very uncomfortable for me. All she said was how disappointed she was in me for leaving the company. She had nothing nice to say to me at all, no thank you or you've done a good job or good luck in the future.

Nothing!! When she asked me why I was resigning, in the middle of me explaining why, she cut me off. I pretty much had no talk time or say in this meeting. Well at the end of it she guilt tripped me into working an extra day. After I got home and everything sank in, I'm extremely mad for agreeing to work that extra shift, especially after the way she treated me. I start my new job the week after thanksgiving and I still have a lot to do before the holiday so that I can be prepared to start that next Monday. The only free days I have to do these things is this Friday, and what would have been a day off next Tuesday, but now I have agreed to work. I don't think it will all get done in one day.

What should I do? Tell her I can't work? Will this hurt me in the future, she is already really mad and I doubt that she would ever give me a good reference. I NEVER plan to work for this hospital again, and since I was there for less than a year I forfeit my paid time off to be cashed out. HELP!!! Advice needed.

Specializes in Psych ICU, addictions.

Have to agree with the majority of the posters here. Even though some may complain that it shouldn't be the employers that hold all the cards in the "employment at will" game, the reality is that they do, at least in the current job market. Do I think it's fair? Not really. But that is the reality.

Nursing is a very small world, and you never know who you will be working for/with in the future, or if you ever have to reapply to this hospital or its sister facilities. Also, word of mouth spreads fast, and you'd be surprised who talks to who and where: you may find your reputation preceeding you. Last, in verification checks, employers aren't limited to only providing dates of employment and rehire status, but they may say anything they like about you provided that the information is factual/true. So they can legally disclose that you are a DNR because you didn't give the required notice.

Don't know how you can fix this from here. But definitely take away this lesson for the future.

Best of luck whatever happens.

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I'll add this. Make sure that when you give proper notice it is FIRST in an email cc'd to HR and back to you. Don't think it better to have "the talk" first out of being professional - SEND THE EMAIL FIRST. Talk is cheap, and these days too many people try to say stuff did not happen. Keep a trail, save the trail electronically, as well as a hard copy!!!! If you get a response to your email, reply by chain to your last and quote the previous words by the sender.

Chains are good.

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Hi SweettartRN, When you handed in your resignation without notice, did you find it difficult to obtain another position elsewhere? I live in an at will state also. Once in my life I resigned without notice and had a very difficult time to get hired at another facility. Just curious. Have a great day!

I have had no issues getting hired elsewhere, and I haven't given a notice in 8 years.

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Specializes in Telemetry, OB, NICU.
I have had no issues getting hired elsewhere, and I haven't given a notice in 8 years.

I have read all the replies in this topic. Your replies are the only ones that make me wow. What are you exactly defending? Just walking out of door with no notice is plain out rude, unprofessional and possibly a regret for the employer who chose to hire you. Honey, there is nothing to defend about leaving with no notice. You are on the wrong track. And it is ironic that YOU are talking about ethics, and morals. lol. Seriously?

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Specializes in Telemetry, OB, NICU.

I am one of the first posters who replied to this topic. I am admitting that my ideas and thoughts changed when I read the following replies. I now disagree with my first post where I thought the OP was right and should not work that extra shift. Considering it is not even a 2 week's notice (facility may even require 4 weeks), and leaving during holidays, yes OP is being more unprofessional and rude to the employer. He/She didn't provide additional info regarding how rude the manager actually got, yes, manager is right not to welcome OP's leaving this way.

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Specializes in Palliative.

I would advise working the shift simply because you said you would. Regardless of future hiring potential, we all have a personal responsibility to be true to our word. If it were a current issue for discussion between you and the manager, that would be different. But the agreement has already been made.

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A person's true character is important. I would a million times rather hire a nurse with ethics than one who has no values or morals.

How do I know your "true character" is good when you say you never give notice...and *I* think that is a serious character flaw?

Also -- Did you mean you'd rather hire a nurse with ethics than one with morals or values? Or that you'd rather hire a nurse without ethics who has no morals and values? What you actually wrote makes no sense: Why would anyone choose to hire a nurse with ethics but no values or morals? Frankly, you'd be hard-pressed to find such an applicant. You know, the one with ethics but is amoral and without any values. ;)

Either way, it still doesn't make much sense from a business standpoint. As a hiring manager, I'D rather hire someone who I felt wouldn't screw me out of preparing for an empty slot to fill...you know, someone who is unethical enough to disregard proper business etiquette with regard to giving notice.

In that case, I think their "true character" will become plenty evident.

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I have read all the replies in this topic. Your replies are the only ones that make me wow. What are you exactly defending? Just walking out of door with no notice is plain out rude, unprofessional and possibly a regret for the employer who chose to hire you. Honey, there is nothing to defend about leaving with no notice. You are on the wrong track. And it is ironic that YOU are talking about ethics, and morals. lol. Seriously?

At-will employment says that either I or my employer can terminate the relationship for any reason at any time. This is the law where I live. Employers should not be more protected than we are by threatening to give a bad reference simply because someone decided to terminate the work relationship.

If my employer decided that my time with them was done, I would be escorted out the door with nary a backwards glance.

I do not understand where all of this nastiness comes from by people not realizing that employers, this day and age DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. You are a number to them, and you don't owe them anything. If you feel you want to give notice, then by all means, but employers being loyal to their employees is a myth; it is simply not happening. If I have done my job correctly, and have done a good job, someone can easily step in and fill my shoes. Employees in this work environment, and especially nurses, are disposable.

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How do I know your "true character" is good when you say you never give notice...and *I* think that is a serious character flaw?

Also -- Did you mean you'd rather hire a nurse with ethics than one with morals or values? Or that you'd rather hire a nurse without ethics who has no morals and values? What you actually wrote makes no sense: Why would anyone choose to hire a nurse with ethics but no values or morals? Frankly, you'd be hard-pressed to find such an applicant. You know, the one with ethics but is amoral and without any values. ;)

Either way, it still doesn't make much sense from a business standpoint. As a hiring manager, I'D rather hire someone who I felt wouldn't screw me out of preparing for an empty slot to fill...you know, someone who is unethical enough to disregard proper business etiquette with regard to giving notice.

In that case, I think their "true character" will become plenty evident.

No, I meant what I sad. Morals, ethics, and values all align together. I would hire someone with ethics over someone with no morals or values. Exactly like I said. Sorry that confuses you so greatly.

As a hiring manager, you would fire someone and walk them to the door the week before Christmas if it came down that the "position was eliminated" or "funding was no longer available" and wouldn't think twice about the person or persons again. You can see my other post about at-will employment.....

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Although I strongly agree that any employer would fire you or lay you off to save a dime at anytime without a thought, I realize who has the power. Nurses are a dime a dozen and jobs are difficult to obtain. Bridges can be burned arbitrarily and not always by the employee., but i still kiss up as much as possible and try to not burn bidges, no matter how useless they may be.Since you said you would work that shift, now you should go. suckit up at this point. so what , it is the holidAys? should employees now not start new jobs nov-jan? maybe summer vacation time too? only get a new job when it is convinient for your current employer?

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Although I strongly agree that any employer would fire you or lay you off to save a dime at anytime without a thought, I realize who has the power. Nurses are a dime a dozen and jobs are difficult to obtain. Bridges can be burned arbitrarily and not always by the employee., but i still kiss up as much as possible and try to not burn bidges, no matter how useless they may be.Since you said you would work that shift, now you should go. suckit up at this point. so what , it is the holidAys? should employees now not start new jobs nov-jan? maybe summer vacation time too? only get a new job when it is convinient for your current employer?

I fully respect those who want to stay and want to do what *they* feel is right; I can't argue with that.

However, I also have to do what *I* feel is right as well, and that means looking out for #1, because my employer will not. I have a family that relies on ME, and if I can't take care of them, then we are all in trouble.

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Specializes in Med/surg, Quality & Risk.

I do not understand where all of this nastiness comes from by people not realizing that employers, this day and age DO NOT CARE ABOUT YOU. You are a number to them, and you don't owe them anything. If you feel you want to give notice, then by all means, but employers being loyal to their employees is a myth; it is simply not happening. If I have done my job correctly, and have done a good job, someone can easily step in and fill my shoes. Employees in this work environment, and especially nurses, are disposable.

I do get all that, and employers wouldn't think twice about terminating any of us, even on Christmas Eve. However, I kind of feel like walking out is disrespectful to your coworkers. I have had it done to me and it's no fun. Do you have no consideration for any of them? Just another point of view.

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