Worker Gets An Invoice For A $150 'Emergency Staffing' Fee After Quitting Without Giving A Two-Week Notice
Andrii Iemelianenko | Shutterstock An employee shared the invoice he received from his former job after quitting without giving a two-week notice first.
A survey from The Harris Poll found that just 55% of people gave two weeks' notice when leaving a job. Sometimes a job becomes so stressful that employees quit without formalities. Or perhaps they just don’t care enough to give two weeks' notice.
Typically, the only penalty for not giving notice is souring the relationship with the employer. However, one company charged a former worker for their abrupt exit.
A worker got an invoice for $150 after not giving a two-week notice.
A man shared a letter a boss sent to an employee who was quitting. The invoice was for $150, and the description read, “emergency staffing fee” because the employee “did not give two weeks’ notice.”
At least there’s no tax! Well, probably because it’s illegal to require an employee to pay that. Even if it can be rude, an employee can leave their job at any time without facing financial repercussions unless their contract says otherwise. Plus, this invoice made no mention of that.
“You’re legally allowed to quit your job at any time,” the he explained. “The same way a company is legally allowed to fire you at any time.” He explained that not giving a two-week notice is actually worse for the team members than the bosses. So, that money better go to the hardworking employees picking up the slack, not management.
On top of that, this letter was not only a selfish move but also not a very clever one. In today’s world, it’s increasingly difficult for companies to get away with mistreatment without people finding out. “This is a bad look for the company. All it takes is one person to post this on Glassdoor, and the company reputation is tanked,” he said.
Glassdoor is a website where employees can review companies they’ve worked for. Right now, no evidence suggests that the worker shared the letter on the website. It first gained popularity when it made the rounds on Reddit.
The employee shared the letter on Reddit’s “r/antiwork,” a subreddit described as a place “for those who want to end work…and want personal help with their own jobs/work-related struggles.” They captioned the letter, “Several years ago, I quit without a full two-week notice and the company sent me this invoice a few weeks later.”
People replied to the thread with some interesting ways to respond.
Some people suggested the person should have replied to the company with their own invoices. “You need to send them an invoice for your time reviewing their invoice,” one person wrote. “$250 per invoice review, to be paid before any invoice review work can be started.”
Master1305 | Shutterstock
Others gave funny reasons for the former employee to charge the company, such as $500 for a “wasting my time fee” and a surcharge of $525 for having the “100% audacity” to send an invoice like that. One person found it so “absurd” that they recommended the worker frame it.
Two weeks' notice is probably the right thing to do, but even experts say it's not necessary.
Burning bridges in an industry where you will likely cross paths with former colleagues and co-workers means it's probably best to give notice when you're leaving a job, but that doesn't mean it's mandatory. Employment expert John Feldmann explained, "Employers shouldn’t expect to receive two weeks’ notice; however, providing it allows employees to maintain a strong relationship with their employer, which can be advantageous should they need a future reference or client referral."
He went on to stress, however, that if your workplace is toxic or you feel continuing to work there would be unethical, leaving without notice is perfectly acceptable and understandable.
You should always quit your job if an environment negatively affects you. Though giving two weeks' notice is not required and should never be penalized financially, it’s courteous to your fellow employees.
According to research, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce gives nine of the most popular reasons why people quit jobs, one of which is a “strained relationship with management.” However, the relationship with fellow employees is not on the list. Sticking it to management when you quit on the spot may be satisfying, but it hurts the workers far more than the higher-ups who likely wronged you.
We don't know the details of what led this worker to quit without notice, or why the company determined that sending him an invoice was the right action, but chances are the relationship wasn't worth salvaging with notice.
Ethan Cotler is a writer and frequent contributor to YourTango living in Boston. His writing covers entertainment, news, and human interest stories.
