Worker Quits Her New Job 10 Minutes Into Her First Day Because They Were 'Wasting Her Time'
She trusted her instincts and, judging by the company's organizational skills, she was right to do so.
Sora Shimazaki / Pexels When you begin a new job, you're certainly nervous about your first day, but are usually overall excited to start a new chapter in your career. You walk in on the first day, wait for the boss or coworker to train you, and hopefully "level up" in the company over time.
Unfortunately, it's not always like this for employees on their first day. And for one woman, she didn't think twice about quitting her job — just a few minutes after showing up for her first shift!
An employee quit their new job just 10 minutes into her first day after noticing 'red flags' about the company.
In a since-deleted video, Teearra West explained that she had just recently been hired at a company. But when she showed up for her first day, she noticed a few concerning things about her employers that caused her to walk right out of the building after just 10 minutes.
On her first day of work at her new job, she was forced to quit after learning how unprepared her employers were. But she also received a warning from the other employees at the company.
When West arrived, she noticed that many of her other coworkers were longtime friends, who immediately asked if she had recently been hired. When West confirmed that she was now working there, she was shocked to learn that many of the other employees told her she wouldn't like it.
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"The trainer came out and gave me my badge," West said. "And they were like, 'Hey, we're still waiting on a piece of your background to come back, so if you want to wait in the lobby, you can.'"
After hearing that, West immediately turned down the badge and the job, telling them that she was just going to go home. "I got another job anyway," she added.
West quit her new job because it was incredibly disorganized and didn't have anything ready for her to start.
In a follow-up video, West explained the specifics behind why she wanted to quit as soon as she arrived. She pointed out that she had been looking for a temporary second job until she would eventually start her new job in a week.
"I applied for the job, they hired me. After they hired me, they started sending me things like, do a background check, do a drug test, just typical stuff that you would do to get a job," she said. "I did all of that."
However, the "red flags" started appearing for West after she reached out to the job recruiter to ask how much the hourly pay would be, but was told three different numbers that weren't at all what West thought she would be paid for the position.
"They kept giving me the runaround. They kept telling me to fill out an I-9 form 12 times after I did it 12 times. I had to keep filling it out because they kept not getting it somehow," she recalled.
After being told all her forms were in and she was now ready to come in and start, West arrived at 10 a.m. on the dot and took her ID photo, but was told by the person who was supposed to train her that she wasn't going to be allowed in the back because they hadn't finished completing West's background check.
West immediately started to feel annoyed at having her time wasted, since she would now have to go back home until the company was able to clear her background check so she'd be able to work.
"After all the red flags, that was the final straw for me," she said, after hearing from one of her close friends that the job was actually a nightmare.
"Once they brought my badge, which took 15 minutes, I said [to] just keep the badge, I'm just going to go home," she added.
"They should've been well-prepared because I've been waiting on this job for about two weeks, so [they] had plenty of time to get my [things] together and organize."
There are many red flags employees should look for when they start a new job.
People agreed that the company appeared to be "unprofessional" by not having all of West's paperwork ready. But not being prepared for a new hire is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of red flags.
According to Caitlin McGaw, a job search coach and career strategist, there are numerous red flags that have caused new hires to leave their jobs: poor leadership, a micromanaging boss, lack of communication, subpar training, and just overall unprofessionalism. McGaw also included "beyond red flags" for more unethical experiences like workplace harassment, a grueling work schedule that impacts an employee's health, and retribution by a manager or coworkers.
Thankfully, West didn't experience any of the "beyond red flags," but her situation, aside from the company being unprepared and unorganized, isn't too uncommon. In fact, as McGaw explained, many new employees may quit due to "shift shock," which is when new workers realize their role or job is different from what they expected or were told to believe.
One survey from the Muse found that 72% of respondents had experienced shift shock. Additionally, 80% of the people surveyed said it's acceptable to quit a job before six months if it doesn't satisfy their expectations, and 41% of people said they would give their job a chance for 2-6 months if they experienced shift shock.
A new job won't always be a good fit. For West, she knew right away that things weren't going to work out and promptly made her exit. So, it's important for new hires to be aware of any red flags they may notice at their new workplace, because it's best to set your boundaries right off the bat, rather than realizing months or years later that you're unhappy at your job.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.