What is the shortest amount of time you have stayed in a job?

[TravellingSpoon]

I have been in my current role for 5 months and am hoping to be able to hand my notice in at the end of this week, which I am dreading. They are short staffed as it is but the role isn't for me.

So make me feel a bit less shit and tell me the shortest time you have been in a job before you left.

Six days Start up company in its second phase, well funded. Two founders were facing off against the third. Got taken to lunch by two to hear their side and be warned about #3. Of course #3 then took me for coffee to tell me his side. Day five it was handbags at morning tea, with a very pathetic geek like scuffle. Thankfully another job offer was made during my lunch break, and on day six I resigned at 10am. I was home in time for lunch

I left another job after six weeks. I was one of five staff recruited and starting within a fortnight. Soon realised why he’d just replaced half of the office - he liked to model himself on Alex Ferguson’s hairdryer technique. By week six I was the only new hire left and he’d fired the warehouse foreman plus five other factory hands. Several staff were working breach of their work visas. It gradually dawned on me that most of the factory staff were paying the owner a kickback for their work permits. He was also asking me repeatedly if my EU spouse had single female friends who might be interested in a ‘business transaction’ (which I took to mean an arranged marriage). When I resigned I discovered I was his longest serving PA in over three years , and he said “But we were getting along so well”.

Seriously though, although there are times in life when our circumstances don’t allow us freedom of choice (bills, dead beat exes, etc) but if you can, walk out with your head held high when an employer treats you like shit.

A month. I actually handed in my notice in the first week as it was truly awful and thankfully I got offered another job that I really wanted but had been on hold for months because they were waiting on funding coming through. The awful job wanted me to work 4 weeks notice which was ridiculous because I was still going through induction training, but I just went with it so as not to burn any bridges if I ever wanted to apply for a different role there in the future.

@TroysMammy if that's who I think it was (tea lady and sing songs) he was one of my portfolio for the account managers that I looked after and an absolute arsehole. My team would literally pick names out the hat over who would look after his caseload if there was a reshuffle.

I've never disliked someone in my working life as much as I disliked him so you have my sympathies!!!

Zero hours. Was broke in Amsterdam and looking for work. Got offered a job working tables for a bar in one of the squares, i think it was tips only. Start the next day.

I got up in the morning and got a bus to Edinburgh instead

Didn't turn up for it on the first day!

2 days. Current job 24years, lol

1 morning - but that was because the temp agency thought it was a good idea for me to go on an insurance help desk with no experience at all. No idea what the company was thinking.

BillyAndTheSillies you also have mine .

I have never met someone lacking in integrity in the workplace and my previous job was in banking!

3 weeks, but I was 16 and the job was horrible

A day. Was a Saturday job in a guest house and owner had appalling standards. I told my mum and she agreed I should not go back so I called and said.

Teenage and temporary jobs aside about six weeks. Again because of appalling work circumstances.

I lasted one day - door to door selling 20 years ago. Absolutely horrendous.

1 day (well half the day really) as a door to door chugger. It was crappy enough but when an elderly man took a long time coming to the door I decided it wasn't for me and ended up sitting and chatting to him for the rest of the day. Luckily I was offered a proper job the week after.

About an hour doing door to door sales. Then I chucked all the flyers in the bin and fucked off home.

2 days. Boss was a bully who made sexually inappropriate comments towards me. Left after I had a huge anxiety attack after he leered particularly nastily. Wish I'd taken him to court but I was young and in a fragile mental state. Still, he died of a nasty disease a couple years later which I always felt quite good about.

If you don't count a waitressing job in Germany where I was sacked after 3 days, 6 months in a "proper" job. Longest 5.5 years.

Half a day! Didn’t bother going back after my break, got my mum to ring and tell them I was going back (I was 16). Was back in my old job the day after!

4 months.

2 weeks. They lied about the hours and repeatedly put me in on the weekend shifts because the students that worked there (retail) were all pals with manager and went clubbing with her. I walked.

A week.