To ask you what happens if you just stop going to work?

[VladmirsPoutine]

If you just e-mail your manager and tell them that you're not going back ever at all or if you hand in your notice and just decide to not work your notice - what actually happens thereafter? What repercussions can you face?
Posting for traffic - sorry but I'm feeling like doing exactly this.

You must be desperately unhappy at work op. Never done this myself, but know people who have without any repercussions.

Well if you don't work your notice you definitely won't get paid for it.
You'll trash the possibility of a good reference too, so it could impact on any future job you apply to if they contact your employer.

I'd be concerned about my reference, but it's doubtful that they'd do anything more.

You could be sued for breach of contract, it's unlikely but not impossible.

It depends on individual situation. Walking up of a job in Tesco is unlikely to be career damaging. Waking out of a high powered job in the oil industry will more than likely make getting another job in that field very difficult. If you can afford not to work, you can leave. Last job I quit straight up on I called the night after a shit shift and just said sorry I won't be back.

If you're in a really high powered job and they desperately need you in particular, they might sue you, eg if they lost contracts because of your absence, but otherwise I doubt they'd do much.

Better surely to go off sick and then give in your notice.

I've done it and it didn't affect me. I told them in writing why I wasn't coming back (their total mismanagement) and because I'd been an excellent employee whilst there they gave me a good reference.

You must be very unhappy at work.
You could email and resign with immediate effect and ask for mitigating circumstances to be taken into account so as to not work your notice period. You won't be paid obv. Your notice period is in your contract, so technically it's breach of contract, but if you explained whatever it is, bullying effecting mental health etc, they may just let you go.

I've done this OP. Nothing will happen. I'm sorry you feel this way. Doing a job you hate is the worst thing in the world.

What's your role at this company OP and why do you feel so miserable there?

If you're feeling bad enough that this is seeming like a sensible option you probably have grounds for being signed off with stress. This would give you a chance to regroup and make a decision with a clear head. Be careful about burning bridges - you never know when you might need to walk back over them. Hope life gets better for you.

If you really can't face it and you're worried about whether they will refer to it on your reference, get signed off sick by the GP and stick the note in with your resignation.
Presumably if you are this worried and upset at working there that you're going to walk out, you're sick enough for a med cert.
It's unheard of to "sue" a person who doesn't work their notice. It would cost more in lawyer time than could be gained.

If you go to your GP in the morning and tell them about the stress that I expect you are under to contemplate this, you may (only may) be signed off.

I went to a GP once for sleeping tablets as I was regularly wishing a big vehicle would crash into me so I had broken bones and couldn't work. I couldnt sleep at night, waking up every 30min or so to check it wasn't the morning. He sigbed me off for 4 weeks (fortnight then another fortnight) and told me to look at options. Witin a month I had a lower paid but much better job for me. More than 20 years on I'm glad I changed as I didn't feel human at the time, just a robot.

I joined a union to get advice when I felt like you do, many years back. They negotiated for me to be allowed to leave without working my notice. But with hindsight I regretted it - I never got to say goodbye to my colleagues (who I liked, unlike my boss) They also agreed to give me a reference, but in fact my boss wrote a really short one just saying I worked there and left, which was a problem when I was looking for a new job, as it was obviously not a good reference. I should probably have asked a colleague to do a reference instead of the nasty manager.

I'd suggest asking to book a few days leave, or take a few days sick leave (stress) to give yourself time to think things through

I done this once. I didn't need a reference from them as it was a second job. Very long time ago now but all I remember was the boss not doing anything about my p45 and dragging their heels until I chased them. They then had a right go at me for letting them down but apart from that life carried on.

I've done this once, I already had a new job to go to and was utterly miserable. I was young and naive and the company broke so many laws (I didn't realise at the time around under 18working hours etc). I just text my boss and said I'm not coming back. I didn't get paid but honestly didn't care.

" but in fact my boss wrote a really short one just saying I worked there and left, which was a problem when I was looking for a new job, as it was obviously not a good reference. "

Some organisations only ever give factual references like that so I'm not sure it would make a huge difference.

I've taken all my annual leave already - just being 'off'. I've since found that if I went off sick it would be taken into account if I got another job.

Depends where you work. I walked out of one (boss who harassed me), it was the right decision, but hard to get back into employment without a reference. Now I'm in the NHS and I don't think they'd let someone walk without a bit of a fight.
Have you got a union you could join and get advice?

Poor reference;
Poor reputation in your field;
Benefit sanctions for intentionally making yourself unemployed;
Difficulty finding new role;
Poverty and debt;
Poor role model to your children - not being responsible / finding new post before walking out.
Of course, if you have tried to resolve issues, your employer is treating you unfairly or you are physically or mentally ill, you may feel its a price worth paying. If that is the case, probably worth seeking advice from your trade union and / or a specialist employment laywer, especially if it could be a case of constructive dismissal.

Your mental health is a priority above a reference. If you feel highly 'unsteady' or unsafe please see a GP.

You need your GP to sign you off for 'work related stress'. It must mention work.

That gives you a tool to negotiate your exit - they'll likely even pay some of the time you are off and agree to not do a negative reference (none does them anyway these days since case law where a previous employer was sued for doing it). - You sound genuinely stressed enough by work to need this.

In reality you could just say you are unable to work your notice, you won't be returning, you'll return any work items (phone/laptop) and they should stop paying you from X date (the last date you worked.) Chances of any further repercussions slim unless you work in a very 'small world' where this would hinder getting any other work.

how would it affect another job being sick?

theres a chance that if u hand in notice they make u take garden leave anyway so u dont have to go back

If you are going to a different company then i don't know how you're having been off sick would impact it....they don't tend to ask about your absence record when they do references....