Have I been completely unprofessional?

[c1JSU]

I secured a temp to perm role. A few days in I realised it wasn’t for me, so I resumed my job hunt while continuing my temp to perm position. I received a job offer for another role on Friday just gone. I mulled it over the weekend and last night decided that yes, I am going to accept and in fact I think I will be very good at it. I emailed the recruitment agency that I am temping for at 10:30pm last night, which admittedly is rather late. I thanked them for the position I had been temping in but as I would shortly be starting a new role I won’t waste anymore of their time as I know they need to start recruiting again. I start my new job a week today so this week will be a week off for me, so therefore this morning I did not have an alarm set. I woke at 9:30am to 9 missed calls from the agency and a text message telling me off for ghosting then! I appreciate I gave them short notice that I wouldn’t be in today, but I was only temping and didn’t have to give a specified notice period. I thought if anything leaving quickly after I knew I wouldn’t be staying would be a good thing-it means the company wouldn’t continue to waste their time training me for me to then up and leave. Have I handled this all wrong?!

I’d have offered to work a week’s notice in this situation.

(Messaging on a Sunday night means no notice given at all)

So if I understand this right you resigned from a temp job 10.30pm on a Sunday night that you then didn't turn up for Monday morning? Yes I'd say that's quite unprofessional.

So essentially you didn’t turn up for work this morning, although you were expected? Handing in your notice at 10.30pm on a Sunday for the following day is not reasonable, and yes, it is unprofessional. I imagine a number of people have been inconvinuenced.

Yes, you have been unprofessional. You could have given some actual notice.

Very unprofessional - what were you thinking handing in your notice like that late on a Sunday evening?!?

You should’ve at least been in today, if not for the rest of the week to allow them to at least get some way with recruitment or place an agency temp in the role whilst recruiting.

Is there anything in your temping agreement about how much notice you need to give?

I know its temping but it is pretty shitty for the employer to find out on a Monday morning that they are a member of staff down with not warning. It will reflect badly on the agency as well.

Is there any reason you didn't just give them the weeks notice and carry on working this week?

Was this week already booked as a holiday? No? Then yes you have been unprofessional.

Is your job in health care?

Yes. It was up to them to decide that they didn’t want you in this week - and they may well have done, if they can manage without you, today. But you needed to show up today and be prepared to either work the week or negotiate not working it, not just hand your notice in at 10:30 on Sunday night.

I hope the new job goes well. I’d be apologising to both the company and the agency if it was me, but you’ve probably burnt your bridges with both.

Yes, I’d say you dropped both the agency and the company you were temping for in it. Presumably the company is now one staff member down with no notice?

It would only have been fair to offer a week’s notice to let the agency find someone else, although it also sounds as if the agency have cocked up a bit since they should have taken this possibility into account. I hope your new job doesn’t fall through because I can’t imagine this agency would touch you with a bargepole now, & you really don’t want to be in the position of needing references either from them or the company.

Yeah i agree with everyone else, emailing the agency at 10.30pm is crap, i wouldnt be happy with you either.
Also, why do you need a week off, you could have worked half of this week to give the agency an opportunity to replace you.

I've done several temp jobs and would have given a weeks notice but no more

Wow. You really think it’s ok to leave a message the night before that you won’t be in that day?
Leaving them no time to arrange cover?

Your new job is in for a shock when they realise how unprofessional you are.

Wow, this is astonishingly unprofessional and unreasonable. So you think it's totally okay to just not turn up? Who is going to do the work today? Were there outstanding matters on your desk?

This shows incredible lack of understanding of working life and is very disrespectful considering the cmopany thought you were potentially there for the long term.

Be prepared to have your name blacklisted by the agency and the firm you were working for.

Very unprofessional as you didn't give Ny notice at all. Whilst the company may not have trained you this week it was up to them to decide if they needed you this week or at least have you today while the agency organised cover.

I would have absolutely gone in this morning but told them I was leaving. I’d offer to work till Wednesday to give them today and tomorrow to find another temp and accept they may find one to start earlier - today even - and that I would understand if that happened / I lost 2 days money as a result. A fair compromise when there is no notice period.

Yes, you’ve been unprofessional.

Totally unprofessional! What does your temp contract say about notice periods?

Yep very unprofessional. Let's hope the permanent job works out and that you never need this agency or employer again....

Assuming you're very young, take this advice: never ever ever piss off an employer so much you can never go back. Tempting as it might be, you never know what, where or who you'll come across in the future. Imagine in a years time finding out your new manager is your manager from the job you've just left in the lurch....

When I was temping many years ago I had a weeks notice contracted with my agency.

You can't just not turn up to a job you've been temping at without any warning.

Why do you think your behaviour is reasonable? Would you be happy if your employer emailed you at 10pm on Sunday night saying don't both coming in we've decided you don't fir this role and no longer wish to waste time?

You have been ridiculously unreasonable OP...I just can't even explain how unprofessional you have made yourself look! 🙄

Oh come on OP you know perfectly well what you've done is a dick move.

Did you just fancy a week holiday before starting the new role?

Let's just hope the new place doesn't ask for a reference from old company or the agency is all I can say. If you want to get anywhere you need to play the game correctly not leave people in the shit left right and centre.

But you already know all this.

Totally unprofessional.

I thought messaging late at night and leaving them with no cover for my role was best thing for the company.

Yeah sure.

Op you let the agency, company you worked for but most of all yourself down giving no notice. Just hope you don't need a reference from them in the future.

You've caused the agency and the company you were temping for a load of unnecessary hassle this morning. The temp agency are now going to have to find someone to cover you at extremely short notice and the company you worked for are down a staff member.

If I worked at that agency and got in at 9 this morning to that email sent on a Sunday night I'd be absolutely fuming and I wouldn't be having someone so unprofessional back on my agency's books.

Yes maybe it would be more hassle for them to keep training you but you should have left it up to them to decide that.

I'd say you've probably burned your bridges with that agency.

Hope the new job works out.