Working in the US; is it ever acceptable to leave without a two week notice?

[MoistGrapes]

I've worked at the same company for the last 2 and a half years as a "temp" straight from college. I was sent here by the temp agency but for whatever reason my contract never expired and the managers found me competent enough to never fire me. The issue is, I've done the same menial/low-skill tasks at my position since I've first started and my duties only derive from the usual responsibilities if someone is out sick or taking a day off.

I've been in contact with a military recruiter and intend to enlist in the US Military (GPA too low and major not relevant to be an Officer) to get out of my hometown and to learn a trade or medical field while serving my country. My workplace is well aware of this and expect that I can be sent away any day though I am waiting on some medical waivers to be cleared before I receive a ship date.

The reason why I intend to quit my current position is not because of the military but due to one of our supervisors slowly being more toxic and creating an unproductive work environment. We receive paperwork from our clients on a regular basis and I am in charge of quality checking the work from another employee. I accidentally lost the paperwork received in the mail from one of our clients but this other employee received most of the blame for my error and we both agreed that this was unjust (our process had to be radically adjusted over this minor mistake). In addition, our company conducts regular meetings online several times a week and often times these meetings will go off topic from our supervisor talking about movies or personal events in his life which would cause many of us to fall behind on work and struggle to catch up later in the day. Yet whenever another employee would do the same, the supervisor would become irate and advise them to get on track. In addition, he would frequently gossip about past employees (company has a high turnover rate) and it has reached a point where I am uncomfortable being near this person.

Unrelated but I finished up my 4-year degree in the middle of the pandemic and didn't learn anything from my courses or was able to land an internship; both myself, other students and our professors were at the lowest point of motivation. I never really had much aspirations to go to college but my family was offering to pay and I was not able to enlist in the military yet due to health conditions at the time.

[Shanty Pete's 1st Mate]

To your core question - a two-weeks notice is generally a courtesy, for the employer's sake. Not providing one means they may be more reluctant to, say, provide a glowing recommendation for future employers. But if you don't care about that - it sounds like you've got your next position figured out - it's not like you have to do it. I would recommend providing as much notice as possible, once you get your starting date. If that's shorter than two weeks, your current boss can take it up with Uncle Sam.

Best of luck going forward!

[indigoasis]

51 minutes ago, Shanty Pete's 1st Mate said:

To your core question - a two-weeks notice is generally a courtesy, for the employer's sake.

Alternatively, you can ask for two weeks vacation before you plan on leaving, and then put in your two weeks notice at the start of your two week vacation. You effectively quit while giving them the courtesy of a two weeks notice! It's a win-win!

[muttograchos]

If it's not specified in your contract, you may not have to notify in advance. It would be more of a courtesy to let your employer know. Personally, I usually tried to give a heads up, except in the case of a similarly toxic manager who gradually increased my responsibilities without trying to be argumentative  and believed I should do absolutely everything he said, meaning everything. Initially, my colleagues and I joked that he would soon ask us to wash his car, but then it stopped sounding like a joke. I stood up and left.

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work is an integral part of our lives, each of us needs to know how to assert our boundaries. My choice is to study at https://edubirdie.com/examples/argumentative-essays/ to always have different options. Employers vary, and I want to be prepared.

Edited November 28, 2023 by muttograchos

[Capt. Fargus]

I’ve done it just for the sake of honor and decency and trying not to burn a bridge and all that.

Some people you work for might just up and tell ya to get lost right now after that though. Lol