When your boss is horrible, or customers have unreasonable and rude requests, or you just can’t take it anymore, you may wish to “rage quit” your job–walk out in a dramatic fashion. Quitting without notice makes for some sweet revenge.
Who can blame you? It makes for dramatic movie scenes, like this one from Office Space:
They also make for great viral videos, like this compilation:
And who could forget the flight attendant who cursed out a passenger, opened the emergency exit, causing the slide to deploy, slid down the slide, and ran off down the runway?
But while it may seem fun to quit in a dramatic fashion, there are consequences to your rage quitting. (And some of the videos, like the guy with the band, clearly weren’t spur-of-the-moment decisions.) Sure, you may get your 15 minutes of fame, but then you have the rest of life to deal with.
So, unless you’re quitting because you’re “calling in rich” and won’t ever need another job, if you’re going to quit without notice, at least do it right.
Clean out your desk before you say anything.
If you’ve just told your boss she’s a jerk and you never want to see her again, she’s likely to not let you clean out your desk just then. So make sure you do it beforehand, or you may have to wait for them to pack up your stuff and ship it to you.
Be polite
I know, I know, that takes all the fun out of quitting, but if you’re a true jerk, it will haunt you. While your boss may be the reason you are leaving, you’re also leaving your co-workers in the lurch, and while they may cheer, they’ll also note what you did. Quitting without notice, whether politely or impolitely, has ruined your recommendation from your boss, but doing it politely can save it with your peers.
Write it down
Dramatic speeches are fun! But you often don’t come out looking like the noble hero you think you do. Instead, write a nice letter of resignation and give it to your boss and give a copy to HR to put in your file. Detail why you are leaving.
Why? Because as long as you’ve already burned your bridge, you might as well let the company know about the underlying problems. Otherwise, you’ve accomplished nothing other than ruining your own reputation.
Hold your rage for two more weeks
You can quit when something pushes you over the edge and still give two weeks’ notice. Just write up your resignation letter or verbally tell your boss that you’re giving two weeks’ notice. Then work the darn two weeks. It saves your reference and may save things like a bonus or vacation payout, depending on company policy. Can you really not stand two more weeks?
Remember, the internet is forever
You may think you’re being funny. A future recruiter or hiring manager may not think the same thing, so think through it carefully before you record your dramatic exit. If you’re going to quit in a dramatic fashion do so without the help of social media.
This post originally appeared at Inc.