In 2011, after nearly four years of working in room service at a luxury hotel in Providence, Rhode Island, Joey La Neve DeFrancesco had reached his breaking point. He earned just $5.50 (£4) an hour, worked grueling shifts, and saw managers take a portion of his tips. The situation worsened when he and his coworkers tried to unionize—management began nitpicking and punishing small mistakes, even banning staff from sitting down while taking guest calls.
DeFrancesco decided to quit. On his last day, he surprised his boss by sneaking into the employee area with a seven-person marching band. “I’m here to tell you that I’m quitting,” he announced, then walked out to the band’s triumphant music and chants of “Joey quits.”
At 22, he quickly arranged for a friend to film the moment. After holding onto the video for a few days, he posted it on YouTube, where it quickly went viral. Thirteen years later, it has nearly 10 million views.
“We really didn’t think it would get much attention,” says DeFrancesco, now a 36-year-old labor organizer and musician based in New York. He felt “liberated” by turning the tables on his managers, adding, “Now I’m going to embarrass you for treating everyone terribly here.”
Did quitting so publicly hurt his job prospects? Not at all. He soon found work at a museum and says the incident has never come up in interviews. In fact, he jokes it might be something to “put on the résumé.”
While DeFrancesco’s story remains a standout example of quitting in style, it’s now part of a growing trend. “Revenge quitting,” where frustrated employees make a public exit, is on the rise. Even clergy aren’t immune—in July, Father Pat Brennan resigned with a poem targeting “disgruntled, unlikable” parishioners who spread gossip.
Last year, the job review site Glassdoor warned that a wave of revenge quitting could hit in 2025 as employee satisfaction declines. In the UK, a July survey by Reed recruitment found 15% of workers had revenge quit. Social media is fueling the trend, with people sharing their stories online.
Brianna Slaughter, a 26-year-old American living in Kyoto, Japan, was one of them. They quit their English teaching job just two hours before their next class, fed up with a micromanaging new boss who scolded them for finishing lessons even a minute early or late.
At first, the job seemed manageable, with flexible hours and easygoing colleagues. But problems emerged: Slaughter was paid 2,000 yen (£10) per class rather than an hourly wage, which meant waiting unpaid between lessons for a small paycheck. Schedules weren’t provided in advance, making it hard to plan.They only gave notice the day before, which made planning nearly impossible. The job was also sedentary, and that took a physical toll. Slaughter says, “I went to the doctor and they told me that because I was sitting all the time, I had inflammation in my neck.”
Things came to a head when a new manager arrived. The manager told Slaughter to wear long sleeves to cover their “offensive tattoos” and often sat in on classes, which made everyone feel uncomfortable. It got to the point where Slaughter was crying every night. Last May, after receiving a paycheck of just 100,000 yen (about £500) for a month of intense teaching, they’d had enough.
Slaughter sent a resignation letter to a senior staff member, who begged them to stay but quickly reminded them of the required two-month notice period. In a TikTok video that has since gained 1.2 million views, Slaughter says they told the manager: “Two months? You’re lucky if I give you two weeks. I gave you two hours, babe. I’m leaving now.”
Far from hurting their career, Slaughter’s story going viral opened up new opportunities. “I made $7,000 on TikTok the month I quit,” they say. Now, Slaughter works as a content creator, advising people who want to move to Japan. Some viewers even reached out, saying the video inspired them to leave their own toxic jobs. “They told me: I think I’m going to quit my job too. This was my sign.” For anyone still hesitating, Slaughter’s advice is simple: “You should have left yesterday.”
Young people are more likely to engage in “revenge quitting.” In the UK, 26% of 18- to 34-year-olds and 22% of 35- to 44-year-olds admitted to doing it, compared to just 8% of those aged 45 to 54. A June survey by the Conference Board found a 15% gap in job satisfaction between the youngest and oldest workers in the US: 57% of workers under 25 said they were satisfied with their jobs, compared to 72% of those over 55.
Four years ago, 25-year-old Carly from Alabama was unemployed, “kind of broke and willing to take anything.” After contacting a temp agency, she was quickly offered a receptionist job based on her resume alone and was asked to start the next day. “That was the first sign it might not be a great place to work, but I was desperate, so I took it,” she says.
The first three months were fine, and she was promoted to HR payroll manager, but things soon went downhill. A new colleague, who was related to the bosses, started spreading false rumors about her, including that she was an alcoholic because she used a lamp in her office instead of the overhead light. “I just like ambience,” Carly explains.
She was soon given an additional role as accounts payable manager. “It was too much for one 21-year-old to handle alone,” she says. The company briefly hired a man (who was paid $10 more per hour than her) to take over her HR payroll duties, but he was quickly fired after messing up the payroll. Carly was forced back into doing both jobs again.
“I was constantly stressed, upset, and crying,” she says. Things came to a head when her problematic colleague demanded she attend a managers’ meeting so he could “air out his frustrations” with her. “It was a ridiculous request,” Carly says. “He basically wanted to bully me in front of everyone.” She agreed to the meeting, but they didn’t know she had other plans.
On the morning of the meeting, Carly woke up early, drove to the office, and scheduled an email to all the managers “letting them know how messed up their business was.” It started politely: “I have decided that it is time to move on to a different venture,” but quickly escalated. She called her short-lived replacement “literally dumb as a rock” and said her overwhelming workload caused “daily stress that often built up into anxiety.”The email ended with, “My laptop and keys are on my desk.” After sending it, her boss tried calling, but she didn’t answer. “I never heard from them again,” she says. Once she left the office for the last time, Carly felt a wave of euphoria. “I could have stripped off and run naked all the way home. All the anxiety and stress I’d been carrying just vanished,” she recalls.
She found another job soon after, though she still worries about how future employers might react. “If they ask, I’ll be honest and say, ‘If you treat me well, I won’t do that to you,’” she explains.
While many people “revenge quit” to spite a bad boss, some also do it to warn potential new hires. Take Katie Ostler, who worked at a supermarket in Melbourne, Australia, for two years before deciding she’d had enough. She started the job at 16. “It was a really toxic, fast-paced environment with high turnover,” she says.
Now 29 and living in Manchester, UK, Ostler remembers that her bosses didn’t bother to learn her name for the first six months. “It wasn’t a great place, but I kept my head down and did what I had to do,” she recalls.
As she neared 18, new job opportunities opened up, particularly in bars. She was already handing out her CV to local pubs when an incident at the supermarket pushed her over the edge. One day, a customer started yelling at her 15-year-old coworker over a refund. Instead of supporting the young employee, their manager took the customer’s side and joined in the shouting. “I thought it was a good time to leave,” Ostler says.
Soon after, she was offered a bar job and went to the supermarket to resign, giving the required one week’s notice. She tried to hand her resignation letter to a supervisor, who said it had to go directly to the manager. When she asked where he was, they accidentally revealed he was in the middle of an interview. She barged into the room, handed him the letter, and announced loudly, “Don’t work here—here’s my resignation.” The room fell silent, and the interviewee looked confused. “It took a lot of courage. I walked out before he could say anything,” she says.
But that wasn’t the end of it. On her way to start her new job, the manager called and told her not to finish her final week because he “didn’t want my toxic energy” around the team. “I remember thinking, ‘Have you looked in the mirror?’” she says. She did have to go back to the supermarket for groceries a few times afterward. “I avoided it when I could, but people would recognize me and say hello. Unfortunately, no one cheered when I walked in,” she admits. Still, resigning felt like a triumph. “I felt like a boss. It was a very empowering moment.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about revenge quitting designed to be clear concise and in a natural tone
General Beginner Questions
1 What exactly is revenge quitting
Revenge quitting is when an employee leaves their job in a dramatic or noticeable way often to express frustration with their employer manager or workplace culture Its about making a statement on the way out
2 Is this the same as quiet quitting
No Quiet quitting is about doing the bare minimum required by your job description while still staying employed Revenge quitting is the act of dramatically leaving that job altogether
3 Why are people doing this now
A combination of factors a strong job market gives employees more options pentup frustration from the pandemic and the rise of social media where dramatic exit stories can go viral
4 Whats the goal of revenge quitting
The goal is typically to regain a sense of control publicly call out poor management and feel a sense of justice or catharsis on your last day
5 Is it just about being angry
Not always While anger is a common driver it can also be a calculated move to protest unethical practices discrimination or a toxic environment when formal channels have failed
Practical HowTo Questions
6 What are some common examples of revenge quitting
Sending a brutally honest mass email to the entire company
Publicly resigning during a large meeting
Creating a detailed presentation on why the company culture is broken
Recording a video or TikTok about your experience as you leave
7 What should I consider before revenge quitting
Think about your professional reputation potential legal issues and whether youll need a reference from that employer in the future Always have your next step planned
8 Whats the best way to quit a job I hate
The professional standard is still to give two weeks notice with a brief polite resignation letter This protects your reputation and keeps bridges from being completely burned
9 Are there any legal risks to revenge quitting
Yes If you disclose confidential information violate a nondisclosure agreement or make defamatory statements you could be sued
