‘I’m petty’: Woman decides to quit her job. Viewers can’t believe what she sent instead of her 2-weeks’ notice
“Surprise, I’m worse.” That’s the caption to one woman’s video for the reason why she quit her job in the pettiest way.
Emily Marie (@emiiilymariie) decided to forgo the traditional two-week notice and instead sent a parting gift, one that earned her 790,000 views on TikTok.
When they go low, you go lower
In a viral TikTok, Emily shares that she’s quitting her job. She films herself inside a daycare, her soon-to-be former workplace.
“If you didn’t know, now you know, I’m petty,” Emily begins. “So instead of giving my boss a two-week’s notice like I was originally going to do—and I’ll tell you why I didn’t—I brought this cake.”
Emily then holds up a round cake to the camera. It’s decorated in pink frosting, buttercream flowers, and a big, looping script that reads, “I Quit.”
“If you’re gonna be distasteful to me then, surprise, I’m worse,” Emily added in the caption.
What’s the tea?
People in the comments were dying to know what led to her making this decision. However, despite the lack of context, several praised her for it.
One wrote, “An employer wouldn’t give you two weeks notice why should you give them one.”
Another called her move “incredible behavior.”
“As you should queen,” one praised.
Several viewers took the opportunity to share their own “petty” quitting stories—and they did not disappoint.
“I once quit by putting a post it note on my computer that read ‘brb,’” one shared.
Another said they handed in a “sorry for your loss” card.
“One time I went on vacation and never went back,” a user revealed.
But really, what happened?
While Emily doesn’t go into detail in the first video, she spills all in a follow-up.
“I’m not sad. I’m so, so happy,” Emily squeals inside her car. “It’s going to get so much better. I didn’t realize that so many people kind of liked me.”
Emily describes the job as “toxic” and “really stressful.”
Now, she says she will go from working 55 hours a week to around 35 while making the same amount of money.
In a comment, she reveals she will now be waitressing and nannying. One viewer congratulated her and speculated as to why she was surprised about the goodbye. “If you didn’t realize they liked you till you quit, they’re probably just sad that you’re not going to be there to pick up the slack anymore,” they wrote.
Some still demanded to know the full story as to why she didn’t give a two-week’s notice. This prompted another follow-up where Emily says she was “treated badly.” Her ChatGPT-created resignation letter was ready, but Emily says she then got into an argument with her director.
“I got the cake because I thought it was funny,” Emily shares. “And also I wanted to feed my co-workers.”
The creator says the dissatisfaction stemmed from her boss not being a good manager. According to Emily, the manager never knew what was going on, in regard to both the children and the staff, and never planned.
“It was just so exhausting working there,” Emily says. “Also, there’s like a language barrier. I was the only American there, they were all European.”
Gen Z isn’t having it
Emily’s quitting story may throw some Gen Xers for a loop, but it’s not uncommon in this day and age.
@emiiilymariie if you’re gonna be distasteful to me then ? surprise I’m worse
♬ original sound – em
Gone are the days of polite quitting stories—or worse, never quitting at all. One study even showed that Gen Z is twice as likely to quit a job as Baby Boomers. In the early 2020s, Gen Z took the brunt of being shamed for never committing to one job. But they fought back and took their job-hopping with pride.
And it’s not always for the reasons one may think, such as being treated badly or being lazy. A report shared the rise of “conscious quitting,” where young people leave their companies for another that better aligns with their social and cultural values. While quitting your job may have signaled the dumbest decision ever in the 1900s, Gen Z-ers are now praised by their peers for having the spine to walk away.
The Mary Sue reached out to Emily via TikTok direct message and comment.
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