09/04/2025

Revenge Quitting

Dramatic workplace exits are on the rise

In 2011, Joey La Neve DeFrancesco had been working in room service at a luxury hotel in Providence, Rhode Island, for nearly four years, whisking delicacies on demand to guests' rooms, when he reached a breaking point. He was paid a measly $5.50 (£4) an hour, made to work punishingly long shifts and, to top it off, had managers taking a cut of his hard-earned tips.

The poor treatment ratcheted up after DeFrancesco and colleagues tried to unionize workers at the hotel. In response, managers would berate those involved for making tiny mistakes. Things got so petty that workers on shift who had to take calls from guests were banned from sitting down.

DeFrancesco decided to call it quits. On the day he finally bid farewell, he snuck into the hotel's employee quarters with a seven-strong marching band and surprised his boss with a musical ambush. "I'm here to tell you that I'm quitting," he said, before walking out to the triumphant soundtrack of his band in full swing and chanting, "Joey quits."

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Guardian.