Dear Evil HR Lady,
I work for a small non-profit. I was hired to open a preschool/daycare in the building. None of the board members or the director have any education or experience in the early childhood field. As a consequence, I am repeatedly asked to do things that run contrary to the law in our state. Last month, I went over the director’s head to the board to protest four specific instances of questionable ethics. Those issues were basically resolved in a heated meeting where not only my intelligence but my entire profession was insulted. To my knowledge, the board of directors does not seem to care about the employees’ complaints, which included the use of racial slurs by the director. No one from the board contacted me or the 17 out of 20 current employees who wished to speak with them. Obviously, employees are leaving quickly.
The past two weeks I have been involved with yet another battle about my interpretation of the daycare laws. I am exhausted and I cannot fight this anymore. We are yet again not in compliance with the law and I am due for a surprise inspection any day. I have a glowing reference from my immediate supervisor, who also just quit. I want to resign on Tuesday with no notice. I do not want the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) licensing rep to associate me with a school that is not in compliance, because I have fought very hard to adhere to the letter and spirit of the law.
When is it OK to leave without notice?
To read the answer click here: When is it okay to quit without giving notice?
If she’s really worried about an inspection in the next two weeks, she should give her notice immediately. Then, if there is an inspection, she will be there to explain her side of the story, and the fact that she has given notice will give her added credibility.
As a child care provider, my advice will be a little different. CALL YOUR LICENSOR. Let them know what is going on, and then resign. Child care is a different beast than most other jobs. Being found in non-compliance not only looks bad but depending on the regs being violated may mean never working in the Early Childhood field (or Education fields) again. There is much more at stake here than a “bad” reference.