A consultant’s account of spending two days at his office without being assigned any work has sparked a discussion online about notice periods, workplace communication and what happens when an employee and their team stop communicating. The consultant shared his experience in a Reddit post, saying he had resigned after what he described as “toxic behaviour” from his seniors and boss. According to him, tensions at work had already affected his relationship with colleagues before he entered his notice period. He said he decided to communicate with his colleagues through Microsoft Teams rather than speaking to them in person, partly because he wanted important conversations to remain documented.
‘I don’t get any work, I don’t do any work’
The consultant said his problems began before his notice period, when he felt that his work and efforts were being questioned by his seniors. “I’m on my notice period and I resigned because of the toxic behaviour I was facing from my seniors and my boss,” he wrote. He claimed that one of his seniors had told his boss that he worked only two to three hours a day. The consultant disputed the allegation, saying he had been working throughout the day and had only taken a two-hour break because he needed to visit a doctor. “Even my boss said, ‘We don’t trust you yet’, even though I was working on a major project and did it with perfection,” he claimed.He also alleged that another boss had taunted and harassed him. After spending around three weeks working from home, he returned to the office following an argument with colleagues. The consultant said he then decided that he would avoid verbal conversations with them and instead use Microsoft Teams. “So I decided since it’s my notice period, I won’t talk to them in person but only through Microsoft Teams, so it’s all documented and they cannot lie to my boss again,” he wrote.According to his account, the situation became particularly unusual after he returned to the office. He said he came to work on Wednesday and posted a message in the project group asking what work he needed to complete that day. However, he claimed that nobody responded. “No one replied, so I sat all day scrolling reels,” he wrote. He also said he used the time to attend an interview with another company. The following day, he returned to the office, opened his laptop and continued working on whatever he wanted to do. “Even today, I came in and opened the laptop, now doing whatever I wanted,” he wrote, adding that he continued asking for work through Teams despite sitting in the same room as his colleagues. “I don’t get any work, I don’t do any work,” he said.
Reddit users warn him to keep records
The post received mixed reactions from Reddit users. Some appeared to sympathise with the consultant’s situation, while others warned him not to become too comfortable with having no assigned work. One user advised him to maintain a visible record of his presence at work rather than repeatedly asking colleagues for tasks. “You don’t have to even ask them for work. Just drop in a ‘Good Morning’ on Teams and nothing more, don’t ask for work. The fact that you are in the office for all to see shows your presence as well,” the user commented. Another Reddit user took a more cautious approach, warning that the situation could potentially create complications during the notice period. “Be wary, though, and don’t get comfortable with not getting any work assigned. These fools can turn it around to extend your notice period,” the commenter wrote.A third person responded by sharing their own experience of having little meaningful work for an extended period. “Amateur. I haven’t done anything significant for two months. Blamed it on the manager. I’ve been going through a severe procrastination phase,” they wrote. The consultant’s post ultimately reflects one employee’s account of a difficult workplace situation, rather than establishing what happened from the employer’s perspective. His claims about workplace behaviour and the reasons he was not assigned work could not be independently verified from the Reddit post. His experience has nevertheless raised a familiar workplace question: what happens when an employee has mentally moved on, but their notice period has not yet ended? For employees in such situations, keeping communication professional, documenting requests and following company policies can help create a clear record of what was asked and what work was assigned.
