Sometimes, you’ve got to bite the bullet and leave an organization. That doesn’t mean everyone’s swan song is as graceful as it should be.

Ask if someone’s got a story about leaving a job, and the tales will run the gamut from the inspiring — “I decided to pursue my dreams” — to the downright despising — “I left a dead fish in my co-worker’s desk.” After an all-out search for the worst ways to leave a job, here are the ones that stand out:

• Out with a bang — At a company where the employer couldn’t give employees any more overtime hours, several employees decided to go out in a blaze of glory — they torched their manager’s car. The company had its own special way of saying goodbye: They called the police, who shut down the fiery demonstration and carted the ex-employees away.
• I’ve got something to say — A teenage Target employee in Nashville, TN, was reprimanded for repeatedly coming into work late. She decided to quit, and on her way out, she dialed into the store’s P.A. system and let loose with a five-minute tirade that isn’t suitable for publication. By the time employees figured out which phone she was talking from, the damage had already been done.
• Uncle Sam’s hiring — Fresh out of school, a Los Angeles grad student took a job as a recruiter for a big-name defense contractor. After finding out the position wasn’t for him, he left open requisitions and his briefcase on his desk during lunch, and left a voicemail resignation on his boss’s phone. He paid for the cowardly quitting, though: 3 days later, CIA agents showed up at his house looking for information.
• Can’t come to the phone — Leaving a voicemail “I quit” message is one thing, but this employee turned things around and left a departure message as his voicemail greeting. It ended with the final verse of Sinatra’s “My Way.”
• Quitting via “Dear John” — It’s traditional to give written notice, but this is taking things too far: One employee posted his “resignation letter” on his boss’s door. It read: “Dear [company name redacted], It’s been great so far, but I don’t think we can work this out anymore. I think we should start seeing other people.”

Have any stories about how you or a co-worker left a position on not-so-positive terms? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Tags: Quitting, Resignation letter, Swan song