Throw Your Badge On The Table

 Take This Job and Shove It
 I ain't workin' here no more....    -- Johnny Paycheck

A reference to the hackneyed scene in a million bad movies where the cop who makes his own rules threatens to quit, quits, or is suspended, and throws his badge on the chief's/captain's/whoever's desk.

Two definitions for the term:

1) Quitting in a dramatic manner.

Apart from just quitting, this implies both quitting over a matter of principle or as a statement, and making no secret about it. It carries a sense of honorableness, and so should not be accompanied by activities such as, after quitting, telling certain co-workers how much you hate them. (Besides it being a jerky thing do to, badmouthing your co-workers can come back to bite you later in your career. People don't forget such moves, and word will get around.)

Or

2) A threat to quit, unless some change is made by the employer.

Sometimes, management will make unreasonable or intolerable demands, often backed up by subtle threats. Other attempts to reason with them fail. The issue(s) is/are something that cannot be ignored; GrinAndBearIt? isn't an option.

One possible solution is to ThrowYourBadgeOnTheTable. Make it clear that you consider the situation unacceptable to you, and if changes are not made you will quit your job. In some cases, finding and training your replacement is more expensive than fixing the problem, and that will tilt the decision in your behalf. Or, the threat may serve as a TwoByFour, and get management's attention.

However:

• Don't do this unless you are really prepared to walk away from the job. One possible reaction of your boss will be to fire you, or otherwise call your bluff. If you make such a threat than retract it, your political standing within the organization will make a Great Sucking Sound.

• Do so in a private conversation with the boss -- allowing all sides to save face. Quitting publicly (or threatening to do so) is considered bridge-burning in many places.

• Don't do this often--this is a SilverBullet you only get to use once, if ever.

• Make sure you really have cards to play.

• Be careful--even if they accommodate you now, they may consider you disloyal for the threat and might can you at a more opportune time (for them).

Legal question: Can a conditional threat to quit be considered an actual resignation, especially if management intends that the condition will become/remain true? It's mainly an issue for determination of severance terms... and I'm not sure if it would make a difference.