A couple of jobs ago I didn't give any sort of notice when I quit. I waited until the CEO and CFO (a husband and wife duo) left for the day, said my goodbyes to my coworkers, and left a note with my office key under the door of the CEO informing him that I was quitting effective immediately and requesting that they do not contact me for any reason whatsoever. Frankly I'm inclined to think I was too polite. The way they treated their employees (not so much me, but the others) was cruel. A textbook example of psychopathic tryanny writ small. I wish them nothing but the worst.

My last job, however, I gave my employer three weeks notice. I cried when I had to tell my boss I had taken a job elsewhere. It wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done, but quitting that job definitely cracks the top five most emotional moments of my life. I'm happy where I am now, but I was happy there too, surrounded by good people and working under a manager I not only respected but admired as a person. I am keenly aware of how rare a thing that is. The only reason I left was because of the company policy that allows people to leave and then come back no questions asked if they left on good standing. I needed to take a personal risk and they actually encourage that.

The point of my anecdotes is: you reap what you sow. Treat people like shit, pay them poorly, humiliate them publicly and they will quit the moment they can with spite instead of hesitation. Show people kindness, pay them what they're worth, and give them chances to learn from their mistakes and you will routinely have people work for you for decades. If more people are quitting without notice then employers need only to look at how they treat people to see why.