15 ms·

I'd like to be able to follow this advice always, but what about when, say, you're scheduling a call with your manager to let them know you're leaving the team?

by koboll 5y ago

I'd like to be able to follow this advice always, but what about when, say, you're scheduling a call with your manager to let them know you're leaving the team? Do I lead with context by titling the meeting "Discuss my Departure"?

redisman 5y ago
Don’t lead with “ I have some bad news”. My manager thought I was dying or something so in the end I guess they were relieved. Just call them without setting anything up or if you’re in the office pull them into a immediate quick chat.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
dharmab 5y ago
When I announced I was leaving to my team, I titled the meeting "Future of (project name)"
- Wowfunhappy 5y ago
  IMO, that sounds super spooky!
- sharken 5y ago
  Another way of doing it is on the Daily Standup, when the topic moves on to Anything else?
  - kevinmchugh 5y ago
    Most managers I've had appreciate being told individually. If there's any chance at all you'd take a counter offer, you should let management know privately. Theyre less likely to counter if you're news is known publicly. (Imo never take a counter but always listen to one. That's valuable market information)
    - geogra4 5y ago
      6 years later and I definitely regret taking a counter offer.
      - mark-r 5y ago
        Once you've announced your intention to leave, even just privately, it changes your relationship. Accepting a counter-offer is just going to leave things awkward.
        sharken 5y ago
        Very awkward I'd say. A counter offer is just adding insult to injury, e.g. why was is not offered with salary adjustments earlier. In my experience only two scenarios offer a substantial raise in pay: Switching jobs or Getting a new role/title. Somehow just doing your job well is not enough.
jlund-molfese 5y ago
I’d usually first communicate that in an email where you express your appreciation and briefly explain why you’re leaving, along with your last day. Then the manager will usually schedule an exit interview for the report (or, if you’re at a bad company, fire you on the spot).
- thebean11 5y ago
  Eh, when I left my last company I felt it was important to deliver the news in person. I had been with my manager 3 years and an email didn’t seem right.
  - version_five 5y ago
    Having been both an employer and manager giving and hearing "major" news (departure / restructuring, etc as is being discussed), I'm torn. On one hand, we are conditioned that its important to deliver news in person and not hide behind email, and I agree with this - it's much more collegial to have a conversation. On the other hand, I don't react well to having news spring on me. My heart can race, I need some time to think through it by myself in order to be ready to discuss it rationally. I doubt I'm the only IT person in this boat. And likewise, if I'm delivering bad news, I end up spending more time worried about reactions that properly explaining myself. So a note in advance, to break the tension, could lead to a more effective conversation, vs. surprising someone. I understand there could be legal reasons why you'd have to terminate someone in person, but outside of that, it's nice to give people time to consider what they'd like to discuss before pulling them into a discussion.
    - nucleardog 5y ago
      This is why I generally treat stuff like that as a two-meeting problem. The first meeting I don't beat around the bush, I get to the point within 60 seconds. I explain what I need to explain, and don't really leave them a chance to feel like they need to talk. I finish up by telling them if they have any questions right now I'm totally happy to answer them and discuss, but I'm scheduling a follow-up meeting at $earlyTime tomorrow so they can sleep on it and we'll check in and have a follow-up conversation. And also that if anything comes to mind late tonight, they wake up in a cold sweat, whatever, to give me a call and I'm happy to talk whenever. Because yes, even the most composed people I've worked with have been thrown for a loop by stuff like this and the first meeting is never really a productive two-way conversation. I just try and make it make as much sense as possible and don't take anything personally, and then have the real conversation about it the next day.
kevinmchugh 5y ago
Your manager will know that you're probably resigning when your ask for their time without specifying a subject. They're paid to know that and react appropriately. Don't worry about it.