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One thing I cannot understand in the traditional workplace is why certain leaves & sudden departures are never disclosed to a close team whether by the person o

One thing I cannot understand in the traditional workplace is why certain leaves & sudden departures are never disclosed to a close team whether by the person or their manager. I've had many teammates come and go in the blink of an eye and I'm curious to this day of "what happened to X?". Were they PIPed? Are they fighting something? Did they win the lottery and decide to retire? It's as if the relationships between the team are much different than with direct management and the disclosure happens privately between middle management and by the time they're gone, the team is left clueless. I think we need to bring more empathy into the workplace. Especially the remote workplace. I operate on the premise that everyone is battling problems that you don't know about, but even knowing a generalized detail can help in the long term. It takes courage to be vulnerable which not many are willing to do in the workplace, but helps teams become closer and more caring in the long run. It's hard to give bad news, but it's even harder on everyone to say nothing at all.

throwmeariver1 5y ago
Sometimes there is just nothing to say not everything is nefarious it could also mean that even if you think you had a close relationship to your colleague it really wasn't so close at all because otherwise they would give you a heads-up afterwards.
- thenerdhead 5y ago
  Is it reasonable to say "X is no longer with us, we'll figure out their responsibilities with hiring a replacement, dividing areas of ownership, etc" shortly after they depart (for any reason)? Or should the team have to put two and two together after realizing they aren't coming back? I feel like the latter is too common.
wombat-man 5y ago
When I left my last job I pinged everyone I was friendly with. Then I sent out an email to everyone I knew just so people knew I was leaving and how they could contact me. Not everyone feels a connection to their coworkers and if they want to just leave the job without fanfare that's fine with me. I do think that due to legal reasons, companies will say as little as possible to employees. We had an exec suddenly leave and we had a large meeting about it where the VP told us, but you could tell that there were a few talking points he had to stick to. Basically that the director was no longer with the company and that there wouldn't be a discussion as to why. Nearly two years later I learned it was because he said some rude shit on social media and got canned. If someone is leaving voluntarily and on good terms, I'd expect an email or announcement. Maybe even a farewell party. But if you hear nothing, I'd assume it's because they declined to have one or they did not leave voluntarily. Either way, best to leave sleeping dogs lie, unless you really felt a connection to that person.
- thenerdhead 5y ago
  Why is it so taboo to talk about people leaving, quitting, or even dealing with their own battles? Shouldn't we keep people in the loop with common sense disclosures? You don't have to say much and it makes people understand the situation and take on the responsibilities. So while it's hearing nothing, an irish exit, or even greener pastures, I do believe it's up to someone to communicate it in a common sense way so people aren't surprised months down the line.
  - wombat-man 5y ago
    Yeah I agree, otherwise people can imagine all kinds of things. I just think it's up to the person leaving or someone they report to. HR is focused on completely different tasks.
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throwmeariver1 5y ago

Sometimes there is just nothing to say not everything is nefarious it could also mean that even if you think you had a close relationship to your colleague it really wasn't so close at all because otherwise they would give you a heads-up afterwards.

thenerdhead 5y ago
Is it reasonable to say "X is no longer with us, we'll figure out their responsibilities with hiring a replacement, dividing areas of ownership, etc" shortly after they depart (for any reason)? Or should the team have to put two and two together after realizing they aren't coming back? I feel like the latter is too common.

wombat-man 5y ago

When I left my last job I pinged everyone I was friendly with. Then I sent out an email to everyone I knew just so people knew I was leaving and how they could contact me. Not everyone feels a connection to their coworkers and if they want to just leave the job without fanfare that's fine with me. I do think that due to legal reasons, companies will say as little as possible to employees. We had an exec suddenly leave and we had a large meeting about it where the VP told us, but you could tell that there were a few talking points he had to stick to. Basically that the director was no longer with the company and that there wouldn't be a discussion as to why. Nearly two years later I learned it was because he said some rude shit on social media and got canned. If someone is leaving voluntarily and on good terms, I'd expect an email or announcement. Maybe even a farewell party. But if you hear nothing, I'd assume it's because they declined to have one or they did not leave voluntarily. Either way, best to leave sleeping dogs lie, unless you really felt a connection to that person.

thenerdhead 5y ago
Why is it so taboo to talk about people leaving, quitting, or even dealing with their own battles? Shouldn't we keep people in the loop with common sense disclosures? You don't have to say much and it makes people understand the situation and take on the responsibilities. So while it's hearing nothing, an irish exit, or even greener pastures, I do believe it's up to someone to communicate it in a common sense way so people aren't surprised months down the line.
- wombat-man 5y ago
  Yeah I agree, otherwise people can imagine all kinds of things. I just think it's up to the person leaving or someone they report to. HR is focused on completely different tasks.

deleted 5y ago

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