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Nice post, OP. Now let me tell you about those times when your suggestions are exactly the opposite of what you should do: Tell me as early as possible Why? S

by edw519 14y ago

Nice post, OP. Now let me tell you about those times when your suggestions are exactly the opposite of what you should do: Tell me as early as possible Why? So security can show me the door today and I'm unexpectedly without a paycheck for weeks? Although OP may not do this, lots of place do. Beware. Finish what you have started The more I leave unfinished, the greater my revenue opportunity (via consulting). Don’t slack around OK. As long as you pay me and thank me for all the extra work and overtime. Oh wait, that may be one if the reasons I'm leaving. Complete the paperwork "Paperwork" is your albatross, not mine, so I simply don't care. No outbursts please This should always be true anyway. Give honest feedback Be careful. "Honest feedback" is high risk, low reward. There's a good chance you're leaving because your "honest feedback" has been ignored before. Why should now be different. Stay in touch Pay me to. See "Finish what you have started" above. You're in business. So am I. Frankly, if I was inclined to be nice enough to comply with OP's requests, I'd probably be staying on. Too many employers are in a time warp, creating situations that force good people to move on and then pretending they never happened with posts like this. It's too late for this, soon-to-be ex-employer. Better to just let lame ducks finish their commitment and focus on their futures.

jonnathanson 14y ago
I was nodding my head up until your last point, about staying in touch. Chances are, not everything (and more important, everyone) at your job has been terrible. I've seen too many people leave a job and then sort of isolate themselves from it entirely, as though it never existed. (And I've been guilty of this myself, especially early on in my career). You never want to burn a bridge, or leave on bad terms, or fade away entirely. Especially since there is so much fluidity in this industry, and you never really know a) who knows whom, and b) when someone you used to work with will be working with you again. The ability to compartmentalize -- to separate the negative emotions evoked by a terrible job from the aspects of the job that may have been worthwhile -- is not easy to master. But it's a great skill to have.
sjs382 14y ago
>> Tell me as early as possible > Why? So security can show me the door today and I'm unexpectedly without a paycheck for weeks? Although OP may not do this, lots of place do. Beware. This happened to a friend VERY recently, and it changed the way I think about this. I had always assumed it happens, but I had never met someone who it happened to. Myself though, I had previously worked at a 4-person company and gave them 4-weeks notice (the company I was going to was OK with this, and even saw it as a good thing that I wanted to tie up loose ends and ensure a smooth transition). Really, it all depends on the situation. Just make sure you know the situation. > Be careful. "Honest feedback" is high risk, low reward. There's a good chance you're leaving because your "honest feedback" has been ignored before. Why should now be different. Could you elaborate? I've never understood the risk, except for the possibility of losing out on a reference (though, you may have allies in the company would give you a favorable reference anyways)
pasbesoin 14y ago
I have to agree with Ed. If the work relationship is good, most of this will already be happening. If not, it's too late. Further, departing employees need to be warned about the contemporary implications of these... "legacy" expectations. If you want your employee to treat you well when they're departing, treat them well beforehand.
greenyoda 14y ago
Just to add one thing to this wonderful reply: An employer who has at-will employees who can be fired for no cause and with no notice (as is usual for non-unionized employees in the U.S.) has a lot of nerve to demand even two weeks notice from an employee. If you want some number of weeks notice that an employee is leaving, then make it part of the employee's contract that they're entitled to be paid for that number of weeks after giving notice (and that they can collect legal fees from you to enforce this in court if necessary). Otherwise, it's really not in their best interest to give you this information.

by edw519 14y ago

jonnathanson 14y ago

I was nodding my head up until your last point, about staying in touch. Chances are, not everything (and more important, everyone) at your job has been terrible. I've seen too many people leave a job and then sort of isolate themselves from it entirely, as though it never existed. (And I've been guilty of this myself, especially early on in my career). You never want to burn a bridge, or leave on bad terms, or fade away entirely. Especially since there is so much fluidity in this industry, and you never really know a) who knows whom, and b) when someone you used to work with will be working with you again. The ability to compartmentalize -- to separate the negative emotions evoked by a terrible job from the aspects of the job that may have been worthwhile -- is not easy to master. But it's a great skill to have.

sjs382 14y ago

>> Tell me as early as possible > Why? So security can show me the door today and I'm unexpectedly without a paycheck for weeks? Although OP may not do this, lots of place do. Beware. This happened to a friend VERY recently, and it changed the way I think about this. I had always assumed it happens, but I had never met someone who it happened to. Myself though, I had previously worked at a 4-person company and gave them 4-weeks notice (the company I was going to was OK with this, and even saw it as a good thing that I wanted to tie up loose ends and ensure a smooth transition). Really, it all depends on the situation. Just make sure you know the situation. > Be careful. "Honest feedback" is high risk, low reward. There's a good chance you're leaving because your "honest feedback" has been ignored before. Why should now be different. Could you elaborate? I've never understood the risk, except for the possibility of losing out on a reference (though, you may have allies in the company would give you a favorable reference anyways)

pasbesoin 14y ago

I have to agree with Ed. If the work relationship is good, most of this will already be happening. If not, it's too late. Further, departing employees need to be warned about the contemporary implications of these... "legacy" expectations. If you want your employee to treat you well when they're departing, treat them well beforehand.

greenyoda 14y ago

Just to add one thing to this wonderful reply: An employer who has at-will employees who can be fired for no cause and with no notice (as is usual for non-unionized employees in the U.S.) has a lot of nerve to demand even two weeks notice from an employee. If you want some number of weeks notice that an employee is leaving, then make it part of the employee's contract that they're entitled to be paid for that number of weeks after giving notice (and that they can collect legal fees from you to enforce this in court if necessary). Otherwise, it's really not in their best interest to give you this information.