Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

How to quit like a boss

jmsbrdy.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

11–20 of 171 posts

Re: How to quit like a boss

#11

Post by NikolaNovak »

I think the very first sentiment is the most universal one:

Your quitting should not be a surprise to your manager.

Just like year-end review (for those companies that have it) should not be a surprise to the employee - feedback should be continuous. Similarly, if your (rational, to another posters point) manager's reaction is one of complete shock and surprise, it may be a sign you two weren't communicating sufficiently and planned/discussed your goals/expectations/challenges/direction/etc.

Re: How to quit like a boss

#12

Post by kevingadd »

I always give 2 weeks notice before quitting and make the transition as easy as possible, doing handoff meetings and educating whoever's taking over.

In exchange, I usually get shafted by the employer. In one case they tried to claw back a signing bonus (despite the employment agreement etc not giving them the right to do it - nice) and in another case the abusive studio head walked over and told me to take my shit and leave immediately despite the fact that I was a producer in charge of an entire team and hadn't done any handoff (shocking no one, the latter studio ended up shipping their product 4+ years behind schedule)

So I guess my takeaway is that it's still valuable to be nice if you care about the impact on your teammates, but I don't think your boss deserves it. Especially now when many companies have a policy of not providing references beyond 'yes i can confirm that so-and-so worked here' - the concept of 'burning your bridges' by not being sufficiently deferential to your awful boss doesn't exist.

Re: How to quit like a boss

#13

Post by feisar »

Good work to those who wrote it. If you have a better contract in hand then yes you should probably quit. With that being said however if you leave on bad terms and your next job asks to contact the manager from your previous job the would probably say that you left on bad terms and might ruin your reputation.

Re: How to quit like a boss

#14

Post by sasawpg »

ragnot wrote: post #6

Honestly, it's really simple: two weeks and that's it. Been there 2 years and haven't gotten a raise/promotion? 2 weeks. Been there 10 years and are bored/didn't get what you want? 2 weeks. Don't fall over yourself helping the company. Chances are they are going to forget you in 3 months anyway.

In case of your death, a replacement job posting will be up before your obituary. 10 months is crazy.

Re: How to quit like a boss

#15

Post by simplestats »

ubermonkey wrote: post #8

That's an insanely pollyanna take on quitting. What's the worst that could happen? You could get fired for looking for another job. This happens. Most people I know have worked for someone toxic, or worked for a toxic organization. If you work for nice people and things just don't align, yeah, sure, this approach may be fine, but it's by no means universal.

I think the assumption is getting fired instantly from a toxic organization is probably a good thing. The problem is that a high likelihood of a better outcome (as opposed to ending up living in your car), still isn't a guarantee.

The most risk-averse strategy should still use some of the advice posted here, but concerns like minimizing other people's problems and your own guilt are not worth the dangers.

Re: How to quit like a boss

#16

Post by jamesbrady »

chadcmulligan wrote: post #4
CapitalistCartr wrote: post #3

This is excellent advice for those working in a rational environment. For those working in an ego-driven environment, not so much. Plan your exit strategy as you would from an abusive spouse. Don't assume good faith on anyone else's part.

Indeed, I was thinking where are these rational managers where you can discuss things openly. It seems the world of management is full of petty narcissistic control freaks.

I'm sorry that's been your experience!

These managers definitely do exist - I have had them, I have seen them, and I have tried to be one.

Perhaps I should have included "rational conversation is possible" as a decision point in the flowchart, with a negative answer leading to "you should leave anyway"!

Re: How to quit like a boss

#17

Post by rsstack »

People here have been burnt by bad managers and it's honestly sad. If you have a personal relationship with your manager beyond emails and "how was your weekend", there's a good chance they will appreciate your longer notice (not 10 months!) and you'll keep them on your side for the rest of your career. I gave a 2-months notice once, and my manager's manager even helped me find my next role at a different company (which I ended up taking instead of an offer from Facebook).

I can't remember which company it was, but some startup CEO posted on Hacker News a few months ago that they have a proper procedure for "long notices" where they help employees, even if they decide to stay at the end of it. That should be the goal in my opinion.

P.S.: Yes, it can be more tricky in large corporations where the manager isn't independent and their manager is vindictive.

Re: How to quit like a boss

#18

Post by jamesbrady »

yjftsjthsd-h wrote: post #5

Eh... kind of? Like, I don't disagree that there are reasonable points here, but: > Quitting should never be a surprise for your boss > What’s the worst that can happen? Not a total surprise, but in many environments even hinting that you're looking to leave will... greatly increase the urgency of your search. They might not terminate you outright (or they may), but it's gonna make the rest of your time there a lot l…

Hmm, I hear you on the first point… Perhaps I'm blinkered to roles in tech (to which this post was aimed, but not explicitly enough)?

In my experience at such companies, people certainly aren't walked if they express dissatisfaction in their role – but you're right that this doesn't necessarily transfer onto roles which are less competitive. I will think about how to tighten that piece up: thanks for the feedback.

On the second point, I can only congratulate you if you manage to keep everything so organised and compartmentalised! It's something I've aspired to but always fallen short of.

Re: How to quit like a boss

#19

Post by mds »

CapitalistCartr wrote: post #3

This is excellent advice for those working in a rational environment. For those working in an ego-driven environment, not so much. Plan your exit strategy as you would from an abusive spouse. Don't assume good faith on anyone else's part.

In a rational environment if you're leaving "for cause", it shouldn't come as a shock to your employer when you quit, in the same way a bad performance review or firing shouldn't come as a shock to the employee. There should be feedback in both directions, if they're not meeting your career goals or you're not meeting their performance goals.

But as a rule I wouldn't tell my boss I'm actively interviewing until I have an offer in hand. Just like, and for a lot of the same reasons, the company as a rule isn't going to inform under-performing employees that they're actively looking to hire someone to replace them before firing them.

Re: How to quit like a boss

#20

Post by jamesbrady »

rsstack wrote: post #17

People here have been burnt by bad managers and it's honestly sad. If you have a personal relationship with your manager beyond emails and "how was your weekend", there's a good chance they will appreciate your longer notice (not 10 months!) and you'll keep them on your side for the rest of your career. I gave a 2-months notice once, and my manager's manager even helped me find my next role at a different company (wh…

Exactly, this sounds like such a grown-up way to wind down a working relationship! I'm sure you'll stay in touch with that person and perhaps even refer people in their direction in the future.
Post reply on HN