I wasn't there but I was told a person communicated his message by taking a literal shit in the CEO (ex military, to give you some perspective) office.
How to quit like a boss
31–40 of 171 posts
Re: How to quit like a boss
#32Honestly, 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.
Well of course an opening will be posted immediately if one dies - whats the point of waiting in that scenario ?
That doesn't justify being a jerk and quitting without making an effort to ensure that the transition is smooth for your colleagues.
Re: How to quit like a boss
#33> Quitting should never be a surprise for your boss I get the spirit of this. But someone whos in tech on a visa, this is absolutely the worse advice. The fear or retaliation is real, especially in bigger firms where your manager has a lot of say. The moment higher ups have the slightest inkling that you're looking for other jobs, you'll soon get pushed out.
I know of a case where the manager actually called the INS after the employee left. Protect yourself and your family first. (I'm a manager myself.)
Re: How to quit like a boss
#34That'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.
> the assumption is getting fired instantly from a toxic organization is probably a good thing
That's correct – although I definitely take on board some of the other commenters' feedback about things like visas tied to roles. I'm going to add some clarification to make it clear this really relates to employees in good standing in tech companies (obviously a tiny minority of the populace and one of the few groups who have the guarantee you mention).
Re: How to quit like a boss
#35Eh... 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…
> in many environments even hinting that you're looking to leave will... greatly increase the urgency of your search
Just to provide a single anecdote of this, my friend worked as a recruiter at a well known company. If higher ups got proof that you had applied to another job, you would be terminated day of and whisked out of the office by security.
The stories from him and his coworkers of the subterfuge involved in job applications were impressive.
Re: How to quit like a boss
#36Reasonable (though fairly hackneyed) advice. Until I get to this: > I let my boss know I was leaving in February, so my commitment to see things through to the end of the year was effectively a 10-month notice period. This, ironically, was the first sentence in a section entitled "Avoid giving too much notice" If you can't handoff your work in less than 2 weeks, either you as an employee have failed to properly docum…
OP here, yeah I mention the 10 months thing as an example of what not to do – the actual handover of tasks I did in maybe 1–2 months, and that was at a leisurely pace TBH. The first ~9 months we were in a slightly weird limbo unfortunately – that's what I was flagging up as an anti-pattern there.
Re: How to quit like a boss
#37This 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.
I worked in many places including ego-driven, political and/or irrational.
Leaving gracefully has never backfired on me. Actually, the opposite happened. Leaving gracefully has left me with some good friends and has led me to opportunities from people I worked with in the past and have became successful in the meantime.
Additionally, at almost every company I happen to work with somebody that I have known before. Answer yourself, do you really want your ungraceful exit to become a problem at your new company now or in the future? What does it cost you to leave gracefully?
Re: How to quit like a boss
#38"Don't hate the player, hate the game".
The game in California is "at will employment". I don't know about other industries, but most tech firms will lay you off with 0 days of notice if they no longer need your services, for example, to save money.
On the other hand, loyalty to people may or may not be worthwhile - this very much depends on the people and your experience may be drastically different from everyone else'.
Re: How to quit like a boss
#39Eh... 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…
> "Your boss should be able to say why you left"? Not just say why, but this has been an ongoing discussion between you with attempts to resolve it (assuming everything is working as it should).
I like this phrasing and will steal it henceforth.
Re: How to quit like a boss
#40I 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 sufficie…
The assumption here is that the employee leaving the company was due to some problems that could not be solved after careful discussion with the manager, skip-level etc. But leaving a company can also happen because another company offers you 50% more money or a different role, or you just feel like changing.
For any employee, including managers, directors and up—there is only one thing to remember: when the company intends to let you go, they don't ask for your opinion. Two-week notice is professional and more than enough.