When YOU Leave

It's hard to say "goodbye" isn't it? Last week's post was about handling the departure of a teammate. This week, let's talk about you.

At some point in your career, and maybe several times, you'll be saying "goodbye" to a job and teammates. How you leave is important. The following principles apply whether you liked your job, or hated it, or somewhere in between.

Give a good notice. I know, I know. Some people feel that because a company can kick you out at any time with little to no notice, you shouldn't have to give them a notice when you want to leave. Sorry folks, that's not professional. Do that, and  you are ultimately hurting yourself. You can't control the company, but you can take responsibility on your end. Give at least a full two-week notice, sometimes more in certain circumstances. If you are asked to leave before fulfilling it, leave graciously.

Tell teammates. If appropriate, talk to teammates and give them whatever is reasonable information about why you are leaving. This helps dispel rumors. Maintain confidentiality when you need to, but don't be afraid to explain a few things—in a positive way—if it will help.

 

Don't burn bridges. As tempted as you may feel (depending on the circumstances) to badmouth a manager or the company, DON'T DO IT. Bitterness only reflects poorly on you, and may leave a bad taste to your former coworkers. A poor attitude can come back to haunt you when you are searching for new positions. Make people miss you!

Create a good reference. Behave in such a way that the company can't help but give you a good reference. (If you are being fired, this may be rather hard, but if you handle even that professionally, it can reflect well on you later.)

Think of your replacement. Do whatever you can to make the transition easy. Organize files. Save electronic files in one simple to find place that he/she can sort through to find something later. Don't leave emails unanswered. If possible, spend some time training him/her yourself.

Communicate. A few days before your departure, set up an "out of office" message on your email, educating people that you are leaving, and who will handle messages in your place. This will give you a few days to still be around if there's a question YOU have to answer, while helping people learn to direct their inquiries elsewhere.

Thank your co-workers. Take some time to write a summary email of appreciation, naming specific things you enjoyed about working with particular departments or people. Try not to miss anyone. Find something about each department you can praise. Set up this "all employee" email to go out just before you leave. If you wish, and the company is okay with it, provide your contact info going further.

Make a clean break. Ideally, take a break between jobs. Be available for calls and emails, but let the former staff members initiate. Be careful about making too much contact with them during the first month off staff (as if you are still employed.) It will be easier for them and for you.

Maintain connections. This may seem contradictory to the tip above, but if you give some space and time between the tips, it can work well. Set up lunch visits or stop in occasionally. Connect on social media if you are comfortable with that. Don't ask too many questions about how things are going at the workplace, and don't entertain gossip. Instead focus on friendships. You may find that these folks truly are friends, or that they were just pleasant co-workers. Either one is okay as long as you know the difference.

For the most part, I tried to follow the above principles during a recent job transition. One of my coworkers responded to my “goodbye” email with “This impresses me as one of the most delightful DEPARTURES  I’ve ever seen.” 

May yours be the same.