[lbo-talk] Quitting job: etiquette???

Matt lbo4 at beyondzero.net
Thu Oct 25 11:20:35 PDT 2007


On Wed, Oct 24, 2007 at 09:55:08PM -0700, joanna wrote:
> I'm about to switch jobs. Leaving evil megacorporation and going back to
> work in a beloved small startup.
>
> Any quitting advice would be appreciated. Though I loathed the evil
> megacorp, I really liked my mgr and engineers I worked with. Do I send
> an email? Or drive in for a face to face? Or call? I work at home 99% of
> the time. How much notice? What to say that isn't a nauseating cliche?
> Dwayne! Everybody! Help!

Gather everything you want from work - your books, electronic files, etc. - NOW. If you are worried about cubicle cleanout giving you away, leave a few choice items that you know they won't try and keep, like pictures if you have that sort of stuff as "workplace decorations". But that might not matter since you work from home.

Tell the new employer you really need to give the old employer 3 or 4 weeks notice, since you are in the middle of a big project and while you are excited for the new job, you feel obligated to finish what you started (new employer should be impressed with your dedication and nod approvingly).

Write a short resignation letter. Like, "Dear boss, I resign. So long and thanks for all the fish. Love, Joanna."

Pick a day you know the boss is in the office. I like end of day, Friday. Walk in and tell them you have some bad news. Say you are giving your two weeks notice. Oh, hand them the letter.

In two weeks, enjoy your extra 1 or 2 weeks off (w/o pay, assuming this doesn't crunch your bills too nastily). If you are lucky, they will escort you out the following monday, paying you for the two weeks (3-4 weeks off and half pay, not too shabby). It helps if you work in IT and have some level of admin rights.

Matt

-- PGP RSA Key ID: 0x1F6A4471 aim: beyondzero123 PGP DH/DSS Key ID: 0xAFF35DF2 yahoo msg: beyondzero123 http://blogdayafternoon.com

Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant.

-Tacitus



More information about the lbo-talk mailing list