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Evelyn is leaving her job and she’s actually excited about it. “The job was great,” she explains, “but it was simply not meant to be.”
According to Evelyn, she really has a lot to gripe about her job. “My officemates are awful,” she remarks, “no matter how hard I try to befriend them or at least work with them; they always made me feel like an outsider.” Worse, she notes, her boss is indifferent to her and even hostile at times.
“We simply didn’t connect,” Evelyn says. “I’ve spent a lot of time crying my heart out in private because of the things I’ve experienced.”
Luckily, Evelyn was accepted in another job. Soon enough, she filed her resignation (“To my boss’ surprise”) and prepared to leave the soonest that the company could say “go.”
Lately though, Evelyn’s thoughts, have become slightly darker especially towards her boss and the officemates she will be leaving behind. “Oh, I’ve a mind to speak out before leaving,” she notes, “but somehow, this little voice inside has stopped me from doing so. What should I do?”
Well, it is Evelyn’s (and other employees in a similar situation) choice to do what she pleases. However, it’s a small world out there and employees should be mindful of not readily burning bridges in exchange for a personally satisfying rebuff to people who have caused them harm.
Quitting your job? Here’s a list of dos and don’ts that would enable you to leave a lasting and good impression
Be professional. So you’ve decided to leave and are in fact ready to give your resignation letter. What to do? Well, dress the part. Dressing professionally (in a business suit or something appropriate) confirms the impression that what you are doing is professionally motivated and is no way personal in nature. Plus, it shows your superior and officemates that you are serious with your decision and happy with it—something that might infuriate them further perhaps, to your satisfaction.
Finish your job. You’re ready to move. Should you decide to stay on for the mandatory two-week’s notice or should you pack your bags immediately? Well, better stick with the former even if you do want to run outside the company premises shouting hallelujah. This shows that you are committed and loyal despite your ‘bad’ experiences with the company.
Moreover, you can take this time to prepare all the necessary paperwork with regards to the benefits you might receive from the company.
The former is also the smart thing to do as you are legally obligated to show your replacement the ropes. You could also take this as an opportunity to teach your replacement the finer points of office politicking (i.e. who to keep away from and who to approach in order to get the juiciest office gossip).
Nonetheless, set a reasonable limit to your departure because you never know if your present boss might decide to jeopardize your chances of moving on. As such, be sure to explicitly state the terms of your departure (“two weeks that’s it”) with or without extension as you see fit.
Show appreciation. Saying ‘thank you’ despite the horrible experiences you had in the job you are leaving shows good breeding and office savvy. Again, what goes around comes around and you never know just when and where you might bump into your boss and officemates.
Resist the urge to say a mouthful you might regret later on. Such an act further mitigates the chance of your previous boss and officemates badmouthing you in the future. Indeed, they’d probably be confounded by your class act and may even feel guilty.
Resist saying the last word. This is related to showing appreciation. Sure, you felt bad during your stay in the company but that is almost in the past. Resist saying anything that would be misconstrued as negative as this would be a bad mark towards you. After all, despite your experiences, no job is perfect and you should be able to discern that by now—evil bosses and officemates notwithstanding.
Give stuff away or return them. You don’t have to bring everything you’ve accumulated in your office desk to your new job. Clutter is clutter no matter how much you infuse it with memories. Just bring your personal effects and leave the rest behind. Return the office equipment given to you. Try to make a list of the equipment and provide personnel with a copy.
Parting is such sweet sorrow—so say goodbye! Believe it or not, if your office experiences are horrible in the first place, saying goodbye to your officemates and boss will be a cathartic release unlike any other. As such, be sure to say `goodbye’ as often as you can to the people around you. Again, the world we are moving in is so small that you just never know if you and your officemates will cross paths again. As such, say ‘goodbye’ honestly and sincerely. After all, you never know when you just might meet anew to say “hello.”
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