Leaving an organisation you’ve devoted a number of years to can spark an extremely awkward conversation. Especially, if you’ve been working for a small or family-owned firm, where you might feel like you’re letting not just the team, but the whole business, down.
But, in throughout our professional lives, being selfish and making decisions for ourselves is important.
Whatever our reasons for leaving, handing in your notice can be a tough conversation. Should you be brutally honest, or keep things polite? How can your manager know where they’re falling short if they don’t know the truth?
Whilst it might feel good to lay into the business to get everything off your chest, in the long run, it’s not worth it. Pointing out areas where they could improve might be useful, but there are some things that should be left unsaid.
Now we agree with most of these suggestions in the article, though maybe not as strongly worded as “dont”, but the general idea is correct. Use your own judgement as to how much info/opinion you pass on. Oh and we would still do an exit interview, so do disagree with that one!
1. Don’t bash your employer
Even if your manager asks why you’re leaving, just tell them that you need a change. Ryan advises to say: “Thank you for everything you’ve done,” adding that it won’t do any good to air your complaints.
2. Don’t apologise
“You are not sorry,” Ryan writes. “You owe your employer a good day’s work every day you work, and that’s all you owe them. You don’t have to apologise for changing jobs.”
3. Don’t give away too much
You don’t have to tell your employer where you’re going to next, unless you want to.
4. Don’t make any promises
If you feel the pressure to keep the conversation positive, or offer your help after you’ve gone, don’t. “You don’t want to answer their calls three months from now when you have a whole new job to focus on,” Ryan says.
5. Don’t sign anything
If your employer tries to get you to sign a document, always have it reviewed by a professional before you can sign it. “It’s probably a non-compete agreement, a release from all claims or a non-solicitation agreement that will bar you legally from contacting your current employee’s customers and maybe employees, too,” Ryan says. “It’s too bad for them that they waited until now to try to get you to sign something. They have no power over you now, and you don’t have to sign a thing.”
6. Don’t tell them who knew
If someone in HR asks you, ‘Which of your workmates knew that you were job-hunting?’ don’t tell them anything. You can just say it was a personal effort.
7. Don’t say that you’ll do an exit interview
“I’m not a fan of exit interviews,” says Ryan. “If they wanted to know how you felt about your job, why did they wait until you quit to ask you?”
8. Don’t tell them how long you’ve been looking
If your manager asks how long you’ve been on the market, you can say, ‘Oh, I only looked at occasional opportunities that came along and this one was perfect for me,’ Ryan advises. It will only rub salt on a wound if you’ve been looking for a while.
9. Don’t say you’ll get them a new job
Your workmates might ask you to help them get a foot in the door at your new company once they hear you’re moving on. Don’t promise anything – you haven’t started your new job yet.
10. Don’t agree to a counter offer
If your employer wants to put together a counter offer, just tell them: “I’ve already accepted the job offer and signed an offer letter.” A quick reaction to you leaving isn’t going to resolve the issues that got you to start job-hunting in the first place.
