Changing jobs - things to do? (1 Viewer)

[Instinctive]

FFA Fam! I'm changing jobs. My firm has a checklist of stuff before you leave, and the AI has some ideas, but thought I'd turn to the tried and true FFA community to see what y'all have experienced.

1. Things you wish you did before officially leaving?
2. Things you wish you did right away at the new gig?
3. Funny transition stories?

Really anything in this realm would be good to hear, even if it's just a bunch of "i have had 5 different jobs and here's how i transitioned between each one" memory lane posts.

 

[belljr]

Dump in the ceiling tiles

 

[Desert_Power]

Dump in the ceiling tiles

At the new company

 

[ChiefD]

I would thank them all for a positive work experience and walk out of there with my head held high.

 

[Jayded]

I prepped LinkedIn recommendations for colleagues I valued in a personal Google Doc and then posted them on their profiles before our final team meeting.

Was a fun way to acknowledge them once more and send off on a high note.

 

[Major]

I prepped LinkedIn recommendations for colleagues I valued in a personal Google Doc and then posted them on their profiles before our final team meeting.

Was a fun way to acknowledge them once more and send off on a high note.

I like this idea. Thank you

 

[kupcho1]

FFA Fam! I'm changing jobs. My firm has a checklist of stuff before you leave, and the AI has some ideas, but thought I'd turn to the tried and true FFA community to see what y'all have experienced.

1. Things you wish you did before officially leaving?
2. Things you wish you did right away at the new gig?
3. Funny transition stories?

Really anything in this realm would be good to hear, even if it's just a bunch of "i have had 5 different jobs and here's how i transitioned between each one" memory lane posts.

1. Make sure you have copies of anything you created that you might find useful in your new job. I'm not talking about taking proprietary information, customer lists, etc. I'm speaking more to spreadsheets, document templates and the like. Companies can be very aggressive in what they consider to be proprietary. Could I have recreated valuation spreadsheets from memory at my new company? Sure, but why reinvent my wheel? I just stripped the spreadsheets of any relevant information and genericized them.

2. Begin networking immediately. In truth, I got better at doing this over moves, but there's no such thing as doing it too fast.

3. This isn't my story, but it is related. I had a boss in defense contracting that was incredibly shrewd. She knew she was going to be leaving the company and during her last year there, set up all of our contracts to end in March instead of September (typical gov't year end). She had some excuse about funding. FTR, we basically wrote our own agreements and the Navy program manager just signed off on them. Anyway, the head of HR was the owner's daughter (this was a very small company). As she was conducting the exit interview, she noted that my boss' pension and 401k had just vested. "What a coincidence!" Schwarzkopf-like planning and execution.

 

[Instinctive]

FFA Fam! I'm changing jobs. My firm has a checklist of stuff before you leave, and the AI has some ideas, but thought I'd turn to the tried and true FFA community to see what y'all have experienced.

1. Things you wish you did before officially leaving?
2. Things you wish you did right away at the new gig?
3. Funny transition stories?

Really anything in this realm would be good to hear, even if it's just a bunch of "i have had 5 different jobs and here's how i transitioned between each one" memory lane posts.

1. Make sure you have copies of anything you created that you might find useful in your new job. I'm not talking about taking proprietary information, customer lists, etc. I'm speaking more to spreadsheets, document templates and the like. Companies can be very aggressive in what they consider to be proprietary. Could I have recreated valuation spreadsheets from memory at my new company? Sure, but why reinvent my wheel? I just stripped the spreadsheets of any relevant information and genericized them.

2. Begin networking immediately. In truth, I got better at doing this over moves, but there's no such thing as doing it too fast.

3. This isn't my story, but it is related. I had a boss in defense contracting that was incredibly shrewd. She knew she was going to be leaving the company and during her last year there, set up all of our contracts to end in March instead of September (typical gov't year end). She had some excuse about funding. FTR, we basically wrote our own agreements and the Navy program manager just signed off on them. Anyway, the head of HR was the owner's daughter (this was a very small company). As she was conducting the exit interview, she noted that my boss' pension and 401k had just vested. "What a coincidence!" Schwarzkopf-like planning and execution.

Thank you - helpful list!

 

[Zow]

Are you in a position where you have to notify actual clients?

I got a ton to add there, but don't want to spend the time if this doesn't apply to you.

I'd echo anything said that amounts to not burning a bride at your soon to be former office.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

FFA Fam! I'm changing jobs. My firm has a checklist of stuff before you leave, and the AI has some ideas, but thought I'd turn to the tried and true FFA community to see what y'all have experienced.

1. Things you wish you did before officially leaving?
2. Things you wish you did right away at the new gig?
3. Funny transition stories?

Really anything in this realm would be good to hear, even if it's just a bunch of "i have had 5 different jobs and here's how i transitioned between each one" memory lane posts.

1. Write a nice farewell note. Gracious to those who mentored you or worked for you. Write individual farewell notes to people who have impacted you. Make a list of people to keep in touch with and figure out how you will do that. Save the farewell emails other people send you — read them if you ever feel sad to have left or if you doubt your abilities and/or feel like an imposter in the new job. This sounds silly but trust me it works.

2. Take the time to slow down. Make a list of people to meet, and then take the time to properly meet them. Schedule some lunches. Ask a million questions and pretend you have zero answers for the first month. Get to know every member of your team (if you have one). Think about who you are, what “code” you will operate with. Be that person from day 1.

3. On my first day at my summer internship, we had a 20-person lunch for me and two other interns. A woman at lunch told me I looked a little like Hugh Grant (this was 1996). My boss said “he has one other thing in common with Hugh Grant — but we hired him despite what he was arrested for.” I was like wtf? He was a great boss and i had a great summer.

Second story is that i left a company where I’d worked for 11 years in Sept 2021. Knew everyone at the company. 6,000 people in the US. Joined a company with 500 people globally, maybe 150 in the US. In month 3, one of the guys who recruited me quit. In month 6, the CEO and COO (who recruited me) got fired. Oh — and they couldn’t get me enrolled in the corporate health insurance plan for the first 45 days due to HR incompetence. I still work there — it’s been a ride.

 

[jvdesigns2002]

Try to be as abrasive as you can to everybody at the new gig as soon as possible. It’s a very effective way of establishing boundary control and dominance. You’re welcome.

 

[Osaurus]

Salmon in one microwave for at least 10 minutes and if there’s another microwave, popcorn for at least 10 minutes as well. That’s my walk off.

 

[Alex P Keaton]

Salmon in one microwave for at least 10 minutes and if there’s another microwave, popcorn for at least 10 minutes as well. That’s my walk off.

Don’t forget opening cans of tuna fish

 

[belljr]

Try to be as abrasive as you can to everybody at the new gig as soon as possible. It’s a very effective way of establishing boundary control and dominance. You’re welcome.

Basically find the biggest guy there and punch him in the mouth

 

[AAABatteries]

I'd echo anything said that amounts to not burning a bride

I’m no fancy lawyer like Woz but I also don’t think you should burn any brides.

 

[Zow]

I'd echo anything said that amounts to not burning a bride

I’m no fancy lawyer like Woz but I also don’t think you should burn any brides.

Then do the same thing but with bridges.

 

[matttyl]

You good with your health insurance?

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

 

[SWC]

i have no advice for you high falooters but i do with you the best and hope that everything goes well take that to the bank brochacho

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

I would read it and throw it in my desk drawer or the trash and probably make fun of the person later

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

I would read it and throw it in my desk drawer or the trash and probably make fun of the person later

You do you, Dude. At worst a personal hand written note is thrown away without much consequence. At best, it will spark a good memory if you ever come in front of them again.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

I would read it and throw it in my desk drawer or the trash and probably make fun of the person later

You do you, Dude. At worst a personal hand written note is thrown away without much consequence. At best, it will spark a good memory if you ever come in front of them again.

I’ve been working in a professional setting for damn neat 30 years. I’ve changed jobs…8 times-ish? I’ve left and had countless coworkers leave / retire/ whatever

I have never once written or received a handwritten letter

Just seems unnecessarily old fashioned and if I ever received one I’d think that person was a weirdo

 

[bigbottom]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

I would read it and throw it in my desk drawer or the trash and probably make fun of the person later

You do you, Dude. At worst a personal hand written note is thrown away without much consequence. At best, it will spark a good memory if you ever come in front of them again.

I’ve been working in a professional setting for damn neat 30 years. I’ve changed jobs…8 times-ish? I’ve left and had countless coworkers leave / retire/ whatever

I have never once written or received a handwritten letter

Just seems unnecessarily old fashioned and if I ever received one I’d think that person was a weirdo

What’s the weird part? A departing employee taking the time to write you a note to thank you for your mentorship, guidance, working relationship, etc., or just the fact that they used a pen to do it?

 

[Chadstroma]

Make sure you inform your mortgage guy

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

I would read it and throw it in my desk drawer or the trash and probably make fun of the person later

You do you, Dude. At worst a personal hand written note is thrown away without much consequence. At best, it will spark a good memory if you ever come in front of them again.

I’ve been working in a professional setting for damn neat 30 years. I’ve changed jobs…8 times-ish? I’ve left and had countless coworkers leave / retire/ whatever

I have never once written or received a handwritten letter

Just seems unnecessarily old fashioned and if I ever received one I’d think that person was a weirdo

What’s the weird part? A departing employee taking the time to write you a note to thank you for your mentorship, guidance, working relationship, etc., or just the fact that they used a pen to do it?

Both. Definitely the handwritten part though

 

[rockaction]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

I would read it and throw it in my desk drawer or the trash and probably make fun of the person later

You do you, Dude. At worst a personal hand written note is thrown away without much consequence. At best, it will spark a good memory if you ever come in front of them again.

I’ve been working in a professional setting for damn neat 30 years. I’ve changed jobs…8 times-ish? I’ve left and had countless coworkers leave / retire/ whatever

I have never once written or received a handwritten letter

Just seems unnecessarily old fashioned and if I ever received one I’d think that person was a weirdo

What’s the weird part? A departing employee taking the time to write you a note to thank you for your mentorship, guidance, working relationship, etc., or just the fact that they used a pen to do it?

Both. Definitely the handwritten part though

I don’t know what you do or what kind of standards are the norm where you work. I say this without judgment but admitted sadness. What a drag that must be in practice. It’s like nailing your own distant emotionless coffin needlessly shut.

I had an intern give me a parting gift and letter once. It was corny but it was really cool. Guy meant it. I gave him a book that was relevant to what we’d been doing. Twenty years later I’ll get a note from him in LinkedIn out of the blue. I can’t give him him anything. I’m in no position to. He knows that. He went to Stanford Law. He just wants to say hi. Probably one of the nicest, most earnest guys I ever worked with.

I don’t blame you. It comes from an impulse whereby corporate America sterilized everything to decrease their liability or found it more manageable or something, but they’ve really put a damper on life. They flattened it. It’s part of the reason people are so unhappy. Ugh.

 

[Joe Bryant]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

I would read it and throw it in my desk drawer or the trash and probably make fun of the person later

You do you, Dude. At worst a personal hand written note is thrown away without much consequence. At best, it will spark a good memory if you ever come in front of them again.

100%. Love this.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

I would read it and throw it in my desk drawer or the trash and probably make fun of the person later

You do you, Dude. At worst a personal hand written note is thrown away without much consequence. At best, it will spark a good memory if you ever come in front of them again.

I’ve been working in a professional setting for damn neat 30 years. I’ve changed jobs…8 times-ish? I’ve left and had countless coworkers leave / retire/ whatever

I have never once written or received a handwritten letter

Just seems unnecessarily old fashioned and if I ever received one I’d think that person was a weirdo

What’s the weird part? A departing employee taking the time to write you a note to thank you for your mentorship, guidance, working relationship, etc., or just the fact that they used a pen to do it?

Both. Definitely the handwritten part though

I don’t know what you do or what kind of standards are the norm where you work. I say this without judgment but admitted sadness. What a drag that must be in practice. It’s like nailing your own distant emotionless coffin needlessly shut.

I had an intern give me a parting gift and letter once. It was corny but it was really cool. Guy meant it. I gave him a book that was relevant to what we’d been doing. Twenty years later I’ll get a note from him in LinkedIn out of the blue. I can’t give him him anything. I’m in no position to. He knows that. He went to Stanford Law. He just wants to say hi. Probably one of the nicest, most earnest guys I ever worked with.

I don’t blame you. It comes from an impulse whereby corporate America sterilized everything to decrease their liability or found it more manageable or something, but they’ve really put a damper on life. They flattened it. It’s part of the reason people are so unhappy. Ugh.

I work for a fortune 500 company where the only thing people really care about is hitting next quarters numbers

It’s definitely a soul sucking corporate job, but even when I worked in smaller offices something like this never crossed my mind

I guess I could see if you worked in a small office with like 5 other people for 30 years, but even then if I felt close enough to this person to write them a letter, well, then I’ll probably see them again in some capacity so I wouldn’t bother. And if not, well, then we weren’t that close

 

[kupcho1]

I guess I could see if you worked in a small office with like 5 other people for 30 years, but even then if I felt close enough to this person to write them a letter, well, then I’ll probably see them again in some capacity so I wouldn’t bother. And if not, well, then we weren’t that close

Or you could take the view that you strengthen your network. You never know when the next poor quarterly numbers result in your being "right sized", and by making strong connections you might have someone to help you out in a pinch.

 

[InDitkaWeTrust]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

I would read it and throw it in my desk drawer or the trash and probably make fun of the person later

You do you, Dude. At worst a personal hand written note is thrown away without much consequence. At best, it will spark a good memory if you ever come in front of them again.

I’ve been working in a professional setting for damn neat 30 years. I’ve changed jobs…8 times-ish? I’ve left and had countless coworkers leave / retire/ whatever

I have never once written or received a handwritten letter

Just seems unnecessarily old fashioned and if I ever received one I’d think that person was a weirdo

What’s the weird part? A departing employee taking the time to write you a note to thank you for your mentorship, guidance, working relationship, etc., or just the fact that they used a pen to do it?

Both. Definitely the handwritten part though

I don’t know what you do or what kind of standards are the norm where you work. I say this without judgment but admitted sadness. What a drag that must be in practice. It’s like nailing your own distant emotionless coffin needlessly shut.

I had an intern give me a parting gift and letter once. It was corny but it was really cool. Guy meant it. I gave him a book that was relevant to what we’d been doing. Twenty years later I’ll get a note from him in LinkedIn out of the blue. I can’t give him him anything. I’m in no position to. He knows that. He went to Stanford Law. He just wants to say hi. Probably one of the nicest, most earnest guys I ever worked with.

I don’t blame you. It comes from an impulse whereby corporate America sterilized everything to decrease their liability or found it more manageable or something, but they’ve really put a damper on life. They flattened it. It’s part of the reason people are so unhappy. Ugh.

Funny you share that experience. When I interned in engineering back in college, the intern coordinator at the school strongly encouraged a thoughtful hand written note to close out any work experience. It's just become a part of what I do when transitioning to another job. Even now, as a dentist who's owned a practice for nearly 15 years, I do the same for employees that move on and when I am ready to pass the torch on to another dentist, I will write hand written notes to each of my employees.

 

[Dan Lambskin]

I guess I could see if you worked in a small office with like 5 other people for 30 years, but even then if I felt close enough to this person to write them a letter, well, then I’ll probably see them again in some capacity so I wouldn’t bother. And if not, well, then we weren’t that close

Or you could take the view that you strengthen your network. You never know when the next poor quarterly numbers result in your being "right sized", and by making strong connections you might have someone to help you out in a pinch.

That’s what LinkedIn is for

 

[kupcho1]

I guess I could see if you worked in a small office with like 5 other people for 30 years, but even then if I felt close enough to this person to write them a letter, well, then I’ll probably see them again in some capacity so I wouldn’t bother. And if not, well, then we weren’t that close

Or you could take the view that you strengthen your network. You never know when the next poor quarterly numbers result in your being "right sized", and by making strong connections you might have someone to help you out in a pinch.

That’s what LinkedIn is for

 

[Jayrod]

I've changed jobs more times than I like to admit.

A couple of things that I feel made the transitions positive:
1. Update all positional procedures/instructions. Best one I did was made videos of my screen with voiceover walking through the processes as I did them.
2. Give a card or small gift to each of co-workers (even the ones I didn't particularly like).

Leaving on a positive note is nearly always better in the long run despite the urge to be petty or let people know what you really think.

If you get a chance to do an exit interview, be honest but factual and fair. At least one comment of appreciation or encouragement for each suggestion of improvement or criticism.

 

[Zow]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

I would read it and throw it in my desk drawer or the trash and probably make fun of the person later

I'd do the former but not the latter.

 

[bigbottom]

Personal hand written notes to teammates and managers with whom you had more than just passing conversation. Follow that up with a personal visit/call to the same folks just to give you another avenue of personal contact. Be sincere in those communications. You never know if/when those folks might be hiring managers at other opportunities.

What is this? 1950?

It isn't, thankfully. BUT, a hand written letter is something special that a manager/coworker won't forget.

I would read it and throw it in my desk drawer or the trash and probably make fun of the person later

You do you, Dude. At worst a personal hand written note is thrown away without much consequence. At best, it will spark a good memory if you ever come in front of them again.

I’ve been working in a professional setting for damn neat 30 years. I’ve changed jobs…8 times-ish? I’ve left and had countless coworkers leave / retire/ whatever

I have never once written or received a handwritten letter

Just seems unnecessarily old fashioned and if I ever received one I’d think that person was a weirdo

What’s the weird part? A departing employee taking the time to write you a note to thank you for your mentorship, guidance, working relationship, etc., or just the fact that they used a pen to do it?

Both. Definitely the handwritten part though

Maybe it’s the industry or the vocation, but I feel blessed to have received, but also to have written, a fair number of such letters (some handwritten, others electronic) over the course of my career. I am fully cognizant that my success has not been exclusively of my own making but has been the combined result of mentors and team members that have positively impacted my career. And I try to pay that forward to those coming into or advancing in the profession. The notes are a recognition that there are others who have invested in me and in whom I’ve invested.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

If you get a chance to do an exit interview, be honest but factual and fair. At least one comment of appreciation or encouragement for each suggestion of improvement or criticism.

My advice on exit interviews: Know why they're conducting them and answer accordingly. If it's a matter of box checking and they won't do anything with the information, don't bother saying anything relevant (or opt out altogether). If you think they genuinely are interested in your feedback, and if you think you can give them actionable advice, then go ahead. For example, "I might have stayed, but your salaries are way below market", or "I'm leaving for the same reason five other people on the team have left within the last six months: Our boss is a micromanager." Also, for any negative feedback, stick to facts and try to remove all emotion from your feedback.

What you should never do is use your EI to settle scores or tell people what you really think of them. In the vast majority of cases, no one will listen to what you have to say, and it will only serve to lower their opinion of you, not your targets.

ETA: I left a job in 2021. The two main reasons were that the pay sucked and I was infuriated at how they handled Covid. But the former wasn't going to change (they had rigid salary bands determined entirely by seniority) and my views on the latter were well known. It would have made no sense to bring any of that up in an exit interview

 

[snogger]

I've changed jobs more times than I like to admit.

A couple of things that I feel made the transitions positive:
1. Update all positional procedures/instructions. Best one I did was made videos of my screen with voiceover walking through the processes as I did them.
2. Give a card or small gift to each of co-workers (even the ones I didn't particularly like).

Leaving on a positive note is nearly always better in the long run despite the urge to be petty or let people know what you really think.

If you get a chance to do an exit interview, be honest but factual and fair. At least one comment of appreciation or encouragement for each suggestion of improvement or criticism.

On the exit interview. Some companies take it to heart.

When I left my last job, I told HR that the main reason I was leaving was because my Manager's Manager was micro-managing me.
To the point I was unable to get any work accomplished without numerous meetings with him to explain my position.

After I left, I found out that he was talked to by the CIO and he stopped meeting with other Manager's employees.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

I've changed jobs more times than I like to admit.

A couple of things that I feel made the transitions positive:
1. Update all positional procedures/instructions. Best one I did was made videos of my screen with voiceover walking through the processes as I did them.
2. Give a card or small gift to each of co-workers (even the ones I didn't particularly like).

Leaving on a positive note is nearly always better in the long run despite the urge to be petty or let people know what you really think.

If you get a chance to do an exit interview, be honest but factual and fair. At least one comment of appreciation or encouragement for each suggestion of improvement or criticism.

On the exit interview. Some companies take it to heart.

When I left my last job, I told HR that the main reason I was leaving was because my Manager's Manager was micro-managing me.
To the point I was unable to get any work accomplished without numerous meetings with him to explain my position.

After I left, I found out that he was talked to by the CIO and he stopped meeting with other Manager's employees.

Something I learned early in my career:

In functional organizations, the good employees chase out the bad employees. In dysfunctional organizations, the reverse happens.

Sounds like in your case, you had a smart HR person who knew what to do with that feedback. But in cases where you're leaving because the organization is dysfunctional keep in mind that the same dysfunction that is driving you away may also ensure that your feedback falls on deaf ears

 

[rockaction]

But in cases where you're leaving because the organization is dysfunctional keep in mind that the same dysfunction that is driving you away may also ensure that your feedback falls on deaf ears

You know what? You answered a question I had. I was wondering how some of these things are allowed to continue once they're found out and it occurred to me as I was reading you that nobody gave a **** enough to tell anybody or that lines of communication were so broken that nobody bothered or felt that they couldn't because then their own job might be at risk or life would be more difficult. Just weird.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

But in cases where you're leaving because the organization is dysfunctional keep in mind that the same dysfunction that is driving you away may also ensure that your feedback falls on deaf ears

You know what? You answered a question I had. I was wondering how some of these things are allowed to continue once they're found out and it occurred to me as I was reading you that nobody gave a **** enough to tell anybody or that lines of communication were so broken that nobody bothered or felt that they couldn't because then their own job might be at risk or life would be more difficult. Just weird.

Yep, dysfunction breeds dysfunction. People speak up and are ignored. Or they don't speak up because they assume they'll be ignored. Or they don't speak up because they just want to be done with the place and move on

 

[rockaction]

But in cases where you're leaving because the organization is dysfunctional keep in mind that the same dysfunction that is driving you away may also ensure that your feedback falls on deaf ears

You know what? You answered a question I had. I was wondering how some of these things are allowed to continue once they're found out and it occurred to me as I was reading you that nobody gave a **** enough to tell anybody or that lines of communication were so broken that nobody bothered or felt that they couldn't because then their own job might be at risk or life would be more difficult. Just weird.

Yep, dysfunction breeds dysfunction. People speak up and are ignored. Or they don't speak up because they assume they'll be ignored. Or they don't speak up because they just want to be done with the place and move on

Yeah, I'm not saying anything revelatory but it just surprised me that snogger's recourse wasn't an intermediary but having to leave his job and tell them in an exit interview why it happened. I mean, I think I'd blow up before that happened. I know I'd flip a bit and short circuit the events in that causal chain, you know? And I know there are people more mannered and diplomatic than I am that should be able to make themselves heard in a way that satisfies everybody.

Just weird to hear he had to leave a job and tell them in that way.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

But in cases where you're leaving because the organization is dysfunctional keep in mind that the same dysfunction that is driving you away may also ensure that your feedback falls on deaf ears

You know what? You answered a question I had. I was wondering how some of these things are allowed to continue once they're found out and it occurred to me as I was reading you that nobody gave a **** enough to tell anybody or that lines of communication were so broken that nobody bothered or felt that they couldn't because then their own job might be at risk or life would be more difficult. Just weird.

Yep, dysfunction breeds dysfunction. People speak up and are ignored. Or they don't speak up because they assume they'll be ignored. Or they don't speak up because they just want to be done with the place and move on

Yeah, I'm not saying anything revelatory but it just surprised me that snogger's recourse wasn't an intermediary but having to leave his job and tell them in an exit interview why it happened. I mean, I think I'd blow up before that happened. I know I'd flip a bit and short circuit the events in that causal chain, you know? And I know there are people more mannered and diplomatic than I am that should be able to make themselves heard in a way that satisfies everybody.

Just weird to hear he had to leave a job and tell them in that way.

That's a good point. The fact that these things often only come up in exit interviews is itself a sign of dysfunction. Employees should feel free to point out problems before it gets so bad that they need to leave.

 

[rockaction]

But in cases where you're leaving because the organization is dysfunctional keep in mind that the same dysfunction that is driving you away may also ensure that your feedback falls on deaf ears

You know what? You answered a question I had. I was wondering how some of these things are allowed to continue once they're found out and it occurred to me as I was reading you that nobody gave a **** enough to tell anybody or that lines of communication were so broken that nobody bothered or felt that they couldn't because then their own job might be at risk or life would be more difficult. Just weird.

Yep, dysfunction breeds dysfunction. People speak up and are ignored. Or they don't speak up because they assume they'll be ignored. Or they don't speak up because they just want to be done with the place and move on

Yeah, I'm not saying anything revelatory but it just surprised me that snogger's recourse wasn't an intermediary but having to leave his job and tell them in an exit interview why it happened. I mean, I think I'd blow up before that happened. I know I'd flip a bit and short circuit the events in that causal chain, you know? And I know there are people more mannered and diplomatic than I am that should be able to make themselves heard in a way that satisfies everybody.

Just weird to hear he had to leave a job and tell them in that way.

That's a good point. The fact that these things often only come up in exit interviews is itself a sign of dysfunction. Employees should feel free to point out problems before it gets so bad that they need to leave.

I think maybe I came of age when "gig economy" wasn't a buzzword and leaving a job might require moving your entire existence and things like that. I mean, having your whole life potentially upended because some guy who oversees you but isn't your boss is micromanaging you in a way where you can't even do your work so you have to leave your entire employ seems so drastic that it almost demands to be addressed before the upheaval. Maybe it's regional. Maybe it's age (52 here, so I don't think so). Maybe it's the industry you're participating in or there are competing concerns like future employment. I don't know. I just had a twinge and a sort of pained response to that. I would just hope that adults could address it before you're dropping the bomb in HR that gets nobody anything but reprimands and jobs lost. Seems like facilitating an understanding before all that is best for everybody.

But ****, what do I know sometimes? I don't have all the answers. It's weird, though, because for somebody so politically disposed to markets and choice and dynamism, I never found life much worth anything without a sort of moderating ethic undergirding all those liberties.

But that's where I look to older ways of being rather than modernity, which tends to turn me into a walking anachronism.

 

[Jayrod]

I've changed jobs more times than I like to admit.

A couple of things that I feel made the transitions positive:
1. Update all positional procedures/instructions. Best one I did was made videos of my screen with voiceover walking through the processes as I did them.
2. Give a card or small gift to each of co-workers (even the ones I didn't particularly like).

Leaving on a positive note is nearly always better in the long run despite the urge to be petty or let people know what you really think.

If you get a chance to do an exit interview, be honest but factual and fair. At least one comment of appreciation or encouragement for each suggestion of improvement or criticism.

On the exit interview. Some companies take it to heart.

When I left my last job, I told HR that the main reason I was leaving was because my Manager's Manager was micro-managing me.
To the point I was unable to get any work accomplished without numerous meetings with him to explain my position.

After I left, I found out that he was talked to by the CIO and he stopped meeting with other Manager's employees.

My last exit interview I gave them some very specific things that would have made me stay and even though I'm really glad I didn't because my new work from home job with a 30% pay increase was nothing they could compete with. But I wouldn't have even been in the market if they'd done the 3 things I suggested:
1. Actually listen and give me feed back on my proposals for process improvement.
2. Give me the 5-10 hours per month of assistance I'd asked for. My job had busy and slow monthly cycles and forcing me to work 50 hours 1 week every month while my average workload was only 35 hours a week the rest of the month was frustrating. I tried to build around it but that one week demanded I take zero time off and work late/early every day. They talked about it, but never did it over 3 years.
3. Get a bonus/pay raise system in writing and make it fair. The last bonus I got pissed me off because it was just the last year's bonus cut in half with almost zero thought put into it and we had actually made MORE money in the second year (the owner just thought we had a worse year without waiting for the numbers to finalize) and many people had major changes to their roles. One lady was on maternity leave for 2 months and had done a crap job the couple of months before she was out and yet still got the largest bonus in the company. 3 people had to work their butts off to make up for her and no one else got a bump in their bonuses.

#3 was the last straw for me and I let them know that in the exit interview. I'm super glad I went looking because I'm now sitting in what is easily the best and most fulfilling job I've ever had. To the previous owner's credit he sent me a thank you card letting me know he was seriously taking into consideration everything I said and included a $100 gift card as a thank you for how well I left things when I left.

 

[Instinctive]

Interesting turn this thread took. I generally have been very happy with my firm and the people around me, it just wasn't sustainable any longer to travel 4+ nights/week with my wife also traveling and two kids. Between that and a chance to increase my comp, it just feels like time to leave.

Have had my EA collect around 30 addresses to send notes to. That was a great idea.

 

[ignatiusjreilly]

But in cases where you're leaving because the organization is dysfunctional keep in mind that the same dysfunction that is driving you away may also ensure that your feedback falls on deaf ears

You know what? You answered a question I had. I was wondering how some of these things are allowed to continue once they're found out and it occurred to me as I was reading you that nobody gave a **** enough to tell anybody or that lines of communication were so broken that nobody bothered or felt that they couldn't because then their own job might be at risk or life would be more difficult. Just weird.

Yep, dysfunction breeds dysfunction. People speak up and are ignored. Or they don't speak up because they assume they'll be ignored. Or they don't speak up because they just want to be done with the place and move on

Yeah, I'm not saying anything revelatory but it just surprised me that snogger's recourse wasn't an intermediary but having to leave his job and tell them in an exit interview why it happened. I mean, I think I'd blow up before that happened. I know I'd flip a bit and short circuit the events in that causal chain, you know? And I know there are people more mannered and diplomatic than I am that should be able to make themselves heard in a way that satisfies everybody.

Just weird to hear he had to leave a job and tell them in that way.

That's a good point. The fact that these things often only come up in exit interviews is itself a sign of dysfunction. Employees should feel free to point out problems before it gets so bad that they need to leave.

I think maybe I came of age when "gig economy" wasn't a buzzword and leaving a job might require moving your entire existence and things like that. I mean, having your whole life potentially upended because some guy who oversees you but isn't your boss is micromanaging you in a way where you can't even do your work so you have to leave your entire employ seems so drastic that it almost demands to be addressed before the upheaval. Maybe it's regional. Maybe it's age (52 here, so I don't think so). Maybe it's the industry you're participating in or there are competing concerns like future employment. I don't know. I just had a twinge and a sort of pained response to that. I would just hope that adults could address it before you're dropping the bomb in HR that gets nobody anything but reprimands and jobs lost. Seems like facilitating an understanding before all that is best for everybody.

But ****, what do I know sometimes? I don't have all the answers. It's weird, though, because for somebody so politically disposed to markets and choice and dynamism, I never found life much worth anything without a sort of moderating ethic undergirding all those liberties.

But that's where I look to older ways of being rather than modernity, which tends to turn me into a walking anachronism.

I don't totally get all of this, but it sounds like your last job really did a number on your head. Which is totally understandable! I've been in some toxic work environments, and they really start to mess with your self-worth as well as your sense of what is proper behavior. I've never been in an abusive relationship but I would imagine there are more than a few similarities

 

[glvsav37]

I sent this out to everyone at the advertising agency I worked at on my last day. Some of it was inside jokes or things directly associated with the company

Dear XXX Staff
After ___[1]___, I have decided to leave XXX Group in order to ___[2]___. While this was not an easy decision for me, ___[3]___. I have ___[4]___ my time here and will___[5]___. XXX has been ___[6]___ and I will always ___[7]___. I look forward to___[8]___ and wish you all ___[9]___. Until ___[10]___, I bid you all adieu.

[1]
a. thoughtful consideration
b. years of searching for a way out
c. a couple shots of Wild Turkey
d. finally having a breakthrough in my multiple personality therapy and realizing that I’m actually a truck driver named Julius.

[2]
a. accept another design position
b. pursue a reality TV acting career – look for me next season on “Washed-Up Hockey Players Chasing A Delusional Dream” on ESPN 6 1/2
c. live off the grid behind my massive gates and treacherous moat, high up in “The Hills”
d. be able to look at myself in the mirror again.

[3]
a. I feel it is the right one for my carer advancement
b. the Magic Eight Ball is never wrong
c. it wasn’t exactly rocket science either
d. it was easier than hanging around until somebody realized I wasn’t doing anything

[4]
a. thoroughly enjoyed
b. cautiously endured
c. already forgotten most of
d. miraculously survived

[5]
a. miss all of you that I have come to know
b. never look back
c. miss the free bagels
d. rejoice in your tears of sorrow when you realize I’m not here tomorrow

[6]
a. a great place to design web banners
b. very punctual with my pay checks
c. a doctorate-level thesis experiment on personality disorders cohabiting
d. the source of my inoperable ulcers

[7]
a. value my experience here
b. be thankful I wasn’t sued for harassment
c. never be the same again
d. believe the children are our future

[8]
a. the next phase of my career
b. getting out of here alive
c. breathing fresh air again
d. using all the office supplies, coffee bags, office snacks, prepaid Fed Ex labels, Lysol wipes, and toilet paper I’ve stolen over the last 3 years.

[9]
a. the best of luck in your future endeavors
b. enjoyment in writing the next Glassdoor.com review and fraudulently try to pin it on me and the timing of my departure.
c. had gotten me a going away gift
d. don’t kill yourselves fighting over the now available parking space

[10]
a. our paths cross again
b. I get fired and come begging for my job back
c. hell freezes over
d. I send you an RFP to promote my Edible Hockey Puck empire but actually using it as leverage to lower Austin & Williams’ (a competing agency that I worked at before this one) fees.

 

[rockaction]

But in cases where you're leaving because the organization is dysfunctional keep in mind that the same dysfunction that is driving you away may also ensure that your feedback falls on deaf ears

You know what? You answered a question I had. I was wondering how some of these things are allowed to continue once they're found out and it occurred to me as I was reading you that nobody gave a **** enough to tell anybody or that lines of communication were so broken that nobody bothered or felt that they couldn't because then their own job might be at risk or life would be more difficult. Just weird.

Yep, dysfunction breeds dysfunction. People speak up and are ignored. Or they don't speak up because they assume they'll be ignored. Or they don't speak up because they just want to be done with the place and move on

Yeah, I'm not saying anything revelatory but it just surprised me that snogger's recourse wasn't an intermediary but having to leave his job and tell them in an exit interview why it happened. I mean, I think I'd blow up before that happened. I know I'd flip a bit and short circuit the events in that causal chain, you know? And I know there are people more mannered and diplomatic than I am that should be able to make themselves heard in a way that satisfies everybody.

Just weird to hear he had to leave a job and tell them in that way.

That's a good point. The fact that these things often only come up in exit interviews is itself a sign of dysfunction. Employees should feel free to point out problems before it gets so bad that they need to leave.

I think maybe I came of age when "gig economy" wasn't a buzzword and leaving a job might require moving your entire existence and things like that. I mean, having your whole life potentially upended because some guy who oversees you but isn't your boss is micromanaging you in a way where you can't even do your work so you have to leave your entire employ seems so drastic that it almost demands to be addressed before the upheaval. Maybe it's regional. Maybe it's age (52 here, so I don't think so). Maybe it's the industry you're participating in or there are competing concerns like future employment. I don't know. I just had a twinge and a sort of pained response to that. I would just hope that adults could address it before you're dropping the bomb in HR that gets nobody anything but reprimands and jobs lost. Seems like facilitating an understanding before all that is best for everybody.

But ****, what do I know sometimes? I don't have all the answers. It's weird, though, because for somebody so politically disposed to markets and choice and dynamism, I never found life much worth anything without a sort of moderating ethic undergirding all those liberties.

But that's where I look to older ways of being rather than modernity, which tends to turn me into a walking anachronism.

I don't totally get all of this, but it sounds like your last job really did a number on your head. Which is totally understandable! I've been in some toxic work environments, and they really start to mess with your self-worth as well as your sense of what is proper behavior. I've never been in an abusive relationship but I would imagine there are more than a few similarities

Oh dear. I’m good. I wasn’t talking about me. Sorry. My writing must be really unclear. I was sort of jumping around a bit with a stream of consciousness. That doesn’t always help one’s clarity.

I was trying to imagine snogger’s situation. He said he had been micromanaged so badly that he quit and only said why he quit during the exit interview. That blew me away.

The other stuff was me lamenting how a social or productive environment could get to the point where a human can’t address when people are causing him fundamental distress. I was saddened by that. But it was snogger, not anything I went through. My actual point was I would have flipped out in anger before I quit and only told HR on my way out.

I hope that clears it up a bit.

eta* I mean, you've seen me around here. I've got a bit of a button you can press if you're lacking in, um, heated rhetoric. Unless I was worried about a roof over my head or basic necessities I'd probably be so agitated that it would be palpable. It would be unlikely that I surprised somebody in an exit interview. But you never know. Maybe I would bury it. I don't really know.