What to expect when quitting your job Quitting your job brings to mind a wide range of emotions, from triumphant jubilation to anxious hesitancy. One thing is for sure, a job change is one of the biggest life events you will face, and it certainly isn’t to be undertaken lightly. Quitting your job is one of those things that never seems to get easier, it frays nerves and stirs up all sorts of feelings, but it’s a necessary evil when it comes time to depart on the next leg of your career journey. When it finally is time to say those two magic words, “I quit,” do you know what to expect? Let’s set the stage. You walk into your boss’ office, wringing your hands and mentally rehearsing the speech you’ve been going over in your head for days. You look her in the eyes and probably say something along the lines of, “I have really enjoyed working here and I am so grateful for the opportunity…” and watch a blank expression form. You probably spend the next several minutes reciting your monologue, wondering what is going in her head and how she’ll react. Well, there’s good news – you can probably anticipate what the next few minutes, days, and weeks are going to look like. Quitting your job is actually more akin to firing your boss than leaving your company. No matter whom your boss is and how professional he or she is, if you leave unexpectedly there is bound to be some emotion in the response. The good news is that you can anticipate his or her reaction with a surprising amount of accuracy. You see, much like the stages of grief, employers go through emotional phases as they mentally come to grips with losing a valuable employee. Some people can blow through all four of these in a matter of minutes, others may take days or weeks to steep before they come to the surface; but one thing is for sure, if you pay attention you will notice the process at work. Phase One: Denial/Disbelief “He can’t leave now, he’s in the middle of…” Your boss will most likely react with a fair amount of shock and disbelief (unless of course it was already known that you were looking, in which case these phases should have already come and gone). The first thing through her mind will be the number of things that the company can’t afford to lose the manpower on. There is never an opportune time for quitting your job, so you will no doubt leave some inconvenience in your wake. You may get an enumerated list of why you just can’t leave now, but if your boss is a true professional, they will take it in stride and find a way to get the job done. Of course, getting the job done would be a lot easier with you around, which leads us directly into the next phase. Phase Two: Bargaining “What can we do to keep you?!” The next phase is potentially the most effective at stopping an attempted resignation in its tracks, and it usually comes in the form of a counter-offer. Your boss may make you outlandish promises of promotions, raises, and more. Sometimes these promises are serious and come complete with a counter-offer that you just can’t refuse, other times she is saying whatever needs to be said in order keep you there, regardless of whether or not its actually feasible. The important thing to remember here is why you were looking to leave in the first place. If your motivation is purely fiscal in nature, then a counter-offer might not be a bad idea. However, if you’re looking for something in the culture, the industry, or the work itself that you just weren’t getting, think long and hard before allowing yourself to be swayed by the fix-it phase. Phase Three: Anger “Well he’s not contributing, let’s just let him go!” By far the most feared phase, anger comes after the attempt at borderline bribery fails. In some cases, the anger can be extreme and may even lead to an early dismissal. In the worst-case scenario, it can end with harmful word-of-mouth getting around ahead of you. As a precaution, it is recommended that you don’t directly address the details of the company you’re moving to until after you have started. You can side-step any direct questions by telling people that the announcement hasn’t been made internally at your new company, but that you will be happy to reach out to them with your contact details once that has happened. I t is also recommended that you date your resignation letter effective immediately, with an offer to stay to aid in the transition for the remaining two weeks (or whatever length of time you choose to give as notice). Retain this document for your records to prevent any question of why or how you resigned from coming up in the future. Those are just precautions, as the anger phase will usually manifest itself as little more than irritation. However, it’s better safe than sorry. The good thing about anger is that it shows that your boss is finally beginning to realize that you’re going and you aren’t coming back. They may not be totally okay with it, but it does lead us to the next and final phase. Phase Four: Acceptance Best of luck. The hard part is over. With any luck, your now former boss will congratulate you and be happy to see you move on to bigger and better things. If you ask nicely, they might even agree to giving you a good reference down the line - assuming youve earned one. At the very least, they won’t harbor any ill-will toward you for going through the process the right way, allowing them to work through these emotional phases one by one. Again, in some cases you can see the entire spectrum go across his or her face in a matter of minutes, while in others they may take significantly longer to get to that point. The important thing to remember is that, although this is a professional environment, there is still an emotional context here. Dont take it personally if there is some animosity at first and dont get defensive. Stay positive and assure your boss that youre not leaving her high and dry. Make sure to thank her for the time and effort that was doubtlessly put into you as an employee, and try to make the transition as easy as possible. Quitting your job doesnt have to be a mystery or a bad experience. It can be a very pleasant goodbye, if you know what to expect and you handle yourself accordingly.
Posted on: Sun, 14 Sep 2014 20:59:34 +0000
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