32. "Are You Quitting?"
- Bianca Blanch
- Oct 9, 2020
- 7 min read
Quitting, resigning, moving on, leaving, can all be euphemisms for stressful. This week I tell you my worst resignation story so hopefully your experience is better than mine. But can you top my story?
My Experience of Quitting:
I was working at one job and I after a short period of time, I realised it just didn't click with me. (I figured this about with an earlier version of the 'Should I Stay Or Should I Go' checklist.)
I was under-stimulated, they did not give me enough work to do. So, I asked for more work. Instead of being given another task to do, I was reprimanded. They said, how could I require more work when I hand things in late? For that task, no deadline was assigned given and I completed it 2 days after I was given it. So I was just confused after that encounter, and no additional work was given to me.
The only time frames they knew were ASAP and never. I would often be assigned a high priority task that was due in 3 hours. I would work really hard, get it done to the best of my ability, send it in, and get no response. A few weeks later I would be asked why I had approached it in the way, why it wasn't more complete, and when I couldn't answer their questions, as it was a 3 hour task I did a few weeks ago, I was made to feel like I had done something wrong and I started to doubt my skill as a researcher. When the bottom line is, the quality of an output is lower if you spend 3 hours on it compared to 3 weeks.
Other longer tasks I was assigned, would often have no deadline. So when I completed it, it would go unacknowledged or unread. For one task, we actually had a meeting with no one else of the four people in the room having read the document. We then discussed how I should rewrite the document, based on no knowledge of the current version. I felt like a hamster in a running wheel. My tasks were assigned just to keep me busy, but had no real substance or learning opportunities.
So I decided to leave.
I had been offered another job where the pay was higher, it was a promotion that was more in line with my career goals, so I was excited about leaving. I spoke to my manager to let them know I was resigning, thanked them for the time they spent with me and asked them what the formal procedure was to resign.
They responded saying I needed to send a resignation letter to two other people in the organisation, so I did.
I didn't get a response to my resignation letter that day, or the next, or the next, or the next, or the next.....
A week after I sent my resignation letter we had an all-staff meeting where we all spoke about the work we had completed. As I was about to speak, it was mentioned 'Oh I think everyone knows Bianca is leaving us in a few weeks, OK Bianca go.' I didn't know they were going to announce it at that time or in that manner. But, to this day, this is still the only recognition I have received about resigning.
I firmly believe the way you end a relationship says a lot about you. What this situation says to me is what I knew from the beginning when we just didn't click, the workplace had poor and avoidant communication skills.
And in this case it really was them and not me.
The Lessons Of Quitting
Consider speaking with your manager
If you like the job and want to stay but there is an aspect you would like changed as it is weighing on you heavily, consider speaking to your manager to see if something can be worked out. Depending on what it is, it may be changeable. Speaking to your manager about you being unhappy at work can be risky though. Things may stay the same, they may become better, but depending on your manager, it can also backfire. So try to prepare yourself for any of these outcomes.
If, on the other hand, you have made up your mind to leave then you do not need to let your manager know unless you are resigning.
My Experience: I have only had a couple of manager's I have trusted enough to tell them about me potentially leaving and about my future career prospects. Both times it was helpful they guided me to make the best decision for me and my career. But I have definitely had manager's where I have left and they have had no idea I was even thinking of leaving because I was concerned about the workplace dynamic between when they knew I wanted to leave, and me leaving. Also, if I feel the situation I want changed is unchangeable, I will not try to work it out with my manager.
Find out the workplaces procedure for resigning
Each workplace I have been to have their own process for resignation. Most involve writing a letter to your manager, and a few other managers including HR (if they have a HR department).
Write your resignation letter
In your resignation letter, at a bare minimum you need to say you are resigning and your final working day.
I always like to end each workplace on a positive note, so I also thank them for the opportunity, cite a couple of things I have learned or traits I have admired in my manager, and say where I am moving on to. It seems more personable than simply saying I am leaving. You also never know who you will end up working for in the future, so best not to make any enemies.
Find out your notice period
Your employment contract will state what your notice period is. If you have been applying for other jobs, you should know the notice period so you can tell your potential employer(s) how long it will be before you can start.
Expect to serve out your notice period
Once you resign, you can negotiate with your employer what your final working day/date will be. You may be able to negotiate to take some annual leave during your notice period. Or the company may not require you to work the entire period, that is up to their discretion.
When you resign go into that meeting with the attitude that you will have to serve out the entirety of your notice period. I have been at workplaces where people give notice, then take all of their annual leave so they do not have any more days in the office to tie up their work loose ends. I have always thought this is unprofessional.
If you need to just leave to protect yourself or your mental health, do it. For any other reason it is unprofessional, and will leave a bad taste in both the employer's and your colleague's mouth. If this is the case, tell management why you need to leave suddenly and any trusted colleagues. Leaving so abruptly with no notice could also impact on the reference they give about you to any future employer.
Practice grace
Even if you feel that the workplace has done you wrong, act gracefully when you leave. The world is a small place and you may end up working with or for some of the people at your current workplace in the future. You don't want to be known as the person with a bad work reputation.
You have made the decision to leave, so act like the bigger person and know that soon you will be out of there!
Ask for a referee
If there was any manager at the company that you had a good working relationship with, either currently or in the past, reach out and ask them if they would act as your referee in the future. You can never have too many referees.
If there is no one you have a positive working relationship with, you do not need to ask. I do not have a referee from every workplace I have worked at. But when I have had a positive personal and professional relationship with a manager who genuinely cares about me and my career, I have asked them to act as my referee. I have definitely landed some jobs because of their kind words!
Exit interview
I find the exit interview an interesting premise. It is your opportunity to discuss any issues you had at the workplace with HR, confidentially. However, I have always been skeptical about how confidential it is. If they want to implement any changes, a source for change needs to be identified.
So I consider what I want to say in these exit interviews, it is entirely up to you how honest you want to be. For me, I consider the potential impact of my words. If there are systemic cultural issues, I may allude to them, but not go into detail as I do not believe they will change. But if I see a very specific issue that HR may not know about that could be changed, I will let them know. Then it is up to them to figure out whether to do something about it or not.
My Experience: At one workplace the team I was on was very close, but included many people who were introverted and shy and did not speak up again work issues. There was another employee, who was highly regarded, who was taking advantage of that team so I told HR about it. I said I didn't want that person to know I said anything but this is the reality of them working with the team. HR had no idea about this concern, and said they would look into it.
I said something because I wanted things to be better for my team, and knew they would just keep on enduring the situation rather than speak up and try to change it. I also knew that if that person ever found out what I said, I would be OK with that. I'm OK with being the bad guy for people I care about.
What are your resignation horror stories? Did leaving just confirm that you should go, or did you feel some conflict about whether to stay or leave? Let me know your experience by leaving a comment below or emailing me at AuthenticResearchExperiences@gmail.com
BB
Photo by Daniel von Appen on Unsplash
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