July 2, 2015 at 8:23 pm
TomThomson (7/2/2015)
The really sensible comments here are those from Gail and Jeff (that's pretty much as usual).I've usually limited myself to things like emailing my personal email address to friends (friends who were colleagues and had only my company email address), wishing individuals well, and other purely social (as opposed to professional) things.
Once I did it a little differently. In 1975 when I decided to leave ICL (I'd had 45 great months with them, but the next three months had been utterly depressing) I talked to the divisional director (VP in USA-speak) in a local bar, and said "I don't like the ivory tower you've transferred me into, and I don't think I can cope with the guy who runs it, so I've started looking for a new job - are you willing to provide reference if needed?"; the result was that I stayed with the company for another 21 years
.
I found over the years that I quite often ended up using a company I used to work for as a supplier of something or as a customer for something, or being recruited by people who worked with me (or worked for me, or that I worked for) at former employers, or recruiting them. So it would probably be a bad idea to send some goodbye that would lose potential friends.
+1 to that... especially the communication that led to another 21 years with the same company.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
March 16, 2017 at 6:45 am
DEK46656 - Friday, June 26, 2015 7:23 AMSo long, and thanks for all the fish.
You've gotta love Douglas Adams.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
March 16, 2017 at 6:51 am
It is simple. Last emails should at most thank the organisation and colleagues for your time there, wish everyone and the company well and advise people of any comestibles bought or arranged leaving drinks. If the invites for treats and/or drinks aren't open to all then send targeted emails.
Leave anything else for personal face-to-face off site conversations or, even better, within ones own head.
Gaz
-- Stop your grinnin' and drop your linen...they're everywhere!!!
January 16, 2023 at 6:17 am
If there is a specific incident or policy that prompts an employee to voluntarily leave, then I see nothing wrong with voicing it to HR or management on the way out, so long as the comments are to the point and without vindictiveness, and especially if the organization solicts comments in an exit interview or survey. That type of feedback can be constructive for the organization.
If only that were actually true. I’ve been thru many exit interviews, and have found that they’re a complete waste of time. HR is only interested in protecting the company, not the employees. Constructive feedback, in response to their questions, falls on deaf ears or many excuses are made. Keeping in touch with a few people at each place reveals that nothing was done in response to the suggestions, not even something as simple as asking remaining employees if they agree.
At this point in my career I decline the invites because I don’t want to waste my time.
edit: just noticed this is an ancient post despite being in the newsletter sent out tonight…
January 16, 2023 at 12:16 pm
This was removed by the editor as SPAM
January 16, 2023 at 2:04 pm
My favorite place I have worked was a small online retailer which had roughly 80 total employees and an IT department of 4. On my last day I set up my Out Of Office to indicate I was secretly a CIA operative who had been working there to keep an eye on the rest of the employees. I thought it an amusing little joke, but I heard from a former coworker that it took my manager a long time to figure out how to disable it in O365.
January 17, 2023 at 2:23 pm
Just with a song. Resignation
January 22, 2023 at 4:56 pm
My take on 'exit lines': Don't say anything that might preclude you from being invited back.'
In my last position as a DBA the company was going through a downsizing/outsourcing period, and I took an early retirement offer and left town for my vacation/retirement place. It was only a few weeks before I received an invitation to return to the same position working for the company to which jobs were being outsourced. I had another several years in a very nice situation before I finally made retirement permanent.
Rick
Disaster Recovery = Backup ( Backup ( Your Backup ) )
January 23, 2023 at 6:11 pm
I was at a company that hired a new IT director. He made it very clear at the beginning that he wanted to bring in his own people, so I had already been looking for a different position and had one drop in my lap but it was not yet finalized. We had an incident where there was a misunderstanding about doing some work on the weekend and he used it as an opportunity to "teach me a lesson" by chewing me out in front of my boss, telling me that "work came before even family". I politely told him I clearly understood where he was coming from. My new job came through a couple of days later and I turned in my notice. Little did he know that I can become great friends with his boss (COO) prior to his hiring, so when news came out that I was leaving, he personally called me into his office and asked me why I was leaving. I told him the truth. Although the IT director didn't get fired, he was definitely reprimanded for his actions.
But the best part was this. I served three roles when I was there: Oracle DBA, SQL server DBA, and an Unix administrator. After I left, he had to replace me with not one person, but three because he couldn't find anybody with my unique skills or even anyone with even two of the skills.
No words in an email could have provided an better parting gift than that.
January 23, 2023 at 7:22 pm
I was at a company that hired a new IT director. He made it very clear at the beginning that he wanted to bring in his own people, so I had already been looking for a different position and had one drop in my lap but it was not yet finalized. We had an incident where there was a misunderstanding about doing some work on the weekend and he used it as an opportunity to "teach me a lesson" by chewing me out in front of my boss, telling me that "work came before even family". I politely told him I clearly understood where he was coming from. My new job came through a couple of days later and I turned in my notice. Little did he know that I can become great friends with his boss (COO) prior to his hiring, so when news came out that I was leaving, he personally called me into his office and asked me why I was leaving. I told him the truth. Although the IT director didn't get fired, he was definitely reprimanded for his actions.
But the best part was this. I served three roles when I was there: Oracle DBA, SQL server DBA, and an Unix administrator. After I left, he had to replace me with not one person, but three because he couldn't find anybody with my unique skills or even anyone with even two of the skills.
No words in an email could have provided an better parting gift than that.
You've just gotta love that outcome.
--Jeff Moden
Change is inevitable... Change for the better is not.
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