From ghosting colleagues to bashing the company: 5 of the worst things you could do when leaving a job
- From ghosting former colleagues to flouncing out of the office, we’re looking at the things you shouldn’t do after handing in your notice
- This is because leaving a good impression is important for your professional reputation
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Picture the scene…
You’ve just signed on the dotted line for a new job you’re really excited about. A job that pays better, has superior benefits and promises greater work-life balance.
While it might be tempting to tell your toxic soon-to-be-former boss where to go, and flounce out of their office in dramatic fashion, once you’ve handed in your notice and you’re working out your notice period, you need to deploy the same, if not more, professionalism for a myriad of reasons.
For starters, your professional reputation is invaluable and a short-sighted approach could tarnish it, not to mention come back to bite you in the future.
Secondly, no matter what industry you work in, news travels fast and you definitely don’t want your new employer hearing whispers on the grapevine about poor professional conduct.
So, with that in mind, we’re looking at the things you definitely shouldn’t do when you’re working out your notice, and offering advice on how to navigate this tricky time while preserving your reputation (and sanity) in the process.
Don’t drop a resignation bomb
If you’ve undertaken the process of looking for and securing a new job, it’s obvious to everyone concerned that you weren’t 100 per cent happy or content in your current role. However, that doesn’t mean handing in your notice is your invitation to start slating your employer or highlight its misgivings or failings.
A concise and simply worded email or letter is all you need to do to formally terminate your employment contract. However, it’s also a good idea to thank your employer for the opportunities you’ve been given and highlight some of the things you enjoyed about your job.
You don’t have to be insincere, but it’s worth ending things on a good note instead of a negative one.
A concise and simply worded email or letter is all you need to do to formally terminate your employment contract
Don’t burn bridges and ghost colleagues
Similar to the above, just because you’re not going to be working with someone anymore, doesn’t mean you should sever all ties or delete social media connections.
While it’s perfectly acceptable that you probably won’t be joining them in the pub every Thursday, your former colleagues make up part of your professional network and cutting them off because you don’t need them right now is short-sighted, to say the least.
Don’t slack off in the final weeks
Unless your soon-to-be-former employer grants you gardening leave which prevents you from working during your notice period, you shouldn’t treat your time at work any other way than you normally would.
Keep your video on during calls, reply to emails in a timely fashion and don’t throw your team under the bus by expecting them to pick up your responsibilities. You’re still being paid for your time, so you still need to do the work that is expected of you.
It might be tempting to call out a toxic boss in your last couple of weeks at a company but this doesn’t pay off in the long term
Don’t bash the company
As mentioned, it might be tempting to call out a toxic boss in your last couple of weeks at a company but this doesn’t pay off in the long term.
Similarly, even if the company does things backwards or has an archaic attitude towards new technologies or processes and you found this to be professionally stifling, bashing the company won’t do you any favours, especially in your new job.
Don’t not do a handover
Sure, you could refuse to do a handover––but think of it this way, how would you feel if on your first day in your new job there was no handover to lean on, and you had to spend your first week or month trying to untangle a web of emails and documents with nothing to reference?
Doing a proper handover is not only a good way to help the person replacing you with their transition into your old role, but it’s a great way to tie up loose ends and leave a lasting impression.
And you know what they say about karma…
