is it normal to get incredibly nervous about telling your boss you’re quitting? by Alison Green on May 14, 2018 Some people look forward to quitting their jobs. They daydream about it, planning out elaborate quitting fantasies, like spelling out “I QUIT” in printer cartridges before flouncing out the door or emailing a lengthy list of heretofore privately nursed grievances staff-wide on their final day of work. But a more common theme in the letters […] Read the full article →
is it okay to blindside your boss when quitting? by Alison Green on April 25, 2018 A reader writes: I have a question about how unprofessional it is to “blindside” your boss when quitting. Six months ago I started a new job with a multinational company. I asked the internal recruiter specifically about travel expectations and how much interaction I needed to have with the other office. I’ve worked across countries […] Read the full article →
dealing with a horrible, lying director and management that won’t act by Alison Green on March 7, 2018 A reader writes: I work for a nonprofit as a director with six other directors, and we report to the executive director (ED). There are a lot of things I enjoy about the job – I work a lot, but also have a lot of flexibility in my hours; it’s meaningful work that I also […] Read the full article →
podcast: I’m still training my replacement three months after I left by Alison Green on February 28, 2018 Episode 2 of the Ask a Manager podcast is here! You can listen to it at Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or Anchor (or here’s the direct RSS feed). This week, I talk with a caller who is still training her replacement — three months after leaving her job. Here’s the letter she sent to me, […] Read the full article →
how can I explain why I’m leaving my new job after only three months? by Alison Green on February 13, 2018 A reader writes: I started a new job about three months ago and have quickly realized that it is a very bad fit. During the interview, I asked several questions about things that are important to me, such as the reason the last person left the position, the amount of paid time off, what the […] Read the full article →
should I show how angry I am when I resign? by Alison Green on October 31, 2017 A reader writes: Three months ago, I applied for a short-term contract position in order to get my foot in the door with a company in an industry I had previously worked in and missed immensely. Shortly before my interview, my resume was shared with a separate department in that company and I came in […] Read the full article →
resigning via cod, a glorious out-of-office message, and other quitting stories by Alison Green on October 5, 2017 In case you didn’t read all of the entries in last week’s post about spectacular resignations, here are some of my favorites. 1. “One guy quit, and left up an out-of-office message with stupid quotes from all of his bosses and seniors over the year – attributed to them by name. Because our IT is so […] Read the full article →
I could delete my former employer’s website — should I? by Alison Green on October 4, 2017 A reader writes: Last year, I left a job that made me miserable. I had been really unhappy there for about eight months, and I got really lucky and got a great job. Before I left, I had some major conflict with someone higher up the food chain and felt bullied by her. The small […] Read the full article →
spectacular resignation stories: share in the comments by Alison Green on September 28, 2017 Usually quitting a job is relatively mundane — you might be nervous about it, but it generally won’t involve yelling, profanity, or other fireworks. But occasionally a resignation is truly spectacular. For example, there was the flight attendant who, “upset with an uncooperative passenger on a just-landed flight … unleashed a profanity-laden tirade on the public […] Read the full article →
my boss doesn’t believe I’m really quitting by Alison Green on September 26, 2017 A reader writes: How should I handle a clingy soon-to-be-former boss? I work for a small nonprofit, and am part of a four-person team (there’s no overlap – I’m the only person in my position on our team). My boss and executive director knew last October that I wanted to begin looking for a new […] Read the full article →