Episode 87: June 16, 2009
relationships
|
work
By Stever Robbins
Today's topic is leaving a job gracefully.
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How to Graciously Leave a Job
Belinda writes in:
How do I graciously leave the job I have loved for 22 years? I have been recently downsized in my county government job.
Belinda! Soulmate! Today is my last day at my dream job at Babson College, the #1 college for entrepreneurship in the world since 1993. First impressions matter, and so do last impressions. Whether you're quitting, being laid off, or retiring, you want people to remember you as a responsible businessperson. You don't want their last memory of you to involve security guards with trained attack dogs. It looks bad when your next employer calls for references. Don't ask how I know this.
Organize your office and create a transition document the next person can use to sort through the stuff you leave and get up to speed quickly. I'm going to pack a lot into this episode, so the transcript will have a summary sheet you can print out for reference.
Record Your Projects
In the transition document, list your current projects, with a brief summary of each, and who your successor should contact to get quickly up-to-speed on the project. Even if your boss is clueless about what you actually did, some poor innocent won't have to suffer for it. And if your boss was clueless, you really need to listen to my episode on self-promotion. There's a link in this episode's transcript.
Organize Your Files
Zip through your files. Toss or take any that aren't relevant to the job. I like to clip articles and file them neatly in my filing cabinet until I read them. No one but me is going to be interested in an analysis of whether my aluminum foil hat protects me against the mind control rays, or actually makes it easier for the rays to enter my skull. They should care, but they don't. So I'll take that article with me.
The files that are left are, of course, neatly arranged in alphabetical order so you can find them easily. Your successor doesn't know what the files are likely to be called. So group together files related to the same project or client, and use a sticky label to label the whole pile. Use the same project names you listed in your transition document to make it easy to match files to projects. If you don't like the person who will be replacing you, label the piles incorrectly. You can always claim the sticky labels fell off and got switched around.
If you have files related to old projects, send them off to whoever might need the materials for reference. If it's your successor who will need them, list the projects they were related to in your transition document and why someone might need them. Remember you have computer files, too. Arrange those in folders by project or client and again, use the same names as you use in your transition document.
Whatever's left, toss. Unless your company has archives. Then, send your stuff there. Babson's archives includes Sir Isaac Newton's fore-parlour. The actual fore-parlour itself. In case I don't feel inferior enough compared to the undergrads who are running $30,000/month businesses from their dorm rooms in “e-tower” (that's e for entrepreneurship), I can always hang out by Newton's fireplace, and remember he invented calculus at age 19 to help him invent physics, and all I did at age 19 was fail physics.
Gather Your Junk
We've all got our junk. And my junk is ... whew! Books and staplers and pens and sticky pads. Junk that belongs to work, I leave. My junk, I bring home or give to co-workers. The stapler from the infamous Clown Incident? That goes to Heidi. It's the least I can do, since she needed almost a year of therapy to recover. Throw the rest away, sell it on Craigslist, or give it away on FreeCycle.org. You can even find a taker for your velvet Elvis poster.
Clean Your Computer
Did you ever install personal software on your computer, bookmark personal web sites, or create personal documents? Make sure to clear all that off before leaving, unless you really want people to have to dig through your experimental recipe for chicken noodle cake with cayenne sauce. That one could be a reputation buster.
Prepare Your Relationships
If you're in a job that touches many others, make sure your transition document lists important people and how to reach them. But even more importantly, you can reach out to those important people and let them know who to contact once you're gone. You can also continue the relationships you want to keep. Send a gracious letter or email to your co-workers, outside contacts, and so on. Maybe write something like this: "Due to budget constraints, I will be leaving... I have enjoyed working with you and value our relationship. If you need to reach this office in the future, please ask for CHRIS SMITH at ext 10. I would enjoy staying in touch, as well. My new contact information is ...etc." You're continuing the relationship and subtly letting them know you're on the market, in case they want to offer help.
Losing a job can be rough, financially and emotionally. Wrapping everything up neatly not only helps the person who comes next, but it gives you a chance to appreciate everything you've done and the people whose lives you've touched. It's also a nice review of your accomplishments in case you need to polish up your resume.
In this episode's transcript, I've included links to my episode on self-promotion, Babson College's entrepreneurship tower where kids half my age build businesses ten times as big as mine, the Sir Isaac Newton room, and a sample transition document you can use as a checklist.
This is Stever Robbins. Email questions to getitdone@quickanddirtytips.com. You can find this episode's transcript at getitdone.quickanddirtytips.com.
Work Less, Do More, and have a Great Life!
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