Slashdot Mirror
Computer Jobs -- How to Resign Professionally?
MikeDawg asks: "I submitted a letter of resignation yesterday, and today I'm at home posting stories to my weblog and Slashdot. I gave my employer two weeks notice, and almost immediately, I had my accounts disabled, and my permissions revoked on all the computers at my work, which makes me unable to do anything in my position of being a 'Systems Analyst/Systems Administrator'. I spoke with the HR rep, and gave her my notice yesterday, then I spoke with her today about what had happened to my access, and they honored my resignation... 2 weeks early. (Luckily, I'm compensated in pay for the next two weeks). What I want to know is, how do you computer and IT professionals out there put in your notice of resignation (if you are with a permanent employer, and not contractual), and not get immediately shutdown, and shunned away from the computers? The CIO immediately thought I was going to do something terrible to the system, and destroy accounts, and any other activity that I have access to, but I was giving him notice that I was leaving. What is the professional thing to do?"
Take all of your vacation, THEN resign. Duh.
Don't complain about it to Slashdot.
WASTE - The Secure P2P
Although it is not very professional.
Of course mine was just my review, but it sort of acted like a resignation letter.
Strengths: Over the last six months I have had the opportunity to learn how to smile when given projects that offer no challenge at all. Furthermore I can now hide my disdain for co-workers that have more in common with parasitic worms than with human beings. I've also grown to recognize the importance of recognition via comparison. For instance, I recognize that our environment here at (insert company name here) is really wonderful compared to other companies - the same way Syphilis is a great improvement over A.I.D.S.. Then there is the multitude of tasks that I can do with my eyes closed. It's truly a wonder how many mundane tasks I can accomplish with no effort at all. And lastly there is my recent discovery of how to divide by zero.
Weaknesses: Sometimes, I have trouble accepting that I actually am flawless.
Where am I going and why am I in this handbasket?
Show up every day, talk cheerfully to all the people who still have to give it their all, be obnoxiously upbeat.
They'll double your severance if you agree to leave the building PDQ. Just stay there while they cut you the check.
I've got one friend who did that and was paid to stay home for 2 months, we was so demoralizing to the "survivors".
What you should have done is to have copied all of your mp3s and ornpay off the system *BEFORE* you gave your notice. ;-)
Sean
Step 1: Find an IT job
.. BRILLIANT !
Step 2: Work diligently until given access to critical systems
Step 3: Start acting suspiciously//unhappy w/ management
Step 4: Give your resignation... ONE YEAR early!
Step 5: Take 6 Month Vacation
Step 6: Spend 6 Months looking for your next $sys$target employer.
Rule 2: Writing a spec is like writing code for a brain to execute.
I would try to give a 6 month written notice then.
I agree.
What is the professional thing to do?
I assume by that comment, you are asking what is the professional thing to do now? We'll... since you likely got screwed out of telling your co-workers goodbye, send them a note to schedule a happy hour at a bar.
70% of statistics are made up.
He was lucky.
I resigned almost two weeks ago and still have two weeks left before my four week notice period is up.
I will continue to do my job cabably until the very end and won't be doing anything malicious, it is our corporate culture that people (even those in powerful/trusted positions) work to the very end of their contract.
I'm surprised how well the boss took me writing "I resign" on the whiteboard though.
Do the following really mean anything? SCSA MCP CCSA CCNA
--I'm not actually after an answer!
Reverse Firing
In the corporate world you often get reviewed for your performance. The meetings are uncomfortable affairs where your manager goes down a checklist of things that 'could use improvement'. On Quit Your Job Day, you'll be calling a review meeting of your own. Create a list of things the company needs improvement in. Watch your manager squirm as you point out bad health benefits, impenetrable paperwork, inhuman working environments and other OSHA related problems. At the end of your review look your manager straight in the eye and ask 'What would you do if you were me?', pause and then announce 'I'm afraid I'm going to have to let you go.'
More ways to quit at:
http://www.quityourjobday.com/
[Good]-----
You are fed up. You want to resign. You write a resignation letter and give your boss 2 weeks notice.
Next morning, you found out, all of your access to system is provoked. Your security card to the front door doesn't even work anymore. Security guard watches you with the corner of his eyes constantly. You sweat. You walk over to HR and ask. HR honored your 2 weeks notice 2 weeks early. Now you go home and get paid for 2 weeks vacation.
[Worse]-----
You are fed up. You want to resign. You write a resignation letter and give your boss a finger.
Next morning, you find out, all of your access to system is provoked. Your security card signals the alarm. Security Guard draws pepper spray. You panic. You scream and run away like a little girl. You are home and waiting for UI to come.
[Worst]-----
You are fed up. You want to resign. You write a resignation letter and mail it to your boss's house via USPS with 35 cents stamp.
Next morning, nothing is changed. You walk into your boss's office, demand higher salary and a chance to sleep with his wife. Your boss is not happy. Matter of fact, he is fuming. You smile and say;
"You Biatch~! You just been PUNK'D! I QUIT!" You laugh sarcastically and walk away from your (ex)boss.
Now you are home without UI. You submit question on Slashdot.
Grand Stand! The Professional Way!
"Don't let fools fool you. They are the clever ones."
Dear HR,
Thank you for the lovely fruit basket in my signing bonus last week. I would like to take this opportunity to notify you that I will be resigning from the company on Dec 7, 2025.
Sincerely,
You Devoted Soon-To-Be-Former-Employee
p.s. Don't forget my pension when you draw up the severance papers.
Obviously, you should have planned your sabotage prior to resigning.
The Admin and the Engineer
Australia isn't First World?
He said South Australia. It's different down there, and a little scary. They've named their cricket team after a spider and make beer out of sewage. Their main football team wears the German flag for a jumper, and the state capital was designed by an obsessive-compulsive.
They do brew one some of the best mass-production beers in the country (Coopers), but if you're ever invited to a keg party in a small SA town, run like hell.
"I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
Yeah, and why can't they call him the night before and tell him "don't bother coming in tommorrow?"
Marge: The plant called and said if you don't come in on Friday, don't bother coming in on Monday.
Homer: WooHoo! Four day weekend!
D6 63 0D 70 89 81 BB 8E 7B 7C 5F 5D 54 EA AB 73
I usually just crash a truck into the lobby, unload about 3 tons of high grade manure, shout incoherently in Farsi and give the receptionist an indian burn.
What the hell world do you live in? I'd like to emigrate.
Shhh, I'm angling for "Informative".
"I've got more toys than Teruhisa Kitahara."
Now FIRING SOMEONE... that's different. In that case, I compartmentalize them starting the day before, backing up anything that they can touch. I then shut off their machine after they leave, remove or lock accounts and remove their remote access if they had it.
You left out: pouring bleach on their chair and torching the office so as to remove all traces of their odious stain upon the soul of your company, YOU SLACKER!
"My God...it's full of trolls!"
"I can't believe they had security escort us out. I mean, what did they think, we were going to steal something."
"I stole something."
"Yeah, guess we all did."
"No, I stole something else. Call it a going away present."
Cue Geto Boys Music
After reading all the comments, I guess I was lucky (or unlucky, depending on which way you look at it). My last job I gave about 2 months notice, and they had me working until the very last day (where I still had full access to the system even when totally blind drunk after my farewell party). Yes, it was a large corporation. And yes, I did receive a great reference from them. On a side note - exit interviews are great when drunk - I highly recommend it as an experience! I became far more honest than I would have been if sober *grin*
Really - this is SOP in many, if not most places. At my company, anyone with "sensitive" access is immediately revoked upon receipt of written resignation. Period.
A former place of employment was so bad, that when I was leaving on poor terms, I was asked (by the head of HR) for "all the passwords I knew". I had to explain that if I told them to him, I'd still know them and could use them. He was shocked when I informed him that his IS staff would have to figure out how to change a hundred passwords.
It was a great place to leave.
...and they'd not have already done that before they handed in their resignation?
More likely they'd spent that time surfing the web and chatting to people.
Next time, give 4 weeks notice. ;)
We have one position where two people in a row resigned by standing up in the middle of a meeting and yelling "well then you can find somebody else to do this job" and walking out.
I think they've gone through three more people since then, although none of them have quit the company; we're a great company, it's just a particularly sucky position.
The first guy's wife still works here. I'm told they offered her the position, and she started laughing.