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?"
It seems like IT professionals are getting like investment brokers: when you give them two weeks notice they give you the money and ask you to leave.
I don't think it's anything personal. It's just the way some businesses nowadays prefer to operate. I think it's a mistaken attempt at managing risk. Think about it: would a guy who wants to screw you over give two weeks notice? No, they'd do you dirt and take off with no notice.
My father is a blogger.
When I resigned in a professional manner, they made me stay the whole 2 weeks. Sometimes they escort people out of the building that day for security reasons and still pay them for the remaining 2 weeks. However, I had to stay and fill out paperwork and go to BS meetings and suffer. What they did to you is pretty standard and has nothing to do with you or how you resigned.
http://www.kubuntu.org/
Well, as you say, the OP got paid anyway, but...
In every job I've had that I've left (five in the last 12 years), I've never had my access cut off until I actually leave. I've always worked until the last day, and I would be surprised if an employer didn't want me to. Mind you, I've never been fired, and in all but one case, I was actually on fairly good terms with my employer. I've never even heard of employers terminating access for people who are leaving of their own accord.
As a matter of fact, in most of the occasions I've left a job, I needed to keep access to the last minute to assist with a smooth handover of my work.
In a situation where an employee has notified their employer that they wish to resign, there is no security risk in letting them keep their access (and do their job) until they leave. If they were disgruntled and were going to do anything nasty, they would already have done it prior to tendering notice.
(It's a very different situation if the employee is let go, of course)
"Software is too expensive to build cheaply"
Let me rephrase that: For all the talk of rights there's only one thing true at the end of the day: backups and dirt beats the odds all the time. I've got 3 complaints going through the system against my former employer, and if I hadn't snagged a copy of everything, time-and-date-stamped files, emails, etc., I wouldn't have a hope in hell. Got 2 more calls from one of the investgators today. So, instead of me being at some asshats mercy, he's probably looking at an audit. No amount of vaseline will make that comfortable.
Backups. Backups. Backups. It's not just because hard drives fail. So do people.
that's right... he isnt.
managers are just jackasses and dont have a grip on reality.
The reason being that the vast majority of corporations would be classified as criminal psychopaths if they were human beings. There is even a big documentary/movie on this point.
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
Agreed. The plethora of posts about how this is SOP and something to be expected amazes me. I have left my job twice this far, in good terms, and both times I was expected to stay in there until the last day, help with the transition, tidying up all loose ends and demonstrating to clients that the handover was smooth and safe. In both cases, aside from throwing a mini party and having personal talks with most co-workers to thank each other for long-time cooperation, I also sent emails to clients ensuring them that the resignation is in good terms and explaining them all the steps taken to ensure that their projects will not be affected, sometime visiting them to introduce the co-worker that would replace me on my former duties.
Yes, I could have done a lot of horrible things from ruining relationships, to deleting files, or even stealing knowledge and sensitive information. But I could have done these things before resigning anyway. And I knew a lot of stuff without access to the computers in the first place. So, it's more a matter of being a respectable and civil person, who feels that their former employer honoured them and is not likely to become a criminal beast the day after resignation. If my employer believed that the only thing stopping me from screwing up their business was that I didn't have a job elsewhere, I very much doubt they'd be employing me in the first place. Then again, please note that I live in Europe, and I understand that corporate culture here is on the average somewhat different thatn in the US.
-- say with me: i'm a monkey child
1) Before resigning, no matter how professionally, ensure you have all your data with you. No, not their data, just yours, if you used their resources for your own stuff. Then, regardless of how they react, you will have nothing to worry about.
2) Choose your employer wisely. If you see any signs of them acting inhumane with other employees, leave, and do it as described under 1).
Simpy
I think the original poster did the right thing by giving notice.
Personally I've never had my system access shut off because I gave notice, but I did have it shut off before I was told I was laid off (many years ago.) However, as I've worked in a number of verticals I know there are a few that disable access to live systems, but let developers keep working during their notice period.
With live/production data, there are often regulations that would prohibit allowing a sysadmin to continue accessing the system after they've given notice. I realize it probably feels insulting to have your access shut off after acting like a professional and giving notice, but I wouldn't take it personally.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
Security is about managing risks. There's no way to make something perfectly secure, only to manage the risks it presents to your organisation.
:P I'd recommend the same thing in the same situation)
Immediately ceasing access for staff who are leaving, as an example. Most people aren't going to do anything. If they've given you 2 weeks notice and you let them go straight away, you're spending the equivalent of 2 weeks wages to treat the risk they will. Depending on the company, many places are happy to accept that risk treatment cost.The risk is not just that they will trash their computer or your systems. They may also steal or misuse confidential data, like customer lists.
I know of one person in consulting, who planned to setup his own company, doing what he did for his current company, and had planned to send a goodbye email to all his corporate contacts saying he was now in practise for himself - at 75% the price. He however was similarly unaware, like the original poster, of his company's seperation practises, and was escorted from the building immediately after handing in his letter of resignation. Fortunately his old company never found out about this, so he got a good reference for when he went for a similar job at another company, unable to start his own firm.
I once saw a post on slashdot about how sad it was that the NSA would destroy entire machines that had never been out of their box, just because they had been designated as spares for their datacentre. Consider it another way.. the machines were 2 years old, purchased tax free in bulk, and depreciated down to a minimal value. The risk posed that they may have ever been used and had operational data meant that it made a lot of sense to destroy perfectly good hardware.
Anyway, the point is, risks aren't always as obvious as they seem, and risk treatment is an interesting beast. Sometimes you do things which look like waste in order to prevent threats.
(IANAL, but I am a risk management/it security consultant
One employer left my key accounts in place (disabled) and hired me to do some consulting ("temp work", really) using those (re-enabled) accounts afterward.
The last place I quit amazed me at just how trusting they were: On my last day on the job (after giving notice), my boss, his managerial peers, and their boss were all unavailable, so I had to find a "responsible individual" in the department (a non-manager with more seniority than me) to give my keys to that afternoon. At the end of the day, I was actually left alone in the data center with both login and physical access to critical systems (to say nothing of the office kitchen and storage room). They trusted me to shut down my computer, turn off the interior lights, and lock the door behind me on the way out. (Which - considering that I was quitting in part because I hated how the place was run - was rather naive.)
http://alternatives.rzero.com/
I too am in risk management. I heartily agree with what you have said. It all boils down to each companies tolerance of risk. Some companies are willing to pay the 2 weeks of serverence even though the employee no longer performs the job.
I work for a multi-national bank, and they do this all the time. They may spend millions over the course of a couple of years doing this, but this is what they are willing to pay to mitigate the possibility of even higher loss. There are some systems (I'm thinking of Fed Reserve and clearing house operations) that could cost that much over the course of a couple *hours* if they were disrupted (fines and/or actual loss). Even though internal controls make it unlikely to happen, the risk is still there and paying for 2 weeks of non-productivity is a small price to pay to reduce it.
This does not even take into account the *legal* problems a company would face if they allowed an out-going employee access and he/she disrupted operations to the point of major financial loss. It's called Due Care. And it can result in criminal charges being brought against the senior management. "So you knew the possibility existed, but still let this person have access?"
Don't be insulted. This is just SOP these days for any company with responsibilities to shareholders.
"This calls for a very special blend of psychology and extreme violence" - Vyvyan "The Young Ones"
Actually funny/not-funny
:-]
I worked at a company where one of the managers decided to move on. She was near the top, worked hard and was quite professional. Her mistake was in giving three months notice so they could work out a graceful exit.
She was fired on the spot, asked to leave the property and given the minimum statutory severance.
In my jurisdiction, once you've given notice you may be let go immediately provided the company pays severance. I knew I was leaving my job with that company for 6 months and didn't give notice till 2 weeks before. I would have loved to give them more time to plan for my replacement, but figured they'd just shaft me.
They went bankrupt a few years later. Sometimes you get what you deserve.
http://request-header.info
I told them that I was walking off of the job, RIGHT NOW, and that was all there was to it.
One of the bosses got upset with me and said that it was discourteous to do something like that. You should give two weeks notice that it would get back to you later and you might not be able to get a job for a stunt like that.
I then told them that my employment was a contract where you paid me for services, and if you fired me, you would walk me out of the building immediately.
"So, I'm firing you. You're all incompetent, and the system is failing due to that. Consider my vacant position as a sign of things to come."
When I walked it stirred people. That next week they lost three. Two more quit the next week. I was an underground leader of the staff, and when I went, the whole place saw my lead and thought it wasn't worth it.
All in all, it was the most worthy thing I've done in years.
Company policy isn't law. Would you refer to have selected correspondence presented as evidence against you in some dispute? Make email backups; actually paper prints are better, lawyers trust paper more than digital files. Don't announce it, just have them in reserve in case they try to bushwhack you. I presented some email in a wages dispute, the send timestamps showed I'd been at work (or at least doing work) when they claimed I had skipped out. (Yeah, sure they could have been faked easily, though they weren't.)
best sabotage is to be inreplaceable at the moment when you leave... for example if you're the only person around who knows very deep details about an unique framework.
...
sure they will finally (and they have to) find someone who can do the job. but as it takes a while, none can really ban your accounts or do anything weird like that, beacuse they still need your support about the open issues. if or not you support them is another question, as i will leave my job hopefully under good friendship and conditions, i will give them some support for a while.
that's the state i'm currently in. i'm the only person around that really knows whats going on in our server, now i will have to support it for a while even after i leave (out of loyality, i will do it free for a while as long as it doesn't put any real pressure on me) and i will have to teach someone where to start learning the whole business.
i'm going to switch jobs because my current job doesn't really offer me any real chance to evolve nor any chances to make a longlasting career. i feel like i'm sitting duck on an old framework with old ideas for too long. the rest of the world is moving on and i'm not gonna sit here and wait until i'm an old crappled dude who knows only technologies that are 10 years old.
sitting duck in knowledge & not knowing if you're going to have the job even after 1-2 years is a really bad idea. (would you hire someone that knows msdos, win 3.1 & basic ? i guess not, neither would i.)
i hope my boss has sit down when i'm going to tell him about this (no, he is not going to like it). and i hope he'll be reasonable while discussing my terms of leave. and luckily, i am the bloody administrator, so he can't disable my accoutns without my help anyway
I'd tell you the chances of this story being a dupe, but you wouldn't like it.
This is flawed thinking by the companies. The formal letter of resignation changes nothing since the employee is the one who will decide when to resign. The employee has already retired in his mind days or weeks before that.
If he is evil, the timebombs are already set up on the servers, the company data is already harvested, copied and distributed out of the building and the letter of resignation comes last. If he's not and his accounts and access rights are removed, he won't -- probably contrary to his expectations -- be able to properly finish off his work, document everything for the successor and clean up any irrelevant stuff like temporary and personal files. The next employee will step into a mess, and this is all bad for the company.
Most certain not in Holland.
;)
Around here, leaving usually means a 1 month notice period, and in all the places i worked in, people always work until the last day except if having have some vacation days left and wanting to take them (non-used vacation days are redeemed for money when one leaves).
Even more important, in the vast majority of places i've worked in the company will do a goodbye party for you.
In my last position, even though i now work as a freelancer, after i decided i wasn't going to accept anymore extensions to my contract and on my last day in, they still did a goodbye party for me and gave me a bottle of Cognac as a goodbye present.
I've seen it happen for others, so i ain't been getting goodbye parties 'cause they're happy that I am leaving
Reading above that what happened to the OI is a "usual" behaviour and part of the POF just makes me want to ask - "What the fuck kind of sick employer-employee relation do you guys have there?"
The "two weeks notice" rule is a polite tradition that only employees are following. I have seen companies fire someone at 4 PM on a Friday, confiscate their laptop, and escort them from the building. Indeed, one popular belief is that this is the best way to terminate an employee because it minimizes the company's risk from the any actions that the employee make take.
In today's era of disappearing pension plans, Enron-style scandals, and myopic focus on productivity and profit, it is important to remember that the company - and by extension, all personnel within the company - are out to protect their interests first. In essence, corporate loyalty is a one-sided myth that companies promote to serve their own purposes. So here are some of my general thoughts on the resignation process:
1. Don't tell anyone that you're interviewing for another job (your manager may terminate you just for looking).
2. Don't tell anyone that you've accepted another job (since the offer could fall through at the last minute). If the new company wants references, use previous employers, customers, or close co-workers, but not your manager.
3. Negotiate your transition date with the new company on your terms - plan for some time off between jobs if you'd like.
4. Transfer all data and material from your laptop to storage at home. Sanitize the laptop as necessary. Wiping the entire drive and turning it in sans bootable OS is perfectly acceptable in my book.
5. If you aren't leaving just for more money, but are truly disappointed in the lack of vision and direction within the company, felt you were poorly managed, or are leaving for ethical concerns, draft a letter to the President / CEO (regardless of who your boss is) explaining why you are resigning. You only get two opportunities in life to tell the CEO of a company the unvarnished truth: (a) When you resign, and (b) When you win the lottery.
6. Once you're satisifed that your data is safe and that you've got a solid new job to move into with another company, decide on your notification strategy:
- Two weeks notice: Inform your manager and then sit at home and play games or read some good books at work (accompanied by long lunches until they confiscate your corporate credit card).
- 24-48 hrs notice: Inform your manager you'll be gone in two days and tell him (sincerely) best wishes for the future.
7. Submit your resignation paperwork and fire off the letter discussed in #5 above to the CEO / President.
Good luck!
We were able to work all sorts of things out, just as if we were negotiating for a new-hire. For example, I asked my Vacation time to be extended "on book" so I wouldn't have the possible tax implication of receiving a lump-sum final payout of unused vacation days; this also let me carry forward health benefits until my new job started, I worked diligently until the very last day, they threw me a party.
And the company would hire me back in an instant, with no hesitation.
Be careful. There is a similar law in Virginia, but there is a distinct difference between a 'reference' and a 'past employer'. In Virginia, past employers are only allowed to answer two questions: Did this person work for you? and Would you rehire them? If someone is designated a reference-personal, professional, past employer, mailman, whatever-they can answer ANY question posed to them.
There was an incident at a retail shop I worked at in high school (15 years ago) where a former employee put the manager of the store she resigned from as a 'reference' on her resume. This employee was far from being a model for the company and was actually very close to being fired at the time she quit. The hiring manager where she was applying for a new job called her previous manager/reference and was told all the lovely things she did for our company (sarcasm intended). She sued, and the case was dismissed because she identified her former manager as a reference and was therefor not bound by the two question rule.
Oh and I agree with the first poster to this article. You should be completely ready to go the instant you hand your resignation to your supervisor. All your data backed up, all your passwords and such ready to hand over, yadda-yadda-yadda. You should also have KNOWN the policies for separation if you worked for the company for any length of time. I'm sure you weren't the first person to resign/quit the department during your tenure? Part of being a 'professional' is doing your homework!
Frankly, contractors are all in it for themselves by the nature of the relationship, as is the company, but only the stupid ones would do anything that negatively impacts the company they are working for.
In many years of contracting I've always found it better to consider the impact on the company (price expectations, etc) as a factor in every job, and this has been rewarding in that when the company does well, I do well and continue to get to work with people that I enjoy a positive working relationship with.
I do avoid working for project managers with hostile outlooks though. Some managers are just unreasonable (wishing to exploit you as if you were slave labor) and not worth it. They are very easy to spot at the start for the most part.
A few of these are justifiably pessimistic, having been taken advantage of previously, these types are usually ok once they see you have the right work ethic, etc.
My poetry site welcomes the unusual.