May 2, 2013 · 4:58 pm

Survey says…leave your job, but keep your reputation intact

Now, more than ever, you  need to be thinking about how you intend to leave your job. Why, you ask? Because a recent survey by Salary.com found that a lot of you are not happy with your jobs and want out.

People Are Job hunting Now More Than Ever Salary.com

In a survey of 1,300 people, they found that 69% of respondents weren’t happy with their job. Last year, that number was only 43%.

The folks at Salary.com noted

Last year when we asked this question, 56% of all respondents said they planned to actively look for a new job in 2012. But with another year of workplace discontent under their belts, our survey shows that number has risen to 77% of employees who will be looking for greener pastures in 2013.

With so much discontent, it creates an ideal environment for burning bridges. And that’s the last thing anyone wants, especially you.

Example: The survey found that 28% are looking while they are at work.

Leaving your job may send a signal to your former employer that you may have been unhappy, underpaid, under-appreciated or another “un” adjective.  On the other hand, looking for another job at work will clearly send a signal that you were an un-professional employee. Is that how you want to be remembered?

Leave a Comment

Filed under Burn It To The Ground, Food for thought, Job Search

Tagged as , ,

April 29, 2013 · 11:04 am

(not) Everyone’s fantasy resignation announcement

While the desire to leave in a storm of protest overwhelms some of us when being fired, others pursue devious ways of leaving in an upbeat and professional tone.  This Tumblr editor was given the chance to write the announcement his and his team’s departure.  And little was edited out.  Imagine that.

The following is a full text of the announcement.

A year ago, Tumblr did something unprecedented — we created an editorial team of experienced journalists and editors assigned to cover Tumblr as a living, breathing community. The team’s mandate was to tell the stories of Tumblr creators in a truly thoughtful way — focusing on the people, their work, and their stories. The result of this ambitious experiment was Storyboard.

After hundreds of stories and videos, features by publishers ranging from Time to MTV to WNYC — not to mention a nomination for a James Beard Award and entries into this year’s NY Press Club Awards — we couldn’t be happier with our team’s effort. And as Tumblr continues to evolve, we’ll always be experimenting with new ways to shine light on our creators.

What we’ve accomplished with Storyboard has run its course for now, and our editorial team will be closing up shop and moving on. I want to personally thank them for their great work. And please join us in wishing them well.

What do you think? Did he do it the right way?

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Head held high, Keep smiling

March 30, 2012 · 4:07 pm

Are some bridge burnings impossible to stop?

Keith Olbermann was just let go at Current TV and Gawker.com ran this post: Who’s More Unprofessional: Keith Olbermann Or His Last Four Employers? 

Wow, that has to sting.

Clearly, there’s a pattern of behavior going on that most anyone can see. He doesn’t strike a match when he leaves – he uses a flame thrower.  Accept that letter of resignation with barbecue tongs!

Even if you’re justified in leaving, does it really make sense to burn your bridge with such glee? Or, in this case, with a burn-it-to-the-ground single-mindedness?

What’s your take? Can some people be saved from themselves? Can anyone be reformed?

 

Leave a Comment

Filed under Burn It To The Ground, Horror Story, Resigner Heroes and Zeros

March 14, 2012 · 10:27 pm

When burning a bridge may be the right thing to do

As some of you may have already heard, Greg Smith left Goldman Sachs, his employer of nearly 12 years. On his way out, he doused the bridge with lighter fluid and struck a match.

He burned his bridge with an op-ed in the New York Times, no less. His public resignation rippled throughout the land: every media organization covered the story – even Stephen Colbert. Clearly, Mr. Smith put on a quite a show – the flames went sky high.

As the title of our blog site suggests – and as we strongly assert throughout our posts – we believe that burning bridges is detrimental to your career and future employment. Relationships play a critical role in the workplace. There’s a reason everyone understands the oft-repeated phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.”

But, today, we step back from our usual cautionary advice and commentary to suggest that burning one’s bridge may be the right thing to do in certain circumstances. Let us repeat: It may be the right thing to do.

The decision to leave a job requires a good deal of thought and how one leaves a job requires even more consideration. In this case, Mr. Smith seems to have given it a good deal of thought.

He worked at this company for 12 years. Most people don’t up and leave a job of 12 years on a whim. You need the gumption to do it, especially to leave in the glare of the spotlight. And writing and pitching an op-ed for the New York Times doesn’t happen overnight.

They say that time heals all wounds and sometimes time heals the wounds and bruises of the workplace. If you want to leave your job, then plan it. Planning ensures you leave the way you want, but it also requires you to stop, calm down and think clearly. Mr. Smith left with a plan and his thoughtfully written op-ed proves it.

In fact, we bet that there’s more to his announcement than meets the eye. Our hunch is that a book deal is in the works as well as a flurry of prime-time interviews. You don’t publicly thumb your nose at one of the most powerful financial firms in the country without having a carefully crafted exit strategy.

While Mr. Smith burned the bridge with Goldman Sachs, he probably did not burn bridges with former or future clients. He clearly defined his values and work ethic, and framed it as a choice he had to make rather than remain and continue screwing over his clients.

It appears that a lot of thought went into this decision, both the decision to leave and the decision about how to leave. While we would not recommend this departure strategy for most people, we do applaud the fact that he gave it a lot of thought and, most likely, considered all of his options.

Take a look at his editorial and let us know if you think he did the right thing.

1 Comment

Filed under Resigner Heroes and Zeros, Thumbs Up, Uncategorized

Tagged as , , , , , , ,

October 3, 2011 · 8:53 pm

Leaving under fire (puns intended)

What do you when you leave a job because you’ve been fired, let go or given severance? From what we have experienced and seen in our professional lives, it’s not an easy time, no matter how careful employers are to minimize the controversy or bad feelings associated with this kind of departure.

Rodney, a good friend and colleague, passed along a Bloomberg BusinessWeek article, “Great Firings in History.” In addition to well-known firings in history, it also offers up some recent ones.

While many in the article who are mentioned – and fired – may have been treated unfairly, they are ultimately judged by how they responded to the situation.  Or, truly, how they responded to a crisis.

These situations offer opportunities to show our families, friends, future employers and, of course, soon-to-be former employers that we are capable of responding to crisis, ambiguity and, at times, hostility and mistreatment with dignity and intelligence.

Take a look at the article and think about how you would approach some of these situations, real and fictional.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Fired or Let Go, Food for thought

Tagged as , , ,

November 7, 2010 · 8:08 pm

You tell us: Resigner hero? Or Zero?

As we all know, life isn’t black or white, or up or down. Usually, it’s a mixture of both – and more. Just like a resignation.

For many, a job departure can be a rather low-key affair: not much drama, just another last day at the office.

For others, it can be a public affair, especially when you have you a highly visible position in the company or work in a fish bowl like the Los Angeles Times. 

When Dan Neil, former L.A Times auto critic left the publication for a position at The Wall Street Journal, he sent a farewell email to his colleagues. In it, he paid tribute to the newspaper that had saved him and acknowledged the quality of the publication and the people he called his colleagues.  Truly, a fitting farewell.

You can read the memo at L.A. Observed.

He used the opportunity to give an unapologetic “eff you” to the corporate overlords based in Chicago, whom many regard as the architects of the Times’ purported downfall.

Clearly, he broke a few resignation rules. But, given the type of company in which he worked and the premium placed on freedom of expression (and the press), it makes sense.

On the other hand, he bit the hand that fed him. And took a swing at colleagues who belittled the Times’ in their parting conversations with him.

“I absolutely love this newspaper and I am immensely proud of my association with it. People who talk shit about the LA Times to me are going to find me in their grille in a major way.”

His ability to integrate auto-related imagery into his resignation email and, more specifically, into his threats, make his going-away message all the more colorful and unique.

Does this mean that we recommend this type of farewell?

We recommend that you tailor your resignation to your audience. In this case, it seems to be appropriate. Since we are not journalists by training nor have we ever worked at a news media organization, we can only assume that his email was well received (corporate overlords aside).

Mr. Neil’s resignation email tests the boundaries of taste by giving his employer unfiltered feedback. And such feedback can have repercussions.  

Did he run a red light? Or did he thoughtfully stop at a yellow?  Or does it matter?

Tell us what you think. Resigner hero. Or zero.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Resigner Heroes and Zeros

September 1, 2010 · 8:59 pm

Burning bridges before they’re built…

Michael Hess talks about looking for a job in his blog post, “It’s As If These Applicants Don’t Even Want a Job.” We admit, his post is not related to leaving your job. So much is already said about the job search process that we will rarely refer to it except when one’s previous departures (and the drama or lack of drama associated with them) affect it. Still, it’s good to be reminded that attention to detail, good manners and a long-term perspective are always important, no matter where you are in the employment circle of life.

Leave a Comment

Filed under Employment Circle of Life, Food for thought, Job Search