How do I quit nicely without burning the bridges?

22 points by prettyrandom100 11 years ago | 33 comments

I've been working at this "big" company for nearly a year now and I just can't take the politics of it anymore. It seems I was naive to think that as a developer I should work to improve the product by finding bugs, fix them, build new features fast. But I was wrong. People don't want you to build new features fast because they won't be able to test it in time and they frown if you find bugs because they somehow think you're making them look bad. And this behavior goes up the chain, to senior dev, to manager and may be up. Hiding mistakes, disowning bugs and what not. I feel like I'm neither getting recognition, nor the reward but think I'm getting the satirical blunt of it (I don't get it most of the time). How would you guys proceed to quit this job ? Yearly performance review is coming up but I'm not sure if I can make it past the regular 5% increase. Should I say it's not enough and just quit ?

peejaybee 11 years ago |

I'm iterating what's been said here already, but want to make sure you realize it really is the best way:

Just find another position, give decent notice, and move on. If anyone asks, it's always about how much better the new opportunity is, not about how crappy the current job was.

davismwfl 11 years ago | |

This is the way to go and well worded.

One comment, politics will be at every company you work at, especially the larger ones. Even those who swear they don't have any, so you have to accept there will always be some but find the ones you can live with and learn to navigate what remains. Good companies do their best to control and eliminate bad politics but some will always exist. I am one who doesn't do well with politics around product or deceit, so I'd be out the door with you if I saw what you are saying.

You can learn how to screen companies, to some degree, during the interview process. It takes a little time and practice to figure out how and it is also a lot about you personally and what you can accept or not.

cam- 11 years ago | | |

I agree. Politics is how people negotiate power without violence. So it is everywhere. It always helps to understand politics even if you don't want to engage in it as it can help make seemingly irrational behaviors appear concretely rational once the motivation for it is understood.

prettyrandom100 11 years ago | | |

I fully agree with you. Will try my best to screen next time around.

limeyx 11 years ago | |

Definitely agreed. Dont be an arse, be polite, move on and upwords. You never know when you might need to cross a bridge you just burned down!

prettyrandom100 11 years ago | | |

Will definitely love to work with some people but think others are just bad influence. Also, the way I see it, the company burnt bridges. I will be polite, but I don't want to do anything with them anymore, product or employment wise

chrisbennet 11 years ago |

People leave developer jobs all the time; it's expected. You haven't been able to change the process working "from the inside" so resist the urge to give them any "helpful" advice on your way out - it won't be appreciated.

Find your next job. This is important: When your new employer asks you when you can start, tell them depending "on how fast your can wrap things up" 1 to 2 weeks.

If you current employer walks you out the door when you tell them you're leaving , enjoy a week or two off. If they want you to stay for 2 weeks you do that and start your new job afterwards.

joezydeco 11 years ago | |

I'll sound like a broken record for saying this, but unless you are under contract you can leave at any time. Two weeks is a courtesy YOU extend and nothing more. If you were to be laid off or fired you wouldn't get two weeks notice, would you? You'd be out within the hour.

If this place is as dysfunctional as it seems, staying two weeks after giving notice will be a nightmare.

So clean your house now as you search for a new job. Take the time to get your work documented and tidied up. Do it quietly. Don't give any signals you're looking. Business as usual.

Once that's all set and you give notice, if your employer gives ANY friction at all then just walk out the door. If they need you for two more weeks of help they can hire you as a contractor at a nicely inflated rate.

And like chrisbennet says, schedule some downtime between jobs to decompress, unpack, and mentally prepare for the next gig (unless you really need the income).

brudgers 11 years ago | | |

If the bugs don't change the bottom line, then the company is not dysfunctional. There's simply a mismatch between the expectations of an employee and the employer.

That is normal for someone working below a Senior Developer, a manager, and some unknown portfolio of VP's, Executive VP's, and C-level staff. A person that far down the food chain doesn't have a medium size picture, let alone the large one...i.e. the perception that the company is dysfunctional is not based on business metrics but "how I've always done stuff before."

chrisbennet 11 years ago | | |

"I'll sound like a broken record for saying this, but unless you are under contract you can leave at any time. Two weeks is a courtesy YOU extend and nothing more. If you were to be laid off or fired you wouldn't get two weeks notice, would you? You'd be out within the hour"

This is very true. That said, as a professional you need to act like one - even when your employers doesn't appreciate it. For example, the quality of a professionals [think doctor, fireman, teacher] work product isn't dictated by how much they are paid.

AnimalMuppet 11 years ago | | |

True, but still give two weeks notice. Yes, it's a courtesy you extent, not a legal requirement. Do it anyway. Be courteous.

RogerL 11 years ago | | |

The premise is "don't burn bridges". Doing this will definitely burn every bridge.

NumberCruncher 11 years ago |

Dale Carnegie wrote: ... even in such technical lines as engineering, about 15 percent of one's [...] success is due to one's technical knowledge and about 85 percent is due to skill in human engineering-to personality and the ability to lead people.

Even if you find a great job where you can focus on the "15%" there will always be other departments / managers / competitors, who doesn't play by your rules. You better get used to it and continue doing a good job & read the book "How to Win Friends & Influence People".

If I were you I would stay at least for one another year in my current position and quit first when I know how to handle politics.

prettyrandom100 11 years ago | |

Or I could start my own company and see how that goes ? I really don't buy into 85% people succeed due to sycophancy and even if they do I don't think I want to be one.

NumberCruncher 11 years ago | | |

Of course you can start your own company. You could try like this:

1. sell your time: Work as an employee for a couple of years and get some real life experience. Yes, even in company politics. One could actually skip this stage, but hey, you are already doing it, so why not make the best of it? Build your network, get some trainings paid by your company, learn from your managers.

2. sell yourself: do freelancing

3. sell your product: start a company

4. help others building companies and selling their products: compete with Y Combinator

Good luck!

DanBC 11 years ago |

"Dear $NAME,

I am writing to give my $LENGTH_OF_NOTICE notice as required in my contract. My last day of employment with you will be $DATE

Please let me know if there is anything that you'd like me to focus on in my last $LENGTH_OF_NOTICE months employment.

Your sincerely,

$YOUR_NAME."

This is all you need. You don't need, nor want, to go into the reasons. It's probably best to not mention the reasons even if they specifically ask; just tell them that you got a better offer somewhere else.

JSeymourATL 11 years ago |

> I just can't take the politics of it anymore.

Political Savvy is a core executive leadership skill--if you decide to quit, you'll no doubt run into any number of organizations full of strong egos, constituencies, rivalries, and assorted issues. Beyond your role as a developer-- can you navigate within the company to motivate others and get things done? Can you deal with your managers persuasively?

Office politics doesn't go away, here's an HBR article you may find of interest> https://hbr.org/2015/01/office-politics-isnt-something-you-c...

EpicEng 11 years ago | |

This is exactly what I was going to say. You may not like politics, but it's always going to exist to some degree, and you can't just ignore it while expecting true career growth. If you ever want to become more than someone who simply implements the requirements passed down to them from on high, you need to be effective in working across the organization.

Personally, I wanted to stay technical, but I also wanted to play a meaningful rule in creating and steering the company vision from the product side of things. To do that you need more than technical chops.

That said, if you just want to be a head down coder, that's fine too. Also, none of this means that you shouldn't find a new organization to work for of this one is toxic. Just know that it may not be as bad as you currently think it is, so perhaps this is a growth opportunity.

cgtyoder 11 years ago |

Start looking for another job now. If you get an offer you like, give 2 weeks notice, tell the new place you need 3 weeks, and take a week vacation recharge before your next adventure.

brudgers 11 years ago |

The big problems for most the world's organizations are not software bugs in corner cases. The business of most the world's organizations is not producing software, even if they have in house development staff.. Good software solves a client's actual problems. That is entirely orthogonal to best engineering practices.

There is lots of great advice on quitting here. For completeness I'm suggesting what staying another year might teach:

1. The listening skills necessary for figuring out what matters to other people.

2. Interpreting non-technical language and translating it a technical solution.

3. Asking good questions to find unarticulated constraints.

4. The understanding that every business is a sausage factory (even software businesses). Get close enough and there's no avoiding seeing what goes into the sausage.

I'm not suggesting staying at a job you hate. I'm not suggesting working with mediocrity. On the other hand, it's no accident that many software badasses come out of consulting - and an inhouse development team is akin to an inhouse consultant: paid to solve problems not make products or problems.

Good luck.

prettyrandom100 11 years ago | |

What if the bug was severe security bugs, several of them which definitely helped make the software better ? I've been a firm believer that there are "million dollar bugs" that could destroy the product completely, shouldn't those be considered big problems for world's organizations ? I think I might have already learned these things you pointed out in the 1 year I spent, does adding one more year really help much ?

brudgers 11 years ago | | |

Let's say there's a 1% chance of a $1,000,000 bug. Insuring against it costs $12,000/year (expected payout * 1.2).

It takes 40 hours @ $100/hour * 2.0 overhead to fix it = $8000: And the expected net value of 40 hours of developer work is $4000. This makes fixing the bug versus insuring against it a wash.

Assessing risk and evaluating alternatives is the basis for rational business decision making. Throw in a 1% chance that the bug fix produces a $100 regression bug, and the business case is for insurance.

Again there's nothing wrong with quitting a job you hate. But it is probably a mistake to assume that the entire operation is staffed by incompetents. People have different perspectives based on their job responsibility.

Good luck.

lgunsch 11 years ago |

If you are in good standing with your current employer, the very first thing I would do is get a letter of reference.

They are very valuable, and hard to come by. I wouldn't leave without getting a letter of reference first. It does signal that you are looking for another job, but that is okay. It's not a big deal. Everyone knows it happens, and if they are at all reasonable they will go ahead and do it for you. People leave jobs nicely without burning bridges all the time.

loumf 11 years ago |

Write a nice, professional letter and leave out all of that crap.

dmrg 11 years ago |

Continue doing your best at your work at your current job as you will need your employer for future references. At the same time, do your research as to what you want to do as well as what is on the market out there. Once you have identified your target companies/roles, start the recruiting process. The period from between when you start exploring other options and until you land an offer you like and want to accept is going to be stressful and the challenge is to manage your emotions and behavior in your interests. Politics exist largely because people who own the company and those who run the company are not the same. Owners want profits and efficiency and managers want titles and bonuses.

tehwebguy 11 years ago |

You can't make the impact you want working there, you won't make that impact by quitting. Do what's best for you, that's all.

rounce 11 years ago |

"So long and thanks for all the fish"

pmdulaney 11 years ago |

Fyi, the expression you want is "without burning bridges," not "without burning THE bridges."

JoshDoody 11 years ago |

I'm writing a career management guide, and one of my chapters ("How to leave a job") is exactly about how to leave a job on the best possible terms.

My advice: Don't "rage quit". Make a plan and quit on good terms. You don't have to stick around much longer if you can't stand it, but at least be sure to give two weeks' notice and try your best to leave on good terms. You never know when you might run into some of these co-workers again and you want them to think highly of you.

Here's the summary section from that chapter—maybe there are some things here that could help you make sure you don't burn any bridges :)

Leave on the best possible terms, even if you feel slighted — It’s always difficult to put on a happy face when things aren’t going well, but this is a time when you can really boost your reputation.

Ask your manager and co-workers what you can help with before you go — Do this and you will make a lasting impression on your co-workers.

Document the projects you’re working on so your successor is prepared — Your successor will have a much easier time absorbing your work, and they’ll thank you for it.

Bundle up relevant documentation, emails, etc., and make sure they’re saved somewhere that others can get to them — Most companies are moving to cloud-based storage, so it may all be out there anyway. Even so, put together a master document that points to everything they’ll need.

Make sure to return all your equipment in good shape, and do it quickly — Most of the time, you are just borrowing company property. You should return it in good shape, just like you would want your own property returned if you lent it out.

Reach out to your closest co-workers to make sure they’re part of your network before you go — Your network is one your most valuable assets for finding future career opportunities.

Reach out to your colleagues to say goodbye and share your contact information — If you’ve done all these things, you’ve left a great impression. Make sure your old co-workers know how to find you if they need someone like you in the future. And be sure to reach out to your closest co-workers to personally say goodbye whenever possible.

Be vague and use positive language in your exit interview — It feels strange to advocate for being vague, but the exit interview is one of the times when it’s necessary. You won’t benefit by baring your soul on your way out, and the company isn’t going to change because of your feedback. Keep it short, sweet, and surface-level.

That's a one-page summary of the chapter, but the chapter itself goes into quite a bit more detail.

You can get the full chapter for free here: http://JoshDoody.com/leave?ref=hn5