"What's the right way to quit a job on good terms"/ "How to spot the 10 villains in your office"

Jun. 26, 2017 "What's the right way to quit a job on good terms": Today I found this article in the Globe and Mail:

THE QUESTION

What are the guidelines around resignations – how to do it, and what are the timelines? Some people give two weeks’ notice, some a month. What is the right thing to do so I leave in good standing?

THE FIRST ANSWER

Daniel Lublin

Partner, Whitten & Lublin Employment & Labour Lawyers, Toronto

Just as an employer has to provide an employee with reasonable advance notice of termination (or it is a wrongful dismissal), an employee has to provide an employer with reasonable advance notice of a resignation (or it is a wrongful resignation).

However, the amount of resignation notice that an employee should provide is very different than the amount of termination notice an employer should provide, with the latter amount usually being far greater. A fair resignation-notice period is usually assessed with reference to how long it should take an employer to replace that employee.

 Employees in a specialized position or an industry with little mobility should provide longer resignation-notice periods than employees in a space that has frequent turnover and where replacement options are abundant. As well, an employee should not resign with limited notice if doing so would leave an employer in a particularly vulnerable situation. For example, resigning on the verge of a big presentation or trade show, leaving an employer in the lurch.

The main exception to the general rule is where there is a specific policy, contractual clause, guideline or even an accepted custom that dictates how much notice is reasonable. In these cases, an employee who provides either less or more notice than the stipulated amount can be held to the contractual standard. 

Usually, when asked to comply with the contract, an employee will quickly reconsider the initial resignation notice in order to adhere. Less commonly, a failure to comply can be treated as any other contractual violation – an employer has the right to pursue damages for any related losses. Few employers actually proceed with claims for wrongful resignation, but the threat of doing so is often enough to have employees reconsider their stances.

THE SECOND ANSWER

Eileen Dooley

Vice-president, VF Career Management, Calgary

Over the past few years, employees quitting roles in grandstanding ways have often made the news. While screaming a resignation on an airplane may make someone a short-term social-media star, it’s not a career-enhancing move. Leave on a high note, regardless of how you feel about the job.

If there’s no specified notice period in the contract, between two and three weeks’ notice is plenty, depending on the seniority of the role. The purpose of this notice period is for the employee to transition files and work to the team, so they can carry on until a replacement is found. 

This also gives the employer time to plan what they want to do with the role. Especially in professional roles, rarely are positions filled within the notice period; nor are they expected to be.

Draft a letter of resignation. Make it brief, stating what your final day of work will be. You can also add in a line expressing your appreciation for the opportunity to contribute to the company. Wherever practical, arrange to meet with your supervisor to present your resignation letter in person, telling her or him your intent to leave and when your last day will be.

If your supervisor asks why you’re leaving, keep it professional: You’re moving to a new role more aligned with where you’d like to take your career. Don’t use the question as an opportunity to air grievances. 

If an exit interview is offered, that usually is a more appropriate place to give feedback on what the company might have done better in order to retain you, or areas where it could improve its overall employee engagement.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/career-advice/whats-the-right-way-to-quit-a-job-on-good-terms/article35446516/

cgasucks

1 day ago

I quit my last job with only 4 hours notice because they deserved it by the way they treated me. I gave my present employer 4 MONTHS notice becasue they deservsed it by the way they treated me.

Jul. 3, 2017 "How to spot the 10 villains in your office": Today I found this article by Harvey Schachter in the Globe and Mail:

You may know the Narcissist, Venus Flytrap, Swindler, Bean Counter and Eccentric, if not by those names.

Those archetypes might sound like comic-book figures. But they are actually folks in your office who may sometimes feel like arch-villains, making a mess of your day. Psychiatrist Jody Foster says if you can understand what makes them tick you will take a big step toward making life easier for yourself and them.

When taking an MBA course in the late 1990s, she was besieged by questions from classmates about dealing with difficult colleagues. She would work with venture capitalists to assess management teams and deliver seminars on disruptive behaviour by physicians, later expanding to other industries.

Throughout, a key question she heard was, “What do I do about the schmuck in my office?”

Now at the University of Pennsylvania, she has collected her insights in a book, The Schmuck in my Office, which delineates 10 personality types that drive us nuts.

She stresses these people’s behaviour usually has been overlooked for many years and, with nobody telling them it’s wrong, they become entrenched in their ways. 

“These people are not ill. They are not sick,” she says, advising us to be empathetic, understanding what leads to the behaviour, as a first step to changing it.

• The Narcissist is the most common. A bit of healthy narcissism is a good thing, allowing us to try new things. But when it becomes overpowering ego and entitlement, blaming others for every mistake, it can be a huge problem. Usually at the core is insecurity that the puffed-up ego is protecting.
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•  In dealing with them, don’t attack but instead compliment, stroking their ego in a gentle way, to ensure them they are safe. “You need to respond to their demands quietly as ego is so fragile,” she says in the interview.
   
• The Venus Flytrap causes the most damage. These seductive colleagues draw you into their web, creating very intense relationships, but they are always up and down emotionally, very close and then turning their back, leaving others walking on eggshells around them. 
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• They were usually raised in an unsupportive environment and feel unlovable. “What works with the flytrap is structure and consistency.
  You may need firm, no-tolerance behaviours, but be sure to praise positive actions. This is a very difficult, difficult character. When you have one in your office they can turn things upside down,” she says.

The other eight problem personalities she highlights:

• The Swindler: Smooth, glib and untrustworthy. The key is to keep them out of your organization. Practise due diligence on potential recruits. If the person is too good to be true, be even more careful.
   
• The Bean Counter: A controlling, micromanager who stifles creativity. Avoid direct challenges on detailed stuff as you won’t win. Express appreciation for their assistance and knowledge.
   
• Distracted: This person has terrible trouble organizing himself and is lousy at time management, leaving everyone frustrated. Give them one task at a time and help them to avoid distractions.
   
• Mr. Hyde: This person has an addiction and is no longer the Dr. Jekyll you hired. Behaviour is erratic and mood changes quickly. “You have to confront them assertively and empathetically. Do it as close as possible to bad behaviour at work,” she says.
   
• The Lost: This person’s memory and cognition is slipping and they are less capable of doing their work, unable to use their previous intelligence. You need to hold a supportive conversation to help the individual recognize the difficulties they are having, keeping safety in mind. Medical evaluation may be needed.
   
• The Robotic: This individual is rigid and lacks social skills. Written instructions and a predictable schedule may be best for this person.
   
• The Eccentric: This person has unique ways of looking at the world, perhaps telling others about their paranormal fascinations. You need to remind them their personal beliefs shouldn’t be inflicted on others.
   
• The Suspicious: This conspiracy theorist is always on the lookout for harm, exploitation and deception. Be clear and direct in communications and provide transparent rationale for decisions.

She picked these 10 because they exist; most of us are familiar with many if not all.

Keep in mind these people don’t set out to make the workplace hell – so she urges you to be kind as you deal with them. And give some time to considering whether you might be the villain in the office.

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/careers/management/how-to-spot-the-10-villains-in-your-office/article35525867/

mitsoumom1

7 hours ago

It seems to me that as a manager of these 10 types, you would be spending excessive amounts of your time providing them with special treatments to deal with their various eccentricities. 

Imagine being able to give only one project at a time to the person who's not organized. And what about those who don't fit into any of these categories, presumably the conscientious, hard-working individuals? When would you find time to advise and manage them? The book is poppycock!

2 Reactions

ISpy1

49 minutes ago

Those hard-working individuals who do the bulk of the work eventually join an 11th group - ''Burnouts.'' When that happens, the manager who has been dealing with the prima donnas in the other groups, calls the hard worker who has burned out, onto the carpet and wonders why the work output has decreased, why they aren't ''engaged'' any more, and why the worker can't keep rolling the boulders up that hill. The manager suggests performance counseling; the worker suggest something else involving an impossible body contortion, and leaves the job; the manager wonders what happened.

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kramnot

8 hours ago

I have seen a lot of difficult individuals in 40+ years of work, but this article seems extreme. Most of the characters described sound so crazy that they should be in mental institutions. Reality is much more mundane.

5 Reactions

Giveuptheghost

5 hours ago

An interesting statistic is that only 5% of employees end up doing 90% of the work.

triumfant

8 hours ago

What about the Categorizer? The person who lumps complicated people with varied histories into ten manageable buckets and then sells their time as a consultant?

9 Reactions

nsman2

5 hours ago

Don't forget the laughing hyenas. Beware the ones that frequently respond in conversations with a giggle or laughter.

Mr. C. Montgomery Burns

33 minutes ago

She forgot the Sociopath. Some CEOs and some in upper management fall into this category.

1 Reaction