How to Leave a Company
How someone quits a job is as essential as hunting for a job. Social media has brought attention to employers but has also decreased the gap between a person’s private and social life. Many employers even request access to a person’s social media to get a better “perspective” on a person. As a result, how gracefully you leave a company for another is no longer a secret since co-workers may make comments on their social media outlets. Everyone laughs at the YouTube videos of someone quitting their job, but ask yourself – Would you hire them for your company?
Two-Week Notice
It is customary to offer employers a two-week notice of resignation. Most employers appreciate the notice and use it to transition a new employee into your current job. However, some employees are surprised when the company refuses their notice and escorts them off the premises. A little-known fact is that companies are not required to honor an employee’s two-week notice. So, if you are planning to quit your current job, ensure you have enough funds to cover a month’s worth of wage loss because it usually takes two weeks in your new position to obtain a paycheck.
Once you quit your position, employers are not required to honor your resignation notice. Therefore, before giving notice to an employer, you need to consider how it will influence your current financial situation.
Unemployment Insurance
If your company does not accept your two-week notice of resignation and terminates you immediately, it can be considered an involuntary separation in some states. Check if you can collect unemployment benefits before you start your new position.
Co-Workers
Your co-workers will want to know why you were dismissed before giving your two-week notice. Expect close co-workers to call you after work hours. If they do call, stay positive about your former company, no matter how you feel personally. Do not comment about your former employer on social network sites or “bad mouth” to anyone. Negative comments make you seem like a negative person and unprofessional. Remember, many companies now ask for access to your social networking sites.
When an employer accepts your two-week notice, try to be as helpful as possible during the transition. Make the effort to stay in touch with co-workers after you leave. Social networks like LinkedIn are excellent ways to keep in touch. These former co-workers may also leave your former company for better positions. Stay in touch with them by networking just once every three months. All it takes is a friendly note on Linkedin or by email.
Always leave companies with careful consideration on how it will affect your future. Employers do not have to honor an employee’s resignation notice, but employees must be good employees until the end of their notice for their future career plans. It takes only one nasty social media comment from a former co-worker about your work habits to ruin your professional reputation.
