How to Quit Your Job with No Regrets | Christine vs. Work

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0:56Christine:I was just thinking how much agony that was. I think it's my time to move on. I feel like you owe it to the company and you owe it to me to sort of stay where you think about that. That was horrible. And that wasn't even real. How to quit your job? It sounds simple, but there's more to it than you think. If you haven't already heard, quitting is so hot right now. You know, the pandemic, the economy, the rallying cry of, I really need a change. So if you're thinking of quitting your job, I have some questions for you. Do you know exactly how you're gonna do this? Like when you're in the room, what are you gonna say?

1:36Christine:You could wing it. So I quit. Right now, we're gonna figure out how to quit the right way. You're gonna learn what to say, et cetera. So stick around if you wanna see me figure out these tips step by step. Let's learn how to quit with no regrets.

2:04Christine:Before we start, a brief word from our sponsor. We all want better ways to work. Confluence, the leading team collaboration software, keeps your whole company in sync. Confluence is one place where you can create, collaborate, and share work. So you can spend less time meeting and more time doing. Get it free today at Atlassian.com slash meet less. I actually don't remember quitting. I know I have. You blacked out? I think I've, yeah. That is Dori Clark. She's an author, marketing strategist, keynote speaker, and teaches at Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. She's thought a lot about how career decisions make a long-term impact.

2:45Christine:How do you know when it's time for you to quit a job? if you feel like you're a little bored, your advancement opportunities are just not there and you look at the landscape and say, you know what, I could probably do better. I'm stagnating here. Perhaps I should move on. The emotional answer is it's Sunday night, it's Monday morning and you feel a sense of profound existential dread. And that is pretty urgent actually to get addressed one way or another. So if you're hearing this and thinking, whoa, that sounds like me. I really need to quit. Well, before you take that final plunge, just ask yourself one question.

3:28Christine:Is there anything, anything that could keep me here at this company? Have I played this situation out? Have I exhausted every opportunity? The things that are in my control to make them better or to ask for them to be improved, have I done that? Have I tried that? If you're like, oh, they're underpaying me, you could ask for a raise. If you really hate your department, you could ask to transfer teams. Whatever the request, it might seem extremely indulgent, but it doesn't hurt to ask. I mean, what do you have to lose? A number of studies have come out showing that a fairly significant portion of the workforce is seriously considering quitting their job, anywhere from about 25 to even up to 50 % of workers.

4:13It does mean that employers, they are in much more of a position to want to make a deal with you.

4:22Christine:So after all of that, if you still decide to quit your job, great. Here is how to quit your job. So the first thing that you're going to want to do is to talk to your manager, the person that you report to, and let them know what the situation is. Don't gossip around your work friends, and don't be tempted to post a little teaser that you're quitting on social media. Next, you got to figure out when you're going to deliver this message to your boss. So if you have a recurring check-in with them, perfect. That's a great opportunity to share your message. If you don't have that recurring meeting, you should send a line.

4:57This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required. Compatibility and availability varies 18+. This episode is brought to you by Palmolive. Family time isn't just the big moments. It's weeknight dinners. Sitting around the table, everyone talking all at once.

5:32So when the plates are empty and the sink is full, use Palmolive Ultra. Palmolive's most powerful formula removes up to 99.9 % of grease, leaving your dishes sparkling clean. And the new convenient pump makes cleaning even easier, so you can spend less time tackling dishes and more time together. Shop now at palmolive.com. I have something.

5:55Christine:How do I set that up? I'm not going to be like, um, the quitting meeting on Tuesday at 3 o 'clock, right? You basically tip your hat and say, there's something important that I need to talk to you about. And I'm wondering when would be good for you. As soon as somebody says that they're thinking the worst, you could say, in fact, we could talk soon. We could talk today if you want. Once you're in the meeting, cut to the chase. Chances are your boss's spidey senses will be tingling. You don't want to just be blathering because you're nervous. You need to get to it quickly. This part of the conversation is the tricky part.

6:32Christine:You'll probably want to explain a little bit why you're quitting. Now, you could tell your boss all these honest things and you might have really strong feelings while you're leaving, but the safest route is just to talk about your personal reasons, which are true. You can say something like, Christine, I wanted to let you know first, I have so enjoyed my time working at HBR and working with and learning from you. I've come to the conclusion that now is the right time for me to move on. And so I wanted to give my notice. Of course, I want to make sure that the transition is as smooth as possible and I can be as helpful as possible in it.

7:15Christine:At this point, you're giving your notice, you know, the proverbial two weeks. But in essence, you want to give enough time and transition so you can tie up loose ends, whatever else you need to do. I can anticipate having a lot of emotion there. Do you have advice on how to keep it together in the room while this emotional conversation is happening? First of all, it's really important to practice what you're going to say. because you're going to feel a lot more in control than if you somehow have to invent your answers on the spot while your heart is racing. Like a prop? Like, it was like a sword thing.

7:56Christine:Cue the practice montage!

8:01Christine:Is that a good one? That works. It's like, it sets the tone, but it's also kind of like, there's something coming. All right, here we go. I'm just lost. I do have something significant that I want to talk to you about, and that is I have decided to leave. Oh, wow. That's like very liberating to say out loud. I really enjoy working here, but I've decided for my own priorities and, you know, changes within me. You know, a lot of it is just personal reasons. I feel like I want to, my mission is, this is so weird. Where am I going? Can you talk about transition?

8:58Christine:Okay, so I just practiced my quitting script and I'm gonna meet up with Laura and I'm going to do my best to keep my cool, not fall into weird ad lib patterns and just kind of stick to my game plan. So she actually hired me, so it's gonna be a little bit emotional, that's real. I've been through this before on both sides of the table, so I'm gonna try and give her a hard time as best I can and not make it easy for her. I'm not, if you're wondering, I'm not actually quitting my job, really. I'm going to try to keep it as realistic as possible. So I just want to make sure I hit all the steps. And if all goes well, I quit.

9:39Christine:So you're probably wondering why I called this meeting. And so I'll just lay it out here. So I have really enjoyed working on your team. And I'm really grateful for the opportunity. This episode is brought to you by Palmolive. Family time isn't just the big moments. It's weeknight dinners. sitting around the table, everyone talking all at once. So when the plates are empty and the sink is full, use Palmolive Ultra. Palmolive's most powerful formula removes up to 99.9 % of grease, leaving your dishes sparkling clean. And the new convenient pump makes cleaning even easier, so you can spend less time tackling dishes and more time together.

10:19Shop now at palmolive.com. This episode is brought to you by Google Chrome. You think you know a browser, but Gemini and Chrome, that's new. It can help you with practically anything on the web, like restoring a vintage motorcycle from a 50-page restoration block, or finally break down that long article you've had open for weeks. Gemini and Chrome is here for it. Ready to make anything online make sense? There's no place like Chrome. Check responses set up required, compatibility and availability varies 18+.

10:48Christine:I've had at HBR, but I have done some reflection over the past year and I think it's my time to move on. I am really excited about all the stuff we've been doing, but I see myself in a smaller type of organization, a startup. I think personally it's just what I would like to see myself doing. And also, I just really want to make sure this transition is as seamless as possible. So I've specced up a plan for the next two weeks that I can tie loose ends, finish up projects, make sure everything is in order before the transition. I'll work with you to the best of my ability to get it all done. I know I've enjoyed very much working with you here.

11:40I know your colleagues have also enjoyed working with you. You're a superstar, so I couldn't imagine any organization that might not want you. So that's not a surprise that you might be considering other options. You know, sometimes startups fail and then you're sort of just left and you don't know what the next thing might be. And they can fail within a month, they can fail within a year. And I don't want to see that happen to you. You're too good for that. I want you to stay here.

12:10Christine:I have, I think from a personal standpoint, for personal decisions, I think just this year has put things into clarity and this is the direction I decided to go. Something that can actually be even harder sometimes is if you really like your boss and you're leaving and you feel like you're letting them down. And that can be really difficult emotionally. It's almost like leaving the nest to fly away. And unfortunately, there's not a magic bullet cure for it. You do have to leave the nest eventually. We have a show with your name on it. You know, this is about you. You're the star of that. How do you expect me to just replace a star like that?

12:57I mean, I feel like you owe it to the company and you owe it to me to sort of stay.

13:02Christine:I think it would be best if I moved on and I want to help you and the team for whatever it takes to usher you guys into a successful transition. So again, much appreciated. I do sincerely thank you. Thanks a lot. Fine.

13:25Disclaimer, as a manager, I would never do that to an employee and try and guilt them that way. that's not normally how I would suggest any manager act.

13:35Christine:Okay. I was gritting through my teeth. I was like, oh, that is going for the jugular, Laura. I'm just gonna sit, grin, and bear it and try to get through it. Like I had one job, the one job was to quit. I cannot veer from this. So you made it, you made it hard. I was just thinking how much agony that was. And that wasn't even real. I feel relieved that it's over. And so first of all, Dory's framework that I practiced, it was so helpful to have that baseline of gratitude and personal reasons and transition at the forefront. That was really powerful. If you're thinking about quitting or just about to quit, like I understand it is a huge decision.

14:18Christine:It will definitely affect your career. It'll definitely affect your life, hopefully for the better. So if you have thoughts on quitting or you have a quitting experience, please leave them in the comments. I'd love to read them. I do read every comment. And, you know, good luck on everything. Please subscribe to HBR's YouTube channel and hit that bell to get notified when new episodes drop. If you're still watching, one, thank you. But two, I'm really curious. Like, what do you want me to explore? Like, what problems do you have at work? I love to solve them. Please leave a comment. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

14:54Christine:And if you have any other ideas, throw them my way. All right. Peace out. Fall is the perfect time to refresh and reorganize your space. At the Home Depot, find power tools and tool sets starting at$50 to help tackle DIY projects, home updates, and more. Whether you're drilling brackets to support new shelving or sharpening your hedge trimmer blade with an angle grinder, the Home Depot has the tools you need to check projects off your list. Shop Labor Day Savings at The Home Depot and gear up for fall projects with the right tools to keep your projects moving. Close your eyes, exhale, feel your body relax, and let go of whatever you're carrying today.

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