I need help! I've listened to the 3-part series on resigning, yet I still have questions relating to my situation:
I have worked at my present company 6 years; small office; reporting directly to the owner. I have been offered a position with a direct competitor, for which I have accepted.
In resigning to my current boss, I feel it necessary to let her know I will be working with a competitor. I would rather be honest about it up front, because she will find out sooner than later anyway (our industry is a small niche market where competitors are in close circles with one another). Further: I don't want to give her an opportunity to assume I have sabotaged any of my work here, I want to be clear about my loyalty and honest about my destination. Lastly, she should have the opportunity to dismiss me upon my resignation.
She will be upset, so this is not going to be easy. She is not a working owner and never present in the office. I meet with her rarely, so it is difficult to schedule time face-to-face. As history has shown, attempts at making meeting appointments with her are futile. She'll call in at the meeting time to discuss topics over the phone instead, arrives 4 hours late, or a complete no-show (she avoids coming in the office; possibly allergic to work).
So I proposed a meeting on Monday (in 2 days!) under the guise of a status update on clients, issues, etc. She suggested a lunch at a local restaurant (again, she avoids coming in the office).
My Question: How do I resign over a lunch meeting? Do I order food, provide her with updates, continue as if everything is normal, then resign at the end? Or do I resign immediately upon sitting down?
Attempting another meeting wouldn't work; it would take me another two weeks, and then she would want to do lunch again!
Is it possible to resign over the phone?
Suggestions???
Don't burn any bridges
You mention it's a small industry, and you report directly to the owner and have been there 6 years. I suggest resigning in person not over the phone. When you meet her at the restaurant, be upfront with her and have the resignation discussion before ordering anything for lunch. I'm assuming you'll have a transition plan / document ready for her that lists all open items you have with your work and team and their next steps etc. After the resignation discussion, you could then ask her if she would like to continue with lunch (or alternatively go back to the office together) where you could talk through the transition plan and next steps - but it's really her choice from that point.
Don't burn any bridges with her in the meeting e.g. by making comments about her regular non-appearances at the office ('not a working owner', 'allergic to work' etc.) especially given your comments about the industry being small and everyone knowing eachother.
I hope I am not too lates
I would not tell your boss where you will be going. If she is really upset she could try and do things to discourage your new employer from taking you on. It is illegal, but I have seen it done. Also, if you have any non-compete or non-disclosure agreements, she could immediatly file a law suit against not only you, but your new employer in hopes that they will let you go instead of being sued - seen this done also. In many states in the United States your current employer could file an emergency stop work injunction - meaning you cant work.
Follow the MT resignation podcast steps. Resign professionally, provide a transition plan, etc... You are not obligated to tell them where you are going. You dont even need to provide a resignation letter, in fact you should not. Be professional and as the previous post said "dont burn any bridges".
Lastly, under no circumstances tell anyone at work that you are resigning and where you are going. Dont tell anyone, even after you have resigned. This can not be stressed enough - there are no secrets. Let your boss frame the conversation of your leaving, that is the professional thing to do.
I resigned from a company and went to a competitor. I was sued and thanks in large part to the MT resignation podcasts, my actions before and after my resignation showed that I did not act in an unethical or illegal manner.
Lastly, if your employer does get nasty and does go the litigation route on you I will tell you what my lawyer told me. Add value like crazy to your new employer and they will stick with you through it and should pay the legal bills. I know this is worst case, but you need to prepare for the worst and hope for the best.