Burning bridges by leaving unfinished work at your old job?
September 26, 2015 11:42 AM Subscribe
I was previously working at a medical supply company last year and left that job due to high turnover, low wage, and being 17-19 miles away from home. The current job that I have now is only 2.3 miles away from home although the pay was only $1 more. I work for a mental health insurance company. I've been there for 9 months now. I was hired as an administrative assistant, and I have found out the hard way after 4-5 months into the job that I'm not the best fit for the position. I also found out that the work environment is toxic along with a high turnover rate similar to my old job. Here is a couple of reasons for the toxic environment. & why I plan to leave.
(1) The owner himself has yelled at people in front of others. One manager walked out the door with her belongings after he threw paper towards her direction. The VP is also similar to the owner in terms of abrasively confronting people. His son works in our department and scans documents all day long. We gave the guy a box of contracts to scan into the system. A few days later, we found out from our department manager that he complained to his dad (the VP) that we were giving him too much work. He also scans documents for other departments. The VP told my manager not to give him anymore work or he will "have the owner bring the box of paperwork personally to our department". Oh good old nepotism. He's still participating in our department meetings and etc. But we can't give him anymore work than he can handle.
(2) The turnover rate is just as awful as my previous job. There's a lot of back-stabbing, finger-pointing, and criticizing amongst certain people who work in different departments. My manager is not well-reeived by certain people within the executive team. I get the feeling that she's looking forward to going back to school full-time and leave 7-8 months from now. One department had a span of three new people who were brought in from a temp agency or wherever, and all three people left within a matter of days. The camaraderie is non-existent, as certain people have stopped doing their best at times because they're most likely looking for a new job after a few months down the road. People complain that they are not recognized by upper management, and I found out recently that the company does not have a protocol for performing an annual review of each employee. That status has now changed since we are being audited in November by a major accrediting agency, and evaluations will be conducted in October for the first time in like forever.
The workload is unforgiving, as the previous person in our department left tons of work behind. She was mentally checked out and would take extended lunches to interview for jobs. She eventually got a good gig at a hospital. On top of dealing with leftover work, I found myself being overwhelmed & stressed with desk work due to my poor time management skills, lack of agenda for the day, and awful body language at times. When I worked for an optical department and the medical supply company, I dealt with patients over the phone and face to face. I enjoyed providing exceptional service whether the patient was a jerk or not. I got recognized multiple times. Now there are murmurs around the department that I'm not doing my job, I'm working too slow, and etc. My girlfriend was spot-on about her assessment towards the whole situation: I am better off for a role that involves more hands-on with people, less on the office work, and be a part of an organization in which you walk into the workplace with a sense of purpose & belonging. Now having better concentration, changing my approach, and having a better attitude would also do wonders in terms of my work performance. I just don't think I can work here for another year or even 6 months.
I've had multiple interviews with different hospitals the past 8 months, as having a bachelor's degree + relevant work experience has done wonders for my resume. I had an interview last Thursday that went really good in my opinion, and I have another one coming up this week. IF I do receive a job offer from one of these places and give a 2 week notice, I can say for certain that some work will most likely be left behind due to an upcoming audit that the whole department must prepare for, training the new person, and etc. A person leaving for another job will be a major inconvenience for the rest of the staff who have the month of October for prepare for the audit which is taking place during the 1st week of November. Am I burning a bridge in the event that I leave my current job in the middle of October? Has anyone had a similar experience to this?
(1) The owner himself has yelled at people in front of others. One manager walked out the door with her belongings after he threw paper towards her direction. The VP is also similar to the owner in terms of abrasively confronting people. His son works in our department and scans documents all day long. We gave the guy a box of contracts to scan into the system. A few days later, we found out from our department manager that he complained to his dad (the VP) that we were giving him too much work. He also scans documents for other departments. The VP told my manager not to give him anymore work or he will "have the owner bring the box of paperwork personally to our department". Oh good old nepotism. He's still participating in our department meetings and etc. But we can't give him anymore work than he can handle.
(2) The turnover rate is just as awful as my previous job. There's a lot of back-stabbing, finger-pointing, and criticizing amongst certain people who work in different departments. My manager is not well-reeived by certain people within the executive team. I get the feeling that she's looking forward to going back to school full-time and leave 7-8 months from now. One department had a span of three new people who were brought in from a temp agency or wherever, and all three people left within a matter of days. The camaraderie is non-existent, as certain people have stopped doing their best at times because they're most likely looking for a new job after a few months down the road. People complain that they are not recognized by upper management, and I found out recently that the company does not have a protocol for performing an annual review of each employee. That status has now changed since we are being audited in November by a major accrediting agency, and evaluations will be conducted in October for the first time in like forever.
The workload is unforgiving, as the previous person in our department left tons of work behind. She was mentally checked out and would take extended lunches to interview for jobs. She eventually got a good gig at a hospital. On top of dealing with leftover work, I found myself being overwhelmed & stressed with desk work due to my poor time management skills, lack of agenda for the day, and awful body language at times. When I worked for an optical department and the medical supply company, I dealt with patients over the phone and face to face. I enjoyed providing exceptional service whether the patient was a jerk or not. I got recognized multiple times. Now there are murmurs around the department that I'm not doing my job, I'm working too slow, and etc. My girlfriend was spot-on about her assessment towards the whole situation: I am better off for a role that involves more hands-on with people, less on the office work, and be a part of an organization in which you walk into the workplace with a sense of purpose & belonging. Now having better concentration, changing my approach, and having a better attitude would also do wonders in terms of my work performance. I just don't think I can work here for another year or even 6 months.
I've had multiple interviews with different hospitals the past 8 months, as having a bachelor's degree + relevant work experience has done wonders for my resume. I had an interview last Thursday that went really good in my opinion, and I have another one coming up this week. IF I do receive a job offer from one of these places and give a 2 week notice, I can say for certain that some work will most likely be left behind due to an upcoming audit that the whole department must prepare for, training the new person, and etc. A person leaving for another job will be a major inconvenience for the rest of the staff who have the month of October for prepare for the audit which is taking place during the 1st week of November. Am I burning a bridge in the event that I leave my current job in the middle of October? Has anyone had a similar experience to this?
This business is awful and disorganized. Why is any of this your problem?
You sound like your predecessor being "checked out" on this gig was a bad thing. You need to rethink your attitude. It's the opposite.
ProTip: Never give your energy away to folks who undervalue or abuse you outright.
posted by jbenben at 11:52 AM on September 26, 2015 [12 favorites]
You sound like your predecessor being "checked out" on this gig was a bad thing. You need to rethink your attitude. It's the opposite.
ProTip: Never give your energy away to folks who undervalue or abuse you outright.
posted by jbenben at 11:52 AM on September 26, 2015 [12 favorites]
You don't have to justify to anyone why you want to leave. If you feel it's toxic, that's enough reason. And if they were to fire you, they wouldn't give you any notice, most likely. And they certainly wouldn't care if you had any unfinished business such as rent to pay and groceries to buy.
Remember, it's business, not personal. Do what is best for you.
posted by MexicanYenta at 11:53 AM on September 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
Remember, it's business, not personal. Do what is best for you.
posted by MexicanYenta at 11:53 AM on September 26, 2015 [3 favorites]
I've certainly seen people not give good references because of this sort of thing, and I've been in this position myself, but I've never had serious problems getting work in future after this kind of thing happening. There's no point at which you can leave an employer who's a mess and have all your ducks in a row. Leave as many notes as you can about what you're in the middle of, and then it becomes your boss' responsibility to make sure that your transition happens smoothly after you give notice. Whatever hasn't gotten done at that point isn't your responsibility. You can't make up for the fact that your employer refuses to or is unable to hire enough staff to meet the workload. All you can do is protect yourself.
posted by Sequence at 12:05 PM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by Sequence at 12:05 PM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
For the question in your title, I read as far as "workload is unrelenting" until I felt justified in saying that there is always going to be unfinished work. Don't fall into the sick system, go ahead and move on with a clear conscience.
With such a crazymaking environment, do you really think anybody's going to ask you why you're leaving, and if they do, they aren't going to know what you're talking about when you say, "what, are you kidding?" You've got a good perspective that it doesn't have to be this way.
posted by rhizome at 12:05 PM on September 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
With such a crazymaking environment, do you really think anybody's going to ask you why you're leaving, and if they do, they aren't going to know what you're talking about when you say, "what, are you kidding?" You've got a good perspective that it doesn't have to be this way.
posted by rhizome at 12:05 PM on September 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
People leave jobs for whatever reason all the time, and it's almost always the case that there's some work left undone before they do. That's just how it works, because otherwise nobody would ever leave. I've left a job where I tried to finish up a major undertaking before giving notice, but there were still a bunch of irons in the fire when I went. I've also been let go by an office when I was right in the middle of some major stuff and they didn't really care. So, you really owe them nothing. If they have high turnover, this is going to be something they've dealt with hundreds of times. As long as you do the basic decent thing and give 2 weeks notice, you can consider yourself in the clear as long as you're not in some kind of management position. As amanda says, there is no bridge.
posted by LionIndex at 12:06 PM on September 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by LionIndex at 12:06 PM on September 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
I never understand these types of questions.
The work belongs to your employer and the role, the work does not belong to you. The work goes with the role. When you leave, someone else takes that seat and continues the work.
posted by jbenben at 12:09 PM on September 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
The work belongs to your employer and the role, the work does not belong to you. The work goes with the role. When you leave, someone else takes that seat and continues the work.
posted by jbenben at 12:09 PM on September 26, 2015 [2 favorites]
Leaving work behind is completely normal, and nothing to worry about. If you give notice and execute responsibly for your last two weeks, that's as much as anybody can reasonably hope for.
Good luck with your interviews!
posted by whisk(e)y neat at 12:09 PM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Good luck with your interviews!
posted by whisk(e)y neat at 12:09 PM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Yeah, you have to not take your job this personally. Very few people have jobs where things are ever "finished" - that's normally why people get laid off or reduced, because there's no more work to do.
If you know information that nobody else knows that is critical to job functioning - logins to special things, phone numbers for important contacts - document those and hand them off. Turn in keys and passcards. That is the extent of your obligation.
Future employers who are rational human beings understand that sometimes people leave jobs because they were fucking awful. If there's a coworker or someone from there that you're on good terms with, make sure you have a way to contact them after you leave so you can use them as a reference, but at the end of the day if you need to say "I left that job because it was quite a bad situation, I'm not using them as a reference but I can provide you with additional personal references" that is a thing that happens. (Lots of people get new jobs without being able to use their current jobs as a reference, it happens every day, it's not that important. This isn't the 1950s where a reference is the only way to confirm you ever had that job.)
posted by Lyn Never at 12:12 PM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
If you know information that nobody else knows that is critical to job functioning - logins to special things, phone numbers for important contacts - document those and hand them off. Turn in keys and passcards. That is the extent of your obligation.
Future employers who are rational human beings understand that sometimes people leave jobs because they were fucking awful. If there's a coworker or someone from there that you're on good terms with, make sure you have a way to contact them after you leave so you can use them as a reference, but at the end of the day if you need to say "I left that job because it was quite a bad situation, I'm not using them as a reference but I can provide you with additional personal references" that is a thing that happens. (Lots of people get new jobs without being able to use their current jobs as a reference, it happens every day, it's not that important. This isn't the 1950s where a reference is the only way to confirm you ever had that job.)
posted by Lyn Never at 12:12 PM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
If the reason there is unfinished work is because you were slacking, then they are justified in giving you a bad reference. If it's because there was just too much work, or because a project extends past your end date, they would be assholes for giving you a bad reference.
Either way, it has no bearing on whether you should leave and you should feel absolutely no guilt. The only real question is whether to ask your current boss for a reference or not. The second you accept another job, that undone work is their problem to solve and you have absolutely no moral connection to it.
posted by 256 at 12:36 PM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
Either way, it has no bearing on whether you should leave and you should feel absolutely no guilt. The only real question is whether to ask your current boss for a reference or not. The second you accept another job, that undone work is their problem to solve and you have absolutely no moral connection to it.
posted by 256 at 12:36 PM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
There is always 'work left behind', no matter what the job is. Do what is best for you, find another job and don't look back.
posted by easily confused at 1:22 PM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by easily confused at 1:22 PM on September 26, 2015 [1 favorite]
There is always 'work left behind', no matter what the job is. Do what is best for you, find another job and don't look back.
One proviso - leave the undone work in such a state that whoever has to pick it up can do so with a minimum of effort. Karma, for one thing, plus you never know who you're going to run into down the road.
posted by BWA at 2:09 PM on September 26, 2015
One proviso - leave the undone work in such a state that whoever has to pick it up can do so with a minimum of effort. Karma, for one thing, plus you never know who you're going to run into down the road.
posted by BWA at 2:09 PM on September 26, 2015
Two weeks is a courtesy. Unless you are under some kind of contract, it is not required.
If you feel AT ALL that giving your two-week notice is going to be a problem for them and it will turn into harassment, just say you are quitting at 5:00pm that day. If it turns into a harassment situation after giving notice, leave on the spot.
I'd take BWA's advice and perhaps prepare and document as much as you can before you give notice. These jokers don't deserve it, but it's a professional thing to do.
If it were me, given what you'd said, I'd turn in notice on a Wednesday morning that I'm quitting effective at 5:00pm Friday. Two days should be enough to tell them where all your notes are and what state everything is in. Then I'd take a week off as a mental vacation before starting the new job fresh. Two weeks if I had the finances to float it.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:04 PM on September 26, 2015
If you feel AT ALL that giving your two-week notice is going to be a problem for them and it will turn into harassment, just say you are quitting at 5:00pm that day. If it turns into a harassment situation after giving notice, leave on the spot.
I'd take BWA's advice and perhaps prepare and document as much as you can before you give notice. These jokers don't deserve it, but it's a professional thing to do.
If it were me, given what you'd said, I'd turn in notice on a Wednesday morning that I'm quitting effective at 5:00pm Friday. Two days should be enough to tell them where all your notes are and what state everything is in. Then I'd take a week off as a mental vacation before starting the new job fresh. Two weeks if I had the finances to float it.
posted by JoeZydeco at 6:04 PM on September 26, 2015
You need to let your superivor(s) and person to replace you know that there will be unfinished work. You can offer to work overtime to help get more work done before you go, but otherwise there's nothing you can do about it. It's better to let them know upfront than to leave a stack of work that they'll discover after you've already left, effectively screwing your replacement over. That scenario might be a burned bridge. If you can also ask for coworkers for some help with lightening the burden, that would be great. A few people taking a little bit of work can eliminate what would be hours of work for one person.
I was in a similar situation and tried to tie up as much loose ends as I could before I left my job, but obviously you can't finish everything (what about incoming work on the day you're leaving and it's still your responsibility?). I handed the unfinished work off to the proper places (it was divided among a few people since they hadn't hired a direct replacement yet), and since I had already trained everyone in what needed to be done, I gave them clear instruction that it was pending material and the timelines for when they would need to have it done and how far along I was. I also apologized for the inconvience out of courtesy.
My last few days were hectic but I left no rock unturned about any possible work I might have, no matter how small, that would need to be passed off to someone so as to not have anyone asking "why didn't anyone take care of this" a month later.
posted by atinna at 7:42 PM on September 26, 2015
I was in a similar situation and tried to tie up as much loose ends as I could before I left my job, but obviously you can't finish everything (what about incoming work on the day you're leaving and it's still your responsibility?). I handed the unfinished work off to the proper places (it was divided among a few people since they hadn't hired a direct replacement yet), and since I had already trained everyone in what needed to be done, I gave them clear instruction that it was pending material and the timelines for when they would need to have it done and how far along I was. I also apologized for the inconvience out of courtesy.
My last few days were hectic but I left no rock unturned about any possible work I might have, no matter how small, that would need to be passed off to someone so as to not have anyone asking "why didn't anyone take care of this" a month later.
posted by atinna at 7:42 PM on September 26, 2015
I was you a month ago. I didn't even give notice because I knew those 2 weeks would be filled with abuse and stress. I am now in a job I love and I don't regret what I did. I spent a year and a half crying all the time and I deserved more. You deserve more.
posted by shesbenevolent at 2:03 PM on September 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by shesbenevolent at 2:03 PM on September 28, 2015 [2 favorites]
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posted by amanda at 11:48 AM on September 26, 2015 [12 favorites]