To leave or not to leave?

July 22, 2010 7:36 PM

Help me resolve some questions about leaving my job.

Several years ago, I started working for Organization X, a non-profit. I loved working there - the people, the culture, it was all great. The job I hired on for was great too, initially. However, slowly my job description began to change, until I don't recognize my life goals in my job anymore. I really, really want to quit, and try to get back on track.

But I have a complication - A year ago, my organization won a grant which allowed us to pretty much reinvent my department, and drag it into the 21st century. My position is named on the grant as being responsible for some of the work (I devote about 10% of my time to it). To be clear, my salary is not paid by the grant, and I was not hired just for this project.

My question is, what will happen if I leave in the middle of the project? I'm really hoping for particular details, if any of you have knowledge of the government grant process. My friends and family are all begging me to quit (once I've found a new job, of course), since I am terribly stressed and burnt out, to the point that it is negatively affecting my health. But I am worried about how it will affect the co-workers I leave behind. What if my organization declines to hire a replacement for me? They are notoriously stingy. Will my co-workers then have to put in the 10% of time that I cannot, in addition to their own?

I have an overly-large sense of duty, or self-importance, perhaps. Should I just say to hell with it, and leave anyway?

posted by backwards compatible to Work & Money (6 answers total)

That's what your two-week notice is for--giving your employer a chance to replace you or for you to train whoever is going to be taking over your tasks. Others can perhaps speak to the grant process (it beggars belief that the departure of a staff member who does 10% of the work would have any repercussions to the grant itself, though), but this is a question everyone has when they want to leave a job--what about the poor schmucks I leave behind with all my work? Answer: they get by. You don't have to live your life to take care of other people's work (unless you want to).

Otherwise, two weeks' notice, no more, no less (unless otherwise provided in your contract or under the laws of your jurisdiction; talk to a lawyer, this is not legal advice and I am not your lawyer, blah blah).
posted by Admiral Haddock at 7:53 PM on July 22, 2010

This worry is above your pay grade. This is for the people who run the company to worry about. Your co-workers will either deal with any problems head-on or choose to go somewhere else just like you. You must make the best decision for you.
posted by inturnaround at 9:16 PM on July 22, 2010

Yes. Non-profits have turnover like everywhere else. The grant went to your organization, not to YOU, and they will hire someone else to do the work and be fine.
posted by salvia at 9:21 PM on July 22, 2010

Leave. The project will likely be completed by someone else. If its not, its still nothing to do with you. Not for profits encourage that sense of duty you describe in yourself, so that staff don't complain or leave when they're burnt out. Trust me, You and your family/friends care about your health, the organisation only cares about the project. Otherwise they would have done something about your burnt out-ness, before it got to this stage.
Good luck with the job search and try and take at least a week or two to recover before starting any new work. Burnout tends to follow you if you don't recover properly!
posted by MT at 10:22 PM on July 22, 2010

Realizing that I wasn't obligated to stay at the hellishly stressful non-profit job I was killing myself at was the best thing that ever happened to me. You are replaceable.
posted by Zophi at 10:43 PM on July 22, 2010

While Admiral Haddock says no more than 2 weeks notice, I find in some circumstances where I was the sole knowledgeable person about something, liked the people I worked with and didn't want to screw them, I offered to give more than 2 weeks notice (max of 3). Something to consider, and your new place would certainly appreciate that you would do that for a company you no longer have an obligation to--says a lot about character.

Beyond that, the professional thing to do if you are taking the high road is to provide as in-depth as possible documentation about whatever projects you are working on currently to help guide them through the process in your absence. All of the details you can offer up to and including where emails are stored in your account, where files are stored on your machine, etc. The person who takes this over from you (quite possibly a boss who you will later need a reference from) will be unbelievably grateful.
posted by Elminster24 at 7:59 AM on July 23, 2010