Spring has sprung, the reopening has begun, and for some of us it’s time to make new moves into the post pandemic future. Yeah, I’m talking about leaving your company and getting a new job. Especially if you’re a part of one of those Spartan operations trying to bring everyone back 5x per week.. You’re gonna lose some people! Just sayin!

We spend so much time evaluating, applying, interviewing, evaluating, and then accepting new roles before turning our attention to the leaving. Strategizing on how to drop the news, wrap everything up in a timely manner, and heading out on our merry way. Let’s be real the quitting part is not really top of mind until it has to be done and then, like any other uncomfortable task, it gets rushed.

Over a recent conversation with a friend we discussed this very topic as they began to consider how best to map their exit from a multi year role. Admittedly their scenario was unique since they weren’t rushing off to a competitor or a new role in two weeks time. Still, it’s hard to leave. It’s even harder to quit with grace.

There are unlimited reasons to leave companies and anyone will feel a mix of emotions leading up to a departure. You might want to make it quite clear why you’re leaving but also preserve the important relationships you’ve built. Who doesn’t want to be well liked on their way out by the people that matter (to you)? Yes yes It’s tempting to have your Half Baked moment and tell everyone you didn’t like to F off and throw up the deuces on the way out. Maybe tell Carol from Marketing that you hated her jokes all this time. Or Eugene from Sales that he absolutely needs to start wearing deodorant. You haven’t seen him in over a year…but people don’t forget.

Still, where does that leave the business…and your vested equity? When you’re ready to leave your management role and need to wrap things up, here are a couple ideas to keep top of mind:

Circumstance
Control is an important power to wield. If you have mutual trust with your boss consider yielding some of that control around the timing and circumstances of your exit. Partner up on the departure! Allow your boss and the company to collaboratively work with you on the details of the timing, communication, etc…to an extent. If you don’t have a drop dead date for running out the door perhaps allow them the space to craft a plan that works for all parties involved and leaves your glowing reputation intact. Preserve those relationships and go out strong!

Level
It can be helpful to weigh your level and your place in the organization against a departure timeline. If you’re a Team Lead your project responsibilities can probably be reshuffled somewhat quickly. If you’re a Director managing managers give some more thought and space to the upcoming quake you may unleash with your announcement. You really need to give more notice the higher up you are, however you can get it negotiated with your new employer. It will help the perception of your departure greatly once you’re gone. People remember how you make them feel, ya know?

Tenure
If you’ve been there for a year the regular old two weeks notice is probably fine. Obviously not the best fit anyway, right? But if you’ve been there 3,4,5 years? The more time and hint dropping ahead of time the better. You might have attended some colleagues weddings by then, bonded over pre pandemic happy hours, and are likely a bigger part of the business. Give the company and your soon to be ex-colleagues the time and attention they deserve to leave things in a great place. More tenure = more notice, however possible. It’s not quite as simple as a correlation of tenure to weeks of notice. Decent proxy though.

There you have it, a couple ideas. Cede some control as your specific circumstances allow, be cognizant of your level & influence, and map tenure to exit timelines…approximately. Simple enough. Now you just need to muster the courage to pull your boss aside and have that convo. Good luck!