Ask HN: How do you leave a company the right way? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: How do you leave a company the right way?

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I've been with a company (~150 headcount) for 4 years, and it's been terrific. Everyone I work with is fun, and smart, and just a good person. I've loved it. But I'm leaving to start my own company (not in the same industry).

This is my first company, and so it's the first one that I'm leaving. People usually do a two-weeks-notice, and it's not awkward, just sort of wrap up existing work, document things you worked on, and make sure your last day is on a Friday so everyone can go out for drinks one last time.

What's the proper way to give my resignation/notice, and tell my coworkers? I've only ever been on the receiving end of this when we congratulate a coworker on moving on to a different or better opportunity. Do I send out an email first to my manager and HR, or tell my manager in a one-on-one?

How have you done it?

I've been on both sides of this and have done it poorly and well. The best way I've found is this.

Talk to your manager first. Communicating via email will send the wrong message and has more of a chance to be misunderstood.

Tell them why your leaving and what constraints you have (do you need to be full time at your new gig in 2 weeks/months/days or are you flexible). Then ask them how they want to proceed. This part is a negotiation and your trying to find what works for both you and the company. Don't agree to something you don't want to do - this can be mitigated by letting them know all your constraints at the beginning of the conversation.

The next steps will be decided by you and your manager. So it changes based on the specifics of your role and the company, but usually this means you'll send something out to everyone else on your team to inform them and then spend the next couple of weeks finishing projects and handing them off.

Good call on thinking about timing, I'm probably too flexible, and having not thought about it, I'd definitely agree to something I didn't want :)

I have tried this and I'm still alive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gj2iGAifSNI

I can't say it is a best practice.

Haha while I'd love to do a walk-out sometime in my life, I'd want the company to have earned it before I give it to them.

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