The Wild Rover
02-04-06, 10:49 AM
Hey there Ratpack,
I thought since I was sitting here in Russia, waiting for the next job, I'd write a few lines on draggin' up...also know as quitting, wheels up, a bag drag, and just plain saying f#@* it!!! No, I'm not quitting, but it doesn't hurt to always look. The construction industry is the only one where you work yourself OUT of a job...Never say never I say. You can always find a better job, and YOU CAN BE REPLACED, no matter how good you think you are. At the end of the job, few people will remember how you saved the contractors ass by running the pipe this way, or building the wall that way.
Many of you have worked on horrible jobs, with great conditions, or just the reverse. Many have had it up to high heaven with the foreman, his cronies, the PM and his ridiculous schedule, had a better job offer, or just want to go home and see the wife and kids. Everyone has their breaking point, and everyone has to realize enough is enough. What to do, and how to do it....
Quitting your job means two things. First, you are ending a business relationship. Secondly, you are quitting, not bargaining. Let’s explore each one of these.
Despite the friendships and camaraderie (or antipathy, for that matter) you may have developed at your current job, you are still ending a business relationship. For that reason, you need to quit in writing. Even if you’re leaving a job for greener pastures, crafting a resignation letter will make you look more professional. If anything, it gives you good work practice, and looks good on a resume, because all parties involved are notified well in advance.
Your letter should be in business format, and it should include the following items:
* your intent to leave
* the date on which you will leave
* the date on which you are submitting the letter
* your signature
That’s it. You DO NOT need to apologize, say thank you, or explain why you’re leaving. All that needs to go in your personnel file is the bare facts.
Your letter may end up being quite sparse, and that’s okay. While you do need to address the letter to an individual, the real recipient of it is the business.
Here’s an example of a resignation letter:
Your Name
1234 Main Street
Anytown, USA
555-555-5555
Human Resources
The Company/Contractor
1234 Big Business Street
Anytown, USA
[Date you submit]
Human Resources Manager/Project Manager/Superintendant:
This letter is to inform you that I am resigning my position as [Position Title] with [Employer Name]. My last day will be [Date of last day].
Regards,
Your Name
Make sure that your effective date is at least two weeks from the date you turn it in. Longer if you’ve signed a contract with a specified time. Resist the urge to pad the letter with apologies. Put the letter in an envelope, addressed with the name, title, and department of the appropriate person. Place a copy of it with your personal papers. You are ready to handle the niceties in person, where it counts.
Be sure to hand over your letter to the appropriate individual in person. You want to be up front about what you’re doing. On a differently practical level, you want to make sure that he receives it. Tell the individual that the letter is time sensitive, and that you will be available for the remainder of the time on the project to discuss its contents. Be available.
Different companies and people react differently to resignations. Depending on your job and your relationships, some contractors will escort you out the door or off the site ASAP. Others will try to tempt you to stay by offering more money, promotions, lateral transfers, and so forth. If you are escorted out, so be it. It doesn’t mean that you’ve done anything wrong or ruined your relationship or clearance; it just means that’s how they do business. Turn down offers. They seem attractive in the short term, but few tradesmen who rescind their resignations are happy. You are leaving for a reason, stick with it, be a man, and say goodbye. It's not personal...it's business.
Some contractors will ask you to perform an exit interview, or breifing with the intelligence guys, or human resource people. Avoid criticizing your employer, fellow workers, lack of intelligence on the project, or harping on suggestions you’ve offered in the past that were ignored. In a sense, you are no longer responsible for anything other than wrapping up your work. In your absence, criticisms you make may be misinterpreted, and you can end up accidentally burning bridges.
When pressed, say that you think you’ve found an opportunity that fits you better. Don’t gloat over a new salary or benefits package. Don’t bad mouth the place or co-workers you’re leaving. Do enjoy going out to that farewell lunch or party at the bar with your coworkers. Be generous with information about your job you're leaving, projects, and responsibilities on your way out. One of your goals of leaving is not just to make it smooth for you, but also for the place you are leaving.
Finally, after you’ve left, continue to maintain your personal relationships. Don’t push too much for work gossip; you aren’t a part of that job anymore. Do let people know that your life is all right and that you think of them.
About those thank-you’s that you were tempted to put in your resignation letter? Write them now. Thank the personnel department for any assistance with exit paperwork. Thank your old boss or supervisor for easing your transition—even if they didn’t. If appropriate, pass business their way, and make sure they know who it came from.
If you stick to these guidelines, you’ll end up leaving a job. But you won’t end up stepping on toes, offending people, or cutting off a part of your life. Believe me, I have burned a bridge or two, as have most of you. A few years from now, the Contractor might get the great big job everyone wants to be on, and a new management might look differently if you left on good terms. Take it from a tradesman with experience.
See you on the next big one :cheers
I thought since I was sitting here in Russia, waiting for the next job, I'd write a few lines on draggin' up...also know as quitting, wheels up, a bag drag, and just plain saying f#@* it!!! No, I'm not quitting, but it doesn't hurt to always look. The construction industry is the only one where you work yourself OUT of a job...Never say never I say. You can always find a better job, and YOU CAN BE REPLACED, no matter how good you think you are. At the end of the job, few people will remember how you saved the contractors ass by running the pipe this way, or building the wall that way.
Many of you have worked on horrible jobs, with great conditions, or just the reverse. Many have had it up to high heaven with the foreman, his cronies, the PM and his ridiculous schedule, had a better job offer, or just want to go home and see the wife and kids. Everyone has their breaking point, and everyone has to realize enough is enough. What to do, and how to do it....
Quitting your job means two things. First, you are ending a business relationship. Secondly, you are quitting, not bargaining. Let’s explore each one of these.
Despite the friendships and camaraderie (or antipathy, for that matter) you may have developed at your current job, you are still ending a business relationship. For that reason, you need to quit in writing. Even if you’re leaving a job for greener pastures, crafting a resignation letter will make you look more professional. If anything, it gives you good work practice, and looks good on a resume, because all parties involved are notified well in advance.
Your letter should be in business format, and it should include the following items:
* your intent to leave
* the date on which you will leave
* the date on which you are submitting the letter
* your signature
That’s it. You DO NOT need to apologize, say thank you, or explain why you’re leaving. All that needs to go in your personnel file is the bare facts.
Your letter may end up being quite sparse, and that’s okay. While you do need to address the letter to an individual, the real recipient of it is the business.
Here’s an example of a resignation letter:
Your Name
1234 Main Street
Anytown, USA
555-555-5555
Human Resources
The Company/Contractor
1234 Big Business Street
Anytown, USA
[Date you submit]
Human Resources Manager/Project Manager/Superintendant:
This letter is to inform you that I am resigning my position as [Position Title] with [Employer Name]. My last day will be [Date of last day].
Regards,
Your Name
Make sure that your effective date is at least two weeks from the date you turn it in. Longer if you’ve signed a contract with a specified time. Resist the urge to pad the letter with apologies. Put the letter in an envelope, addressed with the name, title, and department of the appropriate person. Place a copy of it with your personal papers. You are ready to handle the niceties in person, where it counts.
Be sure to hand over your letter to the appropriate individual in person. You want to be up front about what you’re doing. On a differently practical level, you want to make sure that he receives it. Tell the individual that the letter is time sensitive, and that you will be available for the remainder of the time on the project to discuss its contents. Be available.
Different companies and people react differently to resignations. Depending on your job and your relationships, some contractors will escort you out the door or off the site ASAP. Others will try to tempt you to stay by offering more money, promotions, lateral transfers, and so forth. If you are escorted out, so be it. It doesn’t mean that you’ve done anything wrong or ruined your relationship or clearance; it just means that’s how they do business. Turn down offers. They seem attractive in the short term, but few tradesmen who rescind their resignations are happy. You are leaving for a reason, stick with it, be a man, and say goodbye. It's not personal...it's business.
Some contractors will ask you to perform an exit interview, or breifing with the intelligence guys, or human resource people. Avoid criticizing your employer, fellow workers, lack of intelligence on the project, or harping on suggestions you’ve offered in the past that were ignored. In a sense, you are no longer responsible for anything other than wrapping up your work. In your absence, criticisms you make may be misinterpreted, and you can end up accidentally burning bridges.
When pressed, say that you think you’ve found an opportunity that fits you better. Don’t gloat over a new salary or benefits package. Don’t bad mouth the place or co-workers you’re leaving. Do enjoy going out to that farewell lunch or party at the bar with your coworkers. Be generous with information about your job you're leaving, projects, and responsibilities on your way out. One of your goals of leaving is not just to make it smooth for you, but also for the place you are leaving.
Finally, after you’ve left, continue to maintain your personal relationships. Don’t push too much for work gossip; you aren’t a part of that job anymore. Do let people know that your life is all right and that you think of them.
About those thank-you’s that you were tempted to put in your resignation letter? Write them now. Thank the personnel department for any assistance with exit paperwork. Thank your old boss or supervisor for easing your transition—even if they didn’t. If appropriate, pass business their way, and make sure they know who it came from.
If you stick to these guidelines, you’ll end up leaving a job. But you won’t end up stepping on toes, offending people, or cutting off a part of your life. Believe me, I have burned a bridge or two, as have most of you. A few years from now, the Contractor might get the great big job everyone wants to be on, and a new management might look differently if you left on good terms. Take it from a tradesman with experience.
See you on the next big one :cheers