I’m a little torn about what to say about this week, since I don’t want to slag anyone on my way out, but I’ve encountered a couple of dramatically different reactions:
- You’re quitting, seriously?
- Oh crap, that sucks.
- Where are you going?
- I’d love to leave too, but I don’t have another job lined up
I’m a little shocked at how many people came to talk to me about their own discontent. I’d bet in February, after everyone’s annual-review stock vests, Expedia’s going to see a huge number of resignations
And then from managers
- I just want to make sure you’re doing what’s best for you (but really I don’t care and won’t talk about that at all)
- I know there are serious problems here, but I’m not running away (by the way, if you’re a manager out there, this is a really crappy thing to say to someone)
- Don’t quit, come work for me on my team (several)
I know in some ways that this puts my boss/his boss on the defensive, because walking away without having another job isn’t just a loss of a person, it’s a pretty dramatic statement about how bad things are… I’ll stop whining. Next week should be fun.
Anonymous | 25-Jun-06 at 8:00 pm | Permalink
Said company already IS seeing a huge number of resignations. The headhunters are all aware of low morale, and are circling the waters like sharks.
This is about the third time this has happened to me.
DMZ | 26-Jun-06 at 4:14 pm | Permalink
Yeah, I saw this at AT&T Wireless, when thing first started to get bad… in cases like this, it’s the smart rats that see the signs and abandon ship early.
Which is why, if you’re a dumb rat, you want to keep an eye on whether the smart ones are putting on life vests and loitering around the rafts.
Anonymous | 26-Jun-06 at 10:34 pm | Permalink
Haven’t many of the smart rats already gotten on the rafts?
I interviewed at Amazon recently. They’re screwed up in their own way, unfortunately. Start-ups seem to be the way to go.