Develop A Plan

Parting Company Productively With Your Employer and Colleagues

You have a surprise meeting with your boss, Gillian, so you hurry into her office as usual. You don't want to displease her, because you know she doesn't tolerate unpunctuality. As you close her office door behind you and stand in anticipation, her nervous, guilt ridden face tells you that everything is not fine out there. Even as Gillian asks you to sit down, she announces that the company is downsizing and must "flatten" the workforce, and unfortunately, your position has been eliminated. She mumbles how sorry she feels, how difficult this has been for her, that downsizing is just a part of corporate life and that you'll probably find a better job. You feel a lump in your throat as a mixture of shock, fear, and anger crisscross through the length and breadth of your body.

Utterly speechless, you now face a professional moment of truth. You have a major "split second" choice to make, and can exit stage left in two ways: enjoy a brief moment of vindication by telling Gillian exactly what you think of her and the company or deploy a positive leave taking strategy that might well help you advance long your career path in ways you never imagined. While the latter is hard to figure out when you're in the thick of an unwanted departure, it's still the best way to ensure that your encounter with the breaking news of unemployment is as brief as possible and your professional reputation remains untarnished.

The Day of Reckoning

Restrain your emotions and remember the difference between what you can and can't control. You can't force your boss to annul your termination, but you can hope to Part Company responsibly and in a manner that benefits all parties. Why blemish your reputation as a professional and good corporate citizen for one brief moment of superficial gratification?

Your current actions will very likely determine how you're perceived in the business community for years to come.

• You might run into a former colleague at another company or conduct business again with old vender.
• Many entrepreneurs find this a great way to launch their businesses.
• If you choose to start your own business instead of getting another job, you might find yourself approaching your ex-employer about becoming your first client.

Treat your impending severance as a "Honeymoon in reverse"

• When you are hired, you enthusiastically geared up to become part of the corporate culture, meet new people and immerse yourself in burgeoning, exciting project.
• You should put the same tape in the machine but play it backwards now as you already left your job.
• You have a limited time to disengage yourself from the people around you and from your work.
• Your task is to gently shut one door after another as your distance yourself from the company and finally establish closure.

Negotiating Again

There's a final similarity between leaving and joining the company. When you've been terminated, you're often in as strong a position to barter with your employer as you were when you were hired. Before you accepted employment, the company was anxious to create a desirable environment and bring you into the fold. Now, as the end of your relationship with business approaches, your employer may be eager to help you bring your mutual association to a dignified closure.

Needless to say, your "severance leverage" depends largely on the company in question. There are certain cases where firms that pass out pink slips engage their security personnel to accompany people to their cubicle to clear out their desks, then usher ex-employees out the door as fast as they possibly can. Even employers who don't engage in such drastic actions may have severance policies that expect you to accept what you're offered without any protest.

However, you should bear in mind that even rigid companies can bend rules for individuals under certain circumstances, and this happens more often than you might expect.

• Employer who were high-ranking or valued members of the team might negotiate a stronger package by reviewing the details of the severance agreement at home before signing it at a later date.
• Employers might also selectively increase termination benefits to individual employees if they can demonstrate the need to do so.
• Smart employers know that a terminated employees treated well is less likely to turn into a problematic former employee.
• If your employer wants you out the door badly enough and it would peace him or her to have your part amicably and without the company's policies.
• Your spouse, children and other close relatives can help you keep your problems in perspective by reminding you that life exists beyond the business world and ensuring that you don't have to face the uncertain future alone.
• "Ask not, get not". You'll seldom get anything above and beyond what your employer initially hands you unless you ask for it, so it's up to you to take the initiative and name your terms.

When and How to leave

Our employer would certainly like to see you and negotiable for a limited amount of time to get your affairs in order if circumstances permit. This allows you to remain on the payroll a bit longer, and buy you time to contemplate how you will make your next career move.

• One sure way of delaying your exit date is to explain that it will take a certain amount time to finish whatever project you're working on, to hand off your duties to coworkers or to train your successor.
• Even if you do have to leave immediately, you can avoid having to clean out your desk and leave in the presence of colleagues and coworkers. This can be achieved by requesting permission to pack up your belongings on an appointed evening, weekend or any time when other employees are least likely to be around.
• On your part; you might agree to let a security guard or a manager accompany you to ensure that you take only the items that rightfully belong to you.

Access to Legal Help

You can always engage a labor attorney to advocate for your rights. Of course, you have the legal right to consult with a lawyer for advice at any point during the termination process. Officially bringing an attorney into your leave-taking process to advocate for you can change the dynamics of the situation. You might get a better deal, but the chances of parting on good terms with your employer may be reduced. There are times when you need legal representation, when your employer is denying you the benefits the law entitles you, or you feel you've been discriminated against or you've been wrongly terminated, you have to contemplate sacrificing your relationship with your employer and call in a hired legal gun to protect your rights. Though legal assistance could mean investing time and money, you may have plenty to gain. You'll get:

• Perspective-You'll learn from an uninvolved professional what you can realistically negotiate from your former employer.
• Peace of Mind-If your severance agreement is fair and appropriate, no further action may need to be taken. You'll be able to sign the severance agreement and thereby renounce all legal resource or develop a renegotiation strategy.
• Guidance-"You will have expert guidance on appropriate next steps to be taken.

A labor attorney can also help you to level the playing field; even as you're overwhelmed by emotions, a clear-thinking professional on your side can be reassuring. In order to find the right labor attorney for your needs, you can:

• Contact your state bar association.
• Find out who your company's legal counsel is and hire their competitor.
• Get friends and acquainted to recommend good labor attorneys they know.

You definitely want to be a "nice guy" to your company, but it is different when you company violates your rights. Don't feel guilty; get your settlement with the help of a legal advocate.

• Samples of your best work
• Letters of praise you've received for your work
• Performance evaluations

Make sure you recheck your packing list so that you do not forget any important item. Also remember to lock down any benefits to which you're entitled, including profit sharing, pension benefits and stock options. Have your employer sign a letter explaining how you will receive any monies or securities. Will the funds be paid outright or rolled over and disbursed? It's up to you to make sure that you're properly compensated for your contribution to the company.

Spin Your Story

You stand alone or involve a lawyer in the affairs; you still have one foot out the door. Therefore, you'll need a practical, face-saving explanation for your separation from the company. The truth is important, but how you position your departure story is vital-one upon which you and your employer must agree.

There are numerous ways of framing your reasons for departing, but some can be of benefit to your far more than others. It may seem unimportant for someone leaving the company anyways, what reasons are given for it can be of importance. It pays to make sure that your colleagues, associates, vendor and potential future employers hear a version of the story that shows you in your best light. For example, "Downsizing forced them to eliminate my position" does sound far better than "My boss had to cut one salary from the budget, and it happened to be mine," or "Managerial changes became inevitable in my department" will definitely sound far better than "My boss let me go because I had a personality conflict with her." Other face-saving scenarios include: "I'm planning to give a new direction to my career," "The projects assigned to me were phased out," or "My manager and I had differed in our work styles," all of which better "I was sacked for no fault of mine".

Having established a simple, reasonable explanation for your leave-taking, you should convince your employer to buy off on it. This may well be your final opportunity to negotiate with your employer, so it shouldn't be too difficult. Even the most belligerent boss will hesitate to make your leave taking more painful than it has to be or to sabotage your chances of reemployment. Most importantly, employers won't want to hurt your job prospects for fear of finding themselves vulnerable to a lawsuit.

Take Care of Business

While you don't want to sensitively go off as you prepare to leave the company, you also don't want to let your job performance slide. It is only natural that you are tempted to put in the bare minimum of effort while the clock starts its countdown to your departure. But that won't be of any benefit to you in the long run. You've worked hard to earn a reputation as a thorough and proficient employee, and there's no reason someone should remember you as anything less. Moreover, you've put a lot of energy into your work, and given it your heart and soul. You probably won't be around now to see the projects you began coming to fruition, but you can still take a pride in contributing your best efforts during what little more time you have got at the company. Give it your very best!

Take Things That Matter

You may find it impossible to take care of all unfinished business once you have walked through the door for the last time. Therefore, it will be wise to prepare a list of everything you'll want to pack up and carry home. But there are some things you may not be allowed to take. For example, you can't take stapler that belongs to the company, even if you have been its sole user since it was there. However, you can take the things that rightfully belong to you.

For instance, if you were a salesperson, you might not be able to take a list of customers so that you could sell them a competing company's widgets in the future. However it might be perfectly acceptable for an accountant to take the same list of customers to keep in touch during the holidays. You'll probably run into some gray areas i.e. things that belong to you but that your company would prefer to hold onto anyway. In such cases, it becomes a judgment call and you'll have to decide what to take and what to leave behind based on your sense of principles.

On the other hand, in the event of an employee agreement having signed before you were hired, the choice might be taken out of your hands. This contract compels you to leave behind proprietary information and may prevent you from competing professionally with your employer for a certain length of time. Such agreement might not hold up in the court.

A Proper Farewell

You also need to consider personal relationships apart from typing up logistical and financial loose ends. You have been part of a professional network that included colleagues, associates, vendor, customers, clients and the public, now that it is time to say goodbye to them, it won't be easy for any of you. You will somehow have to face it and find a way to say ciao.

Preempting the information flow is the first step in easing the pain of separation. This means that you should be the bearer of the news yourself rather than newscaster. Also, be sure to tell everyone the same story, the one that you and your employer have agreed upon in advance about the reason of your departure from the company. It is very natural that you will feel the urge to blast the boss and trash the company, but it will be wise to keep yourself from doing these. Blowing off the steam can make you feel better, but wont make your situation any better. Rather it could make it much worse for your future career prospects.

In some cases, you might be asked to delay telling people about your imminent departure, especially if your company is in the process of closing an important deal with a third party. So you'll want to comply with your employer's wishes both to keep the peace and to benefit the company. There are also some cases where you may be forced to leave the company before you even have a chance to say the news to your coworkers and other people concerned. In such cases you'll have to work a way to ease the blow and put a positive spin on your departure. You can make a gracious exit by making phone calls or sending letters of farewell to everyone on your address list. Thank everyone for the help they gave you during your time in the company.

By doing so, you will be able to create an important bridge that will serve you well in the future. You never know who will be able to help you jumpstart your career, when you're ready. Stay connected and do not distance yourself from all the people you have worked with while you were at the company.

Post Termination Relationships

You never know, some of your colleagues are likely to treat you differently once you've broken the bad news to them. No matter how close you've been with them, they will want to detach themselves from you as you are leaving the company. Some might not want to have anything to do with you altogether. Your colleagues 'Withdrawal', whatever the reasons, won't help.

Things won't be any better if you also display the same attitudes as those of the people mentioned above. Understand their reactions and actions, it's the best recourse. You have to bear in mind that you might need to approach one of them at a later date in life, so it is always safe not to make sour relationship with any of them. As far as possible, you should try to maintain good terms with everyone concerned.