What are the ethical steps to follow for a programmer to change his job? [closed]

Question

• Is it OK to talk to other companies on the phone when I am currently working for a company?
• Is it OK to ask for permission for the current company so that I can go to a job interview?
• Is it possible to contact the other companies without losing my job?
• What are the ethical steps to follow, for changing my job with the least amount of problems?

Answer 1

Your employer does not own you. And it's pretty unlikely that you have entered into an enforceable contract with them that completely prohibits your looking for another job while you're on the payroll - but read your paperwork closely.

Most of this is very specific to your local culture & customs.

Is it OK to talk to other companies on the phone when I am currently working for a company?

On your personal phone, outside the building, during an allowed break or outside working hours, yes. On the company's phone, at your desk? No.

Is it OK to ask for permission for the current company so that I can go to a job interview?

Don't ever ask for permission specifically to go to a job interview. Simply ask for time off to take care of "personal business" through your normal channels and leave it at that. You are not obligated to explain the nature of that personal business. What you do with the paid time off that you are given as part of your compensation package is (usually) none of the company's concern, just as they don't have any right to ask what you do with your paycheck.

Is it possible to contact the other companies without losing my job?

That depends upon your current employer, how you contact those companies, and whether word gets back to your current employer that you're looking. Typically you should be keeping this quiet, and the company you interview with should similarly not be advertising who they've been interviewing. In small communities or highly specialized professions, it's hard to fly under the radar because there are so few people and people have a tendency to talk.

What are the ethical steps to follow, for changing my job with the least amount of problems?

Leave your current employer on good terms. Don't burn bridges. Document everything that you have done or are responsible for ahead of time so that the company isn't left in a bad position when you leave, and turn everything over transparently when you do so that there's no feeling of "when Uğur left, it set our business back 6 months." Beyond that, you owe the company no loyalty it's just business.

Answer 2

Don't you think your employer tries to hire people who already work for someone else?

• They'll contact them during business hours
• They'll encourage them to interview during the work day.
• Each company/manager is different in their approach to handling an employee who is known to be looking for another job. Don't risk anything by telling them.

Use discretion when making any personal phone calls during work hours. Can you honestly say you'd work during personal time? Each job has its own amount of flex-time. If you agreed to work 8 hours a day, then do it. You an make a phone call during a break.

Any company that wants to prevent employees from advancing your career doesn't deserve your loyalty. If you want to attract workers in a open market (hopefully you're in an open market), you structure things so you can offer them a meaningful career or deal with the turn-over.