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I am a consultant working with a few small organisations and I am ceasing to work with one of them. While my official reason is to do with workload (and this is genuine) the reason I chose them specifically is that the person I work to has been increasingly difficult to work with and I have found myself subject to behaviours which I consider to be at best demotivating and at worst misleading and insulting, though never so much so I have had clear grounds for a formal complaint.

I want to leave without trouble but equally not be too helpful.

I've been asked to do a handover meeting with a new person (I don't know who they are or whether they re PAYE or consultant). I think it's unusual for someone to be asked to do a handover meeting if they've been working on a consultancy basis, and in some sense is handing over to the 'competition', even if I have 'voluntarily' given this work up. So I don't want to do this - any thoughts?

I've tried web searches on this but nothing useful has come up so if anyone knows of a usual resource let me know.

Thanks in advance.

EDIT - I'm adding some of my replies to others below so new readers have the full picture.

I've worked with the organisation for over a decade, through a very formative period in its development and its hard not to feel resentful to depart in these circumstances, where I'm essentially avoiding a negative battle by taking the high ground and walking away from it

I'm not sure a consultant would always do a handover to another consultant, especially if one has been dropped in favour of another. That admittedly is not, on the surface, the case here although after some years on the same money I asked for an increased fee which sparked two years of painful discussions with some very long gaps – at one point I was essentially deceived into thinking they would and then told they wouldn’t - plus day-to-day disrespectful/demotivating behaviour, so again I don’t feel particularly well disposed towards them or whoever they have got in instead.

I didn't lose the business, I chose to give it up. I am complying with all other handover request including files, email and a document, my only issue is being asked to sit face to face and help out a competitor - yes i gave it up but do i still want to help them out, and should I be compelled to?

Isn't there an ethical issue here on what the client should or shouldn't ask me to do?

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    Why do you think it's unusual to do a handover meeting?
    – Mark Rotteveel
    Commented Oct 29 at 14:53
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    That seems very normal. When you bugger out you create a doc package that has all the relevant stuff that the client owns. As long as you get paid for the work and don't disclose your own IP (provided it's properly protected and segregated) I really don't see a problem here.
    – Hilmar
    Commented Oct 29 at 14:54
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    Your stated goal is that you want your client's last impression of you to be that you are "not too helpful". Is that really what you want?
    – Nuclear Hoagie
    Commented Oct 29 at 17:05
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    If you are being paid to perform the handover does it matter it’s another consultant? You already lost the business, wether it’s from your interaction or relationship with the client, is difficult to determine but your own description makes it sound like it might not be a “it’s us not you” situation. Take that however, you want, that’s my first and only opinion of what you describe
    – Donald
    Commented Oct 29 at 18:50
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    To be clear - this person isn't a competitor! Since you are voluntarily giving up the work, you're not competing with them for anything! They're just your successor, so there isn't really a strategic disadvantage to helping them. Is your problem more that you're helping out a company (the customer) to which you have bad feeling?
    – komodosp
    Commented Oct 31 at 10:24

6 Answers 6

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How this is handled says more about yourself than this organization.

I would schedule the meeting and have a complete agenda with a document that includes relevant information. I would provide both a digital and print copy if the meeting is in person. You do the things you can control well.

Now if one or more of the attendees becomes insulting, I would warn and then discontinue the meeting if the insults continue.

The person taking over for you will have to put up with the same nonsense/disfunction and they probably deserve your compassion. The new person had (likely) nothing to do with the behavior of the person that has lead to your annoyance.

I would tend to be overly helpful.

Part of my turn over document would be when the last date/time to ask questions and the conditions you would provide consultation after that date. I would never say never, but I would make your rate punitive.

As an example, if I was charging 50/hour in the past, I would charge 250/hour for future consultation with a 4 hour minimum, payment to be received in advance. The high rate and payment in advance will shut down almost all requests for future support.

Being very unemotional about all of this is the mark of a professional.

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    Thanks, all useful and your point about trying to be unemotional is a good one, though hard to pull off in this case, as I've worked with the organisation for over a decade, through a very formative period in its development and its hard not to feel resentful to depart in these circumstances, where I'm essentially avoiding a negative battle by taking the high ground and walking away from it
    – anon
    Commented Oct 29 at 15:46
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    you probably did many great things for them and they have grown used to your work ethic. However, showing resentment will only make you look bad. It sucks, I know, but it is what it is. You will do great things in the future for others.
    – Pete B.
    Commented Oct 29 at 17:30
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    Good answer, funny one time I left a big company where they kept nagging me because I was an expert in the software they were using (It was internally developed). I tried this method where I actually charged more then the 250/hr and I also did a minimum but I think mine was 3 hours. And they STILL TOOK me up on it. It was nice for a few weeks I was making over 10k a week! Lasted for close to a month then a higher up said "Dang that guy is expensive...".
    – JonH
    Commented Oct 31 at 19:49
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Don't think of this as helping the people you are angry at, think of it as helping the poor sap who will have to continue your work. Put yourself in their shoes. Presumably, this was you and it will be you again when you get your next consulting job. Wouldn't you appreciate such a meeting? What quarrel could you have with the person coming after you? Why would you not want to make their life easier? Wouldn't you want whoever you replace next to take the time to help you get up to speed?

Even from a selfish perspective, do you really want to be the person who refused to help their replacement? If they replace you with another consultant, if you don't take this meeting, then this new consultant will only know you as the person who was so petty, they didn't even want to take the time for a discussion. That isn't a good reputation to have.

So do what you would like to have done to you and be a professional. I get that you are angry at your employers, but that isn't the fault of your replacement.

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I've been asked to do a handover meeting with a new person (I don't know who they are or whether they re PAYE or consultant). I think it's unusual for someone to be asked to do a handover meeting if they've been working on a consultancy basis, and in some sense is handing over to the 'competition', even if I have 'voluntarily' given this work up. So I don't want to do this - any thoughts?

I don't understand your reluctance. And I think you are being very short-sighted.

In my experience, such a handover from a consultant is very common. When my year as a consultant was ending, I spent time doing a handoff of my tasks.

You do whatever you are asked to do, or you risk your professional reputation. And as a consultant, your reputation should be of prime importance to you.

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    I would just echo this, and add it is extremely unusual for a consultant or contractor to leave without a handover when they were doing complex work on long-lived artifacts. I have only seen leaving without a handover from strictly operational staff or those who didn't have much knowledge to share for whatever reason.
    – Adam Burke
    Commented Oct 30 at 3:08
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I wouldn't say it's particularly unusual - assuming they're paying you for it of course. At that point it's just another form of consultancy.

If they're paying-as-they-go or you're pre-agreed consultancy time has already been used and you aren't planning on doing any more then you're probably well in your rights to refuse if that's what you want. On the other hand if they're paying you on a day rate and you've got already-agreed days left on the agreement then it would be tricky to explain why you aren't going to do what is, on the face of it, not an unreasonable request during that time.

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    From just an optics perspective agreeing to the handover is the better choice - it's more professional and (since you can't predict the future) it preserves better relations with the customer should you end up working with them again in the future - the person you have issues with won't be there forever after all and for that matter other folks there might go work at other potential clients and burning bridges with potential clients is generally a bad idea as a consultant.
    – motosubatsu ♦
    Commented Oct 29 at 16:17
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Make sure you charge for the meeting time. My policy has been to hand over documentation and treat anything after that as premium rate consulting. Unless it's in a contract. Nothing to do with ill will, it's just business.

If it's ill will, they won't even get the documentation without paying through their teeth. Reputation is important, but so is peace of mind. My peace of mind can be soothed by $$. So I combine them. Having a rep for not doing work people won't pay you for is not a bad thing.

It's hard to complain about not getting something you refuse to pay for.

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    I suggest you ask in writing and ignore ANY response that doesn't clearly include you getting paid. Negotiation or even a dialogue just creates wiggle room and denial potential. Ignoring puts the responsibility squarely in their plate. They either acknowledge payment or ... who cares?
    – Kilisi
    Commented Oct 29 at 21:36
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You are not helping the competition. You are not giving out any proprietary knowledge, or intellectual property. Everything you are giving them has been payed for and is owned by the company you worked for.

Giving a decent quality hand-over will not only keep you on good terms with the company, but the other consultant as well. You could end up working for them, or they can give you a sub-contract if they win a big job - you never know.

That being said, you don't have ethical obligation to do a face to face unless you are on retainer or have it explicitly in your contract. Just say you are busy with your other clients and you've delivered all relevant documentation. If you don't have a retainer, you can say that you the current rate is not profitable to you and give them a higher rate if that's part of the problem.

Finally, you can limit the amount of time you spent on face-to-face hand-off, to say 1 or 2 days. You also don't have to volunteer information that's proprietary to you - just go over the documentation and answer questions on it.

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