Our team is already struggling to meet deadlines and i am planning to leave. What considerations should i take? [duplicate]

Question

I work in a relatively small team. Upper management has basically tied our hands to tight deadlines for the next year or so meaning basically all developer resources are fully booked for the foreseeable future (already a bad idea, i know..). Things are looking like they will get better after this period but i think i would rather not wait and see.

I have an interview in 4 days which seems quite promising. Should they offer me the role i will accept. This will mean my team and the company as a whole will miss their deadlines and incur heavy fines, especially since we have already tried hiring additional resources which is proving easier said than done.

I know it is not my responsibility to ensure the companies projects do not fail, but are there any considerations i should take upon leaving such an unstable environment? I would like to do my best to leave my colleagues in as good as a position as possible.

Answer 1

I'd say in case you are accepted, just respect legal period of notice and politely say goodbye to your old team.

It's never easy to quit a job in this situation, but it's part of a company life to handle turnover. I was in the exact same situation few weeks ago : working in a small team, quitting, lots of planned work etc. but they found a promising replacement even though they had high expectations (finding quickly a cheap autonomous dev ready to work overtime).

It's advisable to finish in good terms, by extending the notice period as much as your next employer would accept and/or suggesting a competent replacement if you know any, but thinking about yourself is higher priority. The company will recover.

Good luck for the interview !

Answer 2

The best you can do is use your notice period to complete as much of your work as you can, and document what you cant complete. Basically the idea is to leave your work in a state where it is easiest as possible for someone to come in and pick up where you left off.

Good luck with the interview.

Answer 3

Once you have been informed in writing and accepted the job I would give your current employer notice in writing. I would attempt to assist them as much as possible including:

1. Sitting down with my direct manager and discussing anything specific he would like documented to ensure they have adequate details.
2. Sitting down with a project lead / Manager to discuss priorities or who you should catch up on your current progress.
3. Provide up to date personal contact information, with an invitation to contact you with brief questions
4. Work diligently the entire notice period, don't change anything about your work ethic, productivity or behavior.
5. If they ask and you can provide set up contract hours with the understanding that you will need to work around your new primary employers needs but will be happy to finish up a few final items at x rate. Again it might look like a money grab so it is a situation by situation basis, they will ask if they want to.

In general do what you should. Return equipment promptly, answer the phone when they call, give the proper notice window, and as always expect to be fired immediately once giving notice (It's rare but happens).

Answer 4

What you're really asking is how to quit without burning any bridges. If you are the bottom most worker then you are not very important, even if you believe you have all these projects that entirely depends on you to succeed. That is most likely untrue and your departure would only cause minimal disturbance.

With that said, just give your notice, and hope for the best. If you give your notice in the timeframe required and in a professional manner, then all they can do is just be upset about your departure. They may try to keep you on board, but reality is they'd probably drop you as soon as they can knowing you plan to leave.