Quit Job without burning bridges. Dislike company, like owner

Question

My current job, started around one year and a half ago, seemed at first a nice fit on the positive streak that started when I managed to sell my startup 3 years ago.

It is not, organization is despicable and, long story short, I ended up working alone on mildly uninteresting projects with no real goals, no interactions with other people (everybody too busy making sure nobody ever could replace them, so zero information sharing), absolutely bloated times, general hostility (afterall many, many slackers/shady people would end up being exposed by computer-base QC & production management) and so on. This nowhere near my previous experience of "flashing forward a company" that I had with the acquisition, where the management I worked under did all what they possibly could to help us change things (and it worked fantastically).

Put it simple, this is a company stuck in the past and I`m wasting my time going nowhere. This is sad, because when I was hired the initial intention was "hey you startup guy! Bring all the new tech here and make us 4.0!"

Get another job, classic (and correct) SE answer.

Still, if I quit there will be absolutely nobody within the actual workforce able to complete my (well documented, I`m probably the only one honestly documenting my work) projects and they will basically be "left to die" since nobody here will ever admit "they were good projects but we need to hire a new engineer that can understand this stuff in order to complete things". All my work will be basically trashed.

I need this job to provide for my family so obviously I'll never say anything nor give hints of my intentions before having signed somewhere else and resign. I don`t really like this but I am well aware is the only right thing to do.

Questions:

Is it OK, knowing that I always worked honestly, to just quit when I'll have found the new job (interesting jobs don't pop up often around here so when I'll find one I'll just take it right away) and leave my company with unfinished work that, given its disorganization, will probably never be able to deal with resulting in a net loss?

Moreover, and most importantly (and this is the central question, otherwise this would probably be a duplicate....) how can I avoid the "bridges burning" coming from the realistic scenario of me leaving and other people labeling what I did as "crap" not to have to admit that someone else with the right skills would need to be brought onboad to continue the projects/mantain what has been done?

Afterall I was personally asked to work in this company by the owner, an hero-entrepreneur who went from zero to multimillionaire as a self made man, following his son`s advice (I went to school with his son and been neighbors for a while). I would really really like to remain in a good relationship with them (mostly with the son, TBH) and I do not know what the best way to quit/ what to say when quitting to make this happen.

Answer 1

how can I avoid the "bridges burning" coming from the realistic scenario of me leaving and other people labeling what I did as "crap" not to have to admit that someone else with the right skills would need to be brought onboad to continue the projects/mantain what has been done?

You cannot waste your energy worrying about "How will they get along without me" or "What will they say when I am gone", because trust me they will get along fine without you, or they will deservingly fold. I haven't had one company really suffer financially or go out of business because I said good bye.

Now, first and foremost, find your next job while you still have one. It is way easier in my experience to find a job if you are currently employed. Do not quit before you have work lined up.

When interviewing and your are asked the inevitable "Why do you wish to leave your current employer" do not bad mouth your company or manager. Give the reason of "lack of professional growth" or "lack of upward mobility". Employers talk to each other, and bad mouthing your current employer will not serve you well down the road.

Once you get the next job, give your current employer the appropriate notice. Here in the USA the standard is 2 - 3 weeks, but you and your employer work out what is best for you and them. Give them what you can to make the transition from you to the next person as easy as possible. And once you move on, you won't think much about your past comrades either.

Once you have left, put the company and your previous manager in the rear view mirror. Do not talk bad about your boss or the company. This is negative energy that does not serve you and and actually bite you down the road.

Answer 2

Is it OK, knowing that I always worked honestly, to just quit when I'll have found the new job (interesting jobs don't pop up often around here so when I'll find one I'll just take it right away)

Yes. Absolutely. 100%. The key to the workplace is understanding that this is merely a business arrangement. Nothing more, nothing less. People who expect loyalty and friendship beyond that are doomed to be disappointed and the company should know this as well as you do.

The company should be doing all it can to preserve it's business interests - often these should coincide with that of the staff (Happy staff, good business) but do you think they would keep people on even if it was financially terrible for them? No, and it would be terrible business sense to do so.

Not doing your work is bad. Not working your notice is bad. Breaching NDA's, stealing code or sabotaging projects is bad. Prioritising your own interests over that of the company is self preservation and I think you'd be foolish not to.

With regards to burning bridges:

Firstly, and I mean this nicely, few people are truly irreplaceable. The world has a way of keeping turning and so you should be careful not to take on the responsibility of the company existing here.

Secondly, you can't always control what people think. Workplace politics are very real and rarely rooted in fact. Again, don't over think this stuff - bad co-workers WILL blame you for everything once you've left. That's almost certain.

So, we're into damage limitation and mitigation. You document, you handover, you work your notice and you make sure everyone is up to speed. You pick your references carefully and then you move on. After that, it's out of your hands and you should focus on building your reputation at your new place.