How do I not join a project without telling the reason is I will probably quit before the project will be over? [duplicate]

Question

I'm working for a company which has started a one-year project with government aid. For this project the composition of the team and every member must be approved by the government. Because of some reasons it was easier to start the project without me and switch me and a coworker after two months. Now all documents for my approval are prepared and I only have to interview with someone from the government.

Since we started the project I got an offer to work for another company with which I worked before as a freelancer. They don't have an open position, but they are willing to create one for me and we want to talk about everything in a few weeks. Because it's not an open position I'm not sure if and when I could start at this other firm, but I would prefer to work for them.

Now I looked into the government contract and it stresses that there can't be an exchange of team members after six months. I'm pretty sure the new job wouldn't start until these six months are over but before the end of the year and therefore if I switch now into the team I would risk the whole project failing.

I really don't want my current company to lose this project, but I can't think of an excuse why after all the preparation I now suddenly can't switch with my coworker and I don't want to tell them about the offer because at this moment it's too vague. What can I do? The interview could be this week and after that the exchange is complete.

---

P.S.: I didn't sign anything new. I can legally quit and leave the company after 30 days if I want to. But the government put in the contract with the company that if they change the team after the 6 months the government is allowed to stop the project.

I'm not a huge fan of burning bridges. I love to work for my current company and they were always more than fair. I finished my master thesis while working for them and they never had any problem with taking time off or leaving mid-day for a meeting with my prof. But I hear you and maybe I'm just a little naive to think they would do something similar if the roles were inverted.

Answer 1

In my opinion, your priorities and obligations when it relates to work should be to yourself, your health, your relationships, and your career path. Again, in my opinion, company loyalty should not be considered because no matter what, you will always be replaceable and if it benefits the company, you will be replaced.

While you are employed by your company, you should work as if you are going to be there for the next 30 years and retire there right up until the moment that you leave for your next opportunity. If your new gig falls through, then nothing happens. If your new gig works out, you can pursue it as long as your employment contract permits it. Your company will get by. If the whole contract falls through because you leave, that is a huge failure on the part of management for not having a manageable bus-factor.

You can use your unique position to make sure there is sufficient knowledge sharing and redundancy on the project to accommodate a loss of a teammate for any reason. That should not be viewed as odd by anyone on your team since it is just good practice. That way, if you leave, the team moves on and can absorb your absence and if you don't leave, nothing is impacted.

Answer 2

This is a many-times duplicate.

Do nothing.

Every programmer is continually looking for another job. Every employer of programmers is continually looking for other programmers.

1. The possibility that you may be leaving in a month or two is irrelevant. Say absolutely nothing.

2. If, as it happened, you absolutely know you will be leaving in a month or two, say absolutely nothing.

You'll be obligated to give a certain amount of notice (say, one week).

You should no more give them more notice, than, they would randomly give you more money in your paycheck one week.

Answer 3

Unless you have an offer and a start date in hand, you should not alter your plans at your current job. The new project is probably to your benefit, particularly if the job offer never materializes.

The contract/exchange should have clauses for employee replacement in the event an employee quits, dies, or otherwise becomes unavailable. Tying a project to a certain group of employees and making a contract that guarantees the project will fail if any employee leaves is just not reasonable - but if that's the route they've chosen, that's their responsibility, not yours.

The only contracts you should concern yourself with are those you sign. Don't feel you need to support some third party contract if your circumstances change.

Answer 4

I agree with Adam Davis that unless you have an offer, you do not change your plans about your current project. Your current employer will get by. You need to prioritize your own interest.

When I was in job market few years ago (I was looking to leave my first job after college), I was given an offer letter, which I quickly signed and returned to my new employer while putting my two weeks in. Long story short, they did my background check and I almost didn't get the job. This is the reason why you should be careful quitting your current job or making it obvious you'll be leaving them soon.

If you really want to lookout for their best interest, may be talk to your manager and let him/her know you have a future vacation plan abroad and you were planning to take several weeks off. This would work depending on your company policy and whether your department have a resource to handle this project without you while giving you something else to work on. Again, I would not do this if I were you. Always look after yourself before anyone else. That's why you're told to put your own oxygen mask on before helping others on airplane!

Answer 5

I've been in a similar position before, so will offer a different perspective.

Talk to your prospective employer and let them know about the situation you are in - how important the contract is for your current company, and why your delayed departure can affect it adversely. Then, request them if they can hasten the timelines a bit to help you avoid burning any bridges.

The fact that you don't want to jeopardise a project by your premature departure displays your work ethics, and any competent hiring manager will view it favourably. Also, Karma. In my case, the nudge was sufficient to put things on the fast track.

There are only 2 responses you could get by calling their hand - either they hurry things up, which is an improvement upon your current situation, or they don't, which maintains the status quo.

(Personal Opinion) - If the prospective employer maintained status quo without any concrete reason, after I explained the situation, I would consider that as a red flag.