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All.

I would like to hear some advice on how to leave a subsidiary company gracefully.

Background

I have been working for a company for a little more than two years. Due to bureaucracies and career goal changing, I would like to leave from my current job and seek another opportunity or possibly move to a different city.

For the moment, I still have a project assigned to me; however, it's in a final stage and waiting to be reviewed (the beta version of my project has been released at the end of August). On the other hand, my company uses a three-tier code review process which is a pain to deal with. For example, a single merge request could last a very long time to be merged in (like three months, and the merge request is not that large). Therefore, I estimated it would at least be another month to let all my code to be reviewed and merged in. (That's at least, it's very like it would take longer).

From my perspective, I would want to leave this place as soon as possible. It's not just painful workflow. I feel I must to do something which is more challenging and meaningful.

In short, here is a list of things that I am considering.

  1. I want to leave the subsidiary company ASAP; however, I may want to join the parent company in the future (perhaps 2-3 years later). Therefore, I feel I should at least get all my code checked in (To be better, officially released the project) because I worry they might say something wrong on me if I leave in a rush. This is the main reason why I am still here. Regardless, I think they would still say something bad on me if I leave because they need a man.

  2. Based on the previous review process, I am not expecting they could be able to finish my code review before the new year. And, I don't want to stay in the company for that long.

  3. My offering says "You may resign on 2 weeks' written notice."

My plans

Plan.A: Giving them a written notice immediately. Instead of giving 2 weeks graceful periods, I would give them four which at least ensure myself could leave the company before the new year, and four weeks sounds much better than two weeks. During the four weeks, I will get stuff done as much as I could, however, I won't make any promise on whether the project will be delivered or not since it depends on other persons as well.

Plan.B: Continue to work at this place and keep my head down until the project is delivered. This is my original thought; however, I would rather spend another three months to learn something more useful.

Regarding future job

I have already been reached out by a few companies, but I haven't officially gotten in touch with them because I would like to take a short break after this leave and ensure my leave is graceful. I have a bit of cash in reserve which can help me to go through three to six months if I don't have a job.

I was considering to find a new job while I am working at this place; however, I don't think it would make myself to be a good candidate if I tell them that I might be able to join you only after three months or something.

Thanks for any advice in advance. Much appreciate!

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Do not extend your notice period at your current salary to be nice. The employer would certainly not extend your notice period if the tables were turned. It is completely fair and expected to follow the period that you and your employer agreed upon when you signed the contract!

Not being able to complete your tasks is not your problem. That risk is on your employer. If you have tasks that are half-finished they might want you to use your two weeks to hand your projects over to another employee and brief them on how to pick up where you left. You can plan your departure together with your manager after you hand in your notice.

If the company thinks you are the best person to finish the work after your notice period, you are in a great spot to discuss finishing it up for some sweet extra cash. That would be under a new contract as a temporary employee or contractor. You can start the negotiations at double your current pay (or whatever level where it would be worth it to you).

Or you can just leave and let them figure it out.

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  • 100% this - the company was making a statement when they hired you on 2 weeks notice, they were saying that's ample time for them to replace you. It's not your job to help them if they underestimated. Give the notice period you were hired on (it's all they would have given you) and if they really need you they'll figure something out that's more to your benefit. Nobody will look badly on you in 2-3 years time for giving your required amount of notice (and likewise nobody will even remember if you worked extra notice). – delinear Nov 20 '18 at 12:22
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You're really overthinking this.

My offering says "You may resign on 2 weeks' written notice."

So if you've decided you want to leave (and it sounds like you have) - find a new job, hand in your 2 weeks notice, then move on and enjoy your new role.

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    This is exactly the answer. Maybe there will never be a convenient point to leave, but the best you can do is do your best to finish off in your last 2 weeks and move on. – Stuart F Nov 20 '18 at 15:59

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