Switching companies - having a really hard time in my current company due to the culture and engineering practices

Question

A couple of months ago, I joined a company (1bn+ in revenue) as an entry-level software engineer. I considered myself lucky that I was able to land a good job that paid decent salary midst of a pandemic. My company had expectations that I'd work for at least a year. However this wasn't mentioned anywhere in the contract so I assume that this cannot be enforced.

However, I now seem to regret my decision. Here are a couple of points -

1. The machines that we were issued are trash. While a dev team in another continent gets a machine that comes with Linux installed, we are issued systems that come with a heavily locked down version of Windows 10. I had to ask IT to approve the installations of certain very frequently used programs. As a bonus, each system has a certain antivirus that really loves to scan each file and folder that I open. Now imagine working with very complex software. Despite the specs being decent, the system comes down to a halt every time I compile some component or fire up the dev build of the software I'm working on. The system is so slow that even a right-click inside a folder takes seconds and this is really getting on my nerves. I've spoken to IT and they are clearly not in a position/mood to do anything about it.

2. I'd be lucky if I get 1.5-2 hours a day where I can sit down in peace and write my code. Every feature, be it big or small, is extensively discussed in meetings and these meetings go on and on and on. I'm fairly certain that the duration/frequency of these meetings can be reduced.

3. I run into certain hiccups every now and then. When I take it up to my supervisor, the response every single time is "Oh, we just forgot to tell you....". I just wish things were better documented. And if they aren't, I wish that people would tell me everything that I require before a task is assigned to me. I'm not sure if this is just my company or most of the companies are this way.

4. The person in charge of engineering efforts (this individual is influential) seems to guilt-trip me. This has occurred on a few occasions and I believe this is affecting my performance and confidence. He also has a habit of micro-managing stuff which is slightly annoying.

Fortunately, I've found another job to which I'll be switching soon. Their culture seems to be a lot better (which is true as I've been a contractor for them for a very short period of time). However, there is 1 last formality that I need to get done at my present company, by the very same person who is in charge of running the engineering efforts.

How do I quit my present company while ensuring that the formality is fulfilled? What reason do I specify - I'm sure that revealing the actual reason would not help me in getting my formalities done as required.

Edit: The new job requires that I switch by mid of June. The formality gets fulfilled automatically if I stay till the end of July or mid of August which is not at all possible. I need to get a piece of paper signed, similar to an NOC but specific to my country.

Answer 1

How do I quit my present company while ensuring that the formality is fulfilled?

If fulfilling this formality, whatever it is, happens at the leisure of your current employer, there's probably not much you can do beyond asking nicely.

I just wish things were better documented. And if they aren't, I wish that people would tell me everything that I require before a task is assigned to me.

Wow, that really stinks. Guess what? It's going to happen at your next job too, and probably at every company you work for between now and whenever you retire. You're up against the second law of thermodynamics here, and you don't stand a chance. The best thing you can do is to take careful notes whenever you run into something that's not documented, or when the documentation isn't up to date, and create or fix the documentation. You could also create a document to give to new hires that lets them know about the areas where they're likely to run into trouble. The first things in that document should be:

• You're going to run into trouble as you start your work here. Sometimes the documentation will be wrong, or won't exist at all. When that happens, please take notes and help us improve the situation.

• Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Every feature, be it big or small, is extensively discussed in meetings and these meetings go on and on and on. I'm fairly certain that the duration/frequency of these meetings can be reduced.

Yeah, communication gets more and more complex as the number of people involved increases. If you took a programming job thinking you were just going to sit in your office and write code, you were misled. I'm sure there are jobs like that, but in any large organization figuring out what to write often takes a lot longer than actually writing it. Don't be surprised if you run into the same thing at your next job.

The machines that we were issued are trash...I've spoken to IT and they are clearly not in a position/mood to do anything about it.

Talk to your manager instead, and when you do don't badmouth the machines or the IT folks. Just say that you'd be a whole lot more productive if your machine weren't so encumbered by some of the software that's on your machine. If you can quantify that (maybe measure the time it takes to do a simple task with and without the antivirus stuff) it'll help a lot.

Answer 2

How do I quit my present company while ensuring that the formality is fulfilled?

This really depends on what the formality is, what your contract says about it and what your local labor law requirements are. I strongly recommend talking to a local labor lawyer to discuss your options and the potential implications.

If your current employer can withhold the document and you need it before you can start at the new employer, you will have to tread very carefully. Some cautious negotiation may be required.

If it's really just a "formality" than maybe you can go without it.

What reason do I specify ?

You don't need to specify any reason at all. You also be honest "better cultural fit", "exciting new opportunity" but don't blame or complain about your current employer. Thank them for the opportunity they gave you and move on.