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I've applied for other internal positions in my multinational software company. I'm doing it for the following reasons:

  • The vision of our project is the opposite of the company's global vision
  • My managers are not sure what will come after our project (which is planned to be done in 6 months). I fear that my current team might be shut down at the end of the project with the team members being reassigned or laid off
  • There are positions in our company which would better fit my interests and career goals (and are aligned with the company's vision or are even positions for the company's key projects)

For now, I've only informed my boss four levels above me in the hierarchy (he's two levels under the CEO). He was very constructive and also gave me some very useful advices for internal mobility. But nobody else neither horizontally (ie my team members) nor vertically is aware of my intention. FYI I'm a young engineer with a few years of experience at the bottom of the hierarchy.

Who else should I inform, and who shouldn't be informed ? In case I need to inform some colleagues, when and how should I do it ?

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  • It is not your job to inform / notify anyone. You might want to tell your boss as he/she will likely get a call for a reference.
    – paparazzo
    Commented Mar 14, 2015 at 16:37

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Normally you would want to inform your direct boss first. He is the first that should know - no exceptions.

2nd thing is not to burn any bridges: this means don't make any comments about the current project / vision / things that don't work. there is a time and place to give this feedback, but when you are on your way out is not that time.

Also, informing somebody 4 layers above is a risky move. You should not believe for a second that the guy is going to keep the information to himself. At this level it's about mitigating risk, so it's fair to think about the fact that all of your management chain knows about this now. Be open about the fact that you think that another team/project will better fit your interest.

Last, it's not your job to inform your colleagues about the move. Your boss should tell them. You should also make sure you wrap up / transition everything you've working on so that the impact of you leaving will be minimized.

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  • Not sure why somebody downvoted this answer, it seems sound to me. +1
    – Carson63000
    Commented Mar 16, 2015 at 0:14
  • I fear that if I inform my direct boss, he'll assign me only unimportant tasks or tasks that nobody wants to do. I understand that loyalty is a quality, but in this situation I must compromise. Also I've heard from an almost retired senior manager: "at some extend, anyone is looking for a new job"...
    – Brainless
    Commented Mar 19, 2015 at 15:49
  • Mircea: Sorry to sound harsh, but I've received advices which are contrary to yours: my direct boss should be the last person to be informed; if I should inform someone high enough in the hierarchy, then nobodoy between (or almost nobody) will be informed. Can you please explain me your answer a bit more deeply ?
    – Brainless
    Commented Mar 19, 2015 at 15:59
  • that's okay. this depends on where you are (geographical location) and how you view your career. I'm not saying to go to your boss and tell him, especially if you have a toxic relationship with him - but from a professional point of view this is the right thing to do. Think about your boss finding out before you tell him, being pissed off and after that using you as a scapegoat for things that don't go exactly well. Do you want that? As far as higher levels of management go, their responsibility is (or should be) to do the best thing for the company, not an individual contributor.
    – Mircea
    Commented Mar 19, 2015 at 16:23

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