*** User177 *** 12/16/1999 09:44 EST ***

This is the message I sent Alan.

Alan

Depends on your situation.

If the reasons you are leaving are all positive (for you) then it probably would
not hurt to tell them.  These reasons include:
    - you want to change careers or job type and your current employer does not
have what you want     - you want to move up the management ladder but know that
won't happen where you are at     - you want to make more money but where your
at has fixed levels of income If you do tell them be sure that you really will
move on.  The instant you tell them this you will be off any lists for
promotions, cool projects ...  The flip side is that perhaps you would move to
the top of a promotion or cool  project list because they don't want to see you
go.

If the job sucks and that is the reason then you could suggest some things to
make it better.  If you have tried all that and the job still sucks or your
manager sucks then don't tell them you are planning on making a move.

As a former manager I would rather have had people in my group tell me they were
planning on leaving.  In some cases we could have worked together to fix
whatever they felt was the problem.  In other cases (like money) you can't do
all that you would like to even if the employee is great.

My wife would tell you to never let them know of your plans but I disagree with
her on occasion.

Regardless of what you decide to do try not to burn bridges with anyone above or
below you on the corporate ladder.

If you are a mechie or programmer or almost anything else try PTC.  There are a
lot of people here from OX and some even like it.

Pete Dorr
89 but shoulda been 88


*** User255 *** 12/16/1999 10:26 EST ***

Pete has some good advice.  Another alternative is to give
your manager an extended notice, such as a month or 6 weeks.
This way, he will not only have time to replace you, but may
also have you start training your replacement.  This will
allow you to leave on good terms, etc.

Another reason NOT to tell your manager, is that you will be
committed to leaving.  What happens in the event that you
do not find another job right away, or that you change your
mind?  You will be stuck!

So, my recommendation is to NOT tell them that you are leaving
until you have another job in hand and provide an extended notice.


*** User265 *** 12/16/1999 10:37 EST ***

This is part of the e-mail I sent Al...

  My parents are both personnel managers so they helped me out
  when I switched jobs. Basically, they said that you don't owe the
  company anything and the company doesn't owe you anything. All the 
  warning the company needs is a well-written resignation letter 2 weeks prior
  to departure. If you are sure that you are not in position to barter,
  then you don't need to tell your manager anything until you make the
  decision to leave. Then, if he/she comes back with a lucrative
  counter-offer, you are in position to change your mind...but my father's
  advice was this: Hey, if you weren't worth the extra 10 grand when you
  walked through your manager's door, why are you worth it now?

Fraternally,
Beauch


*** User585 *** 12/16/1999 11:35 EST ***

From my email to Al

I think full disclosure is a huge mistake.  My old boss told me he would rather
be surprised than warned.  Just causes too much underlying noise in your stay
there.  If for some reason you're like me and turn a one year plan into a three
year stay, it can affect your advancement or even make you an obvious target in
layoffs.  

If your boss is professional, he will understand you leaving.  If he doesn't
like it, you should already have another job by the time he finds out so what
could he do... fire you and get you two weeks severence/vacation?  It's true
that not letting them know makes it hard to sneak off to interviews, but if they
knew you were taking time off to interview do you really think they would
appreciate that?

Bottom line is that you hold the cards and revealing your hand will affect the
bet and ultimately the game.  If you give a more than appropriate amount of
notice (three weeks) or push to staff your replacement without letting them know
it is your replacement it would go better.

-Jesster