Severing relationship with my work place, AKA I quit.

[tempover100]

As the title says, I'm planning on quitting after almost a decade at my job. I've not made the decision lightly but because of the mental toll it's taken over the years I'm ready for a new chapter. I planned to hand in my resignation letter right before leaving for holiday break. It was going to be a regular day, but I've just found out the company is having an afternoon work event for employee appreciation that same day. Probably some food, maybe some games. I know for sure I'm going to leave but I could use help with the timing. They're are a few scenarios I've played in mind:

A) Hand in resignation that morning. Boss will announce to our department that morning which is customary, and it will spread like wildfire to other departments. At the event later it will be insanely awkward for me, and I'll bombarded by other colleagues with questions. I'm not sure I'm ready to face that. 

B) Wait until the event is over then go and find my boss for 1 on 1, hand in my resignation after they've had a jolly good time at the event. Either way they will be surprised, but then I can go on holiday break right after and avoid the awkwardness. 

C) I could probably wait until the following week when this holiday has died down. But I've had this day in mind for weeks now. 

I'm an introvert and trying to navigate this. I'm going to leave on good terms. I'm not sure what the best course of action is and appreciate the input. 

 

[Wiseman2]

C. The less dramatic and more  professional the better.

You may hate the place but after 10 years how you resign can affect recommendations and references.

Do whatever is best for your future, even if inside you feel like "take this job and shove it".

[Ruby_Red]

I mean, if you’ve decided to leave your current employer, why go to the event at all? I’d turn in my notice, and not go to the event. If you feel like you’re letting them down by not participating, you could say “due to covid”, which is something everybody will understand these days. Leaving on good terms is always a smart thing to do, but nobody will hold it against you if you don’t go to that event. That shouldn’t affect anybody’s professional opinion about you. 

[tempover100]

30 minutes ago, Wiseman2 said:

C. The less dramatic and more  professional the better.

You may hate the place but after 10 years how you resign can affect recommendations and references.

Do whatever is best for your future, even if inside you feel like "take this job and shove it".

Yeah, the last thing I want to do is be dramatic (although I've daydreamed of walking out on the spot for years). I'd planned on giving notice right before the break, so I could enjoy the holiday without the pressure of handing the notice. Originally, it would have fallen on a Thursday, and so everyone could have time to digest it while not at work also. 

Edited December 15, 2020 by tempover100

[tempover100]

30 minutes ago, Ruby_Red said:

I mean, if you’ve decided to leave your current employer, why go to the event at all? I’d turn in my notice, and not go to the event. If you feel like you’re letting them down by not participating, you could say “due to covid”, which is something everybody will understand these days. Leaving on good terms is always a smart thing to do, but nobody will hold it against you if you don’t go to that event. That shouldn’t affect anybody’s professional opinion about you. 

This is true. It's not mandatory to attend. It will be in the building though, so I may get a few people coming to my office asking why I'm not attending. I think covid is a good reason. I think it's just awkward for me, because of the irony; feeling under appreciated at a party meant for appreciation. Would you turn it in the morning of, or after the event? I know I shouldn't care what others think because I'm leaving anyway and people forget about these things rather quickly. I just need to put my mind at ease that if I do give notice that morning and decide to forego the party, it won't look unprofessional. 

[Ruby_Red]

I’d say if you don’t attend, hand it in in the morning. Otherwise, you’ll have to wait for your boss to come back from the event, meaning you’d be waiting around in the same building until the event is over. Which is awkward, because there’s no way to tell how long it will go. So definitely in the morning. You’ll be relieved once it’s done. You’ll also find out that nobody will care as much as you’d think. 

[Ruby Slippers]

Do you have another job lined up or enough money saved to get you through at least a year in case you don't find something else anytime soon?

[d0nnivain]

If you want to severe your relationship with this company FOREVER as in trash your reputation in the industry & never get a good reference from them, do what you plan.  Any desire you have to leave on good terms will be ruined if you to what you are thinking. 

You can be an introvert all you want but the behavior you describe has nothing to do with how you recharge your batteries.  An introvert is someone who needs solitude to recharge.  An extrovert gets energy from being around plan. 

You are trying to avoid conflict but what you are thinking about doing is highly unprofessional.  

Instead make an appointment to see your boss at the end of a business day.  Go in with your letter of resignation & offer them at least 2 weeks notice & plan for how the transition will work.  They may walk you out the door right then & there if that is company policy.  They may need you to work with somebody to train a new person to do your job & ease the transition but for you to just quit on the spot either immediately before or after a holiday work place festivity deprives management of the opportunity to make your departure smoother.    Upon leaving you want to make this as stress free for others as possible.  

Edited December 15, 2020 by d0nnivain

[tempover100]

1 hour ago, d0nnivain said:

If you want to severe your relationship with this company FOREVER as in trash your reputation in the industry & never get a good reference from them, do what you plan.  Any desire you have to leave on good terms will be ruined if you to what you are thinking. 

You can be an introvert all you want but the behavior you describe has nothing to do with how you recharge your batteries.  An introvert is someone who needs solitude to recharge.  An extrovert gets energy from being around plan. 

You are trying to avoid conflict but what you are thinking about doing is highly unprofessional.  

Instead make an appointment to see your boss at the end of a business day.  Go in with your letter of resignation & offer them at least 2 weeks notice & plan for how the transition will work.  They may walk you out the door right then & there if that is company policy.  They may need you to work with somebody to train a new person to do your job & ease the transition but for you to just quit on the spot either immediately before or after a holiday work place festivity deprives management of the opportunity to make your departure smoother.    Upon leaving you want to make this as stress free for others as possible.  

I think my message was lost in the initial post. I'm not planning on quitting and leaving right after without a word. I am planning to stay 2 weeks to finish out and train my replacement. My question was more about the timing of the resignation notice / meeting.