A Guest Post by
Alex
(From this week’s Open Forum)
Here are some real life ethics ruminations I’m going through as I’m switching jobs in the next month…
- Two-week notice: In general, this a good and professional practice. In the past I even extended it to three weeks because of a high-priority project my team was dealing with. This time around it ended up being closer to a week because I had a planned vacation where my last day would have fallen, my current employer provides “unlimited” PTO and did not want to abuse the privilege of extra pay days at the tail end of my tenure. Thoughts?
- Working for a competitor: In the past I’ve worked for $BIGTECH and seen people who are escorted out of the building because they are going to a company that is remotely involved in the same matters. This time around I’m going to a direct competitor, and yet, my manager, my management chain and HR all seemed fine with me working here until the last day. I’m a professional; in no way would I use the extra time to get access to information I should not or collect data for the new company. Seems like the prudent thing would be for management to cut my access immediately, as there is a balance between getting a good handoff of responsibilities (and actual work) vs. the risk of having someone with broad access. I’m happy the way things are turning out for me – even gives me a chance to say my goodbyes—but at what point is the risk too much for management to accept? (In this case I think the fact that we are not a public company is making the difference)
- No poaching for a year: All my previous employers had that in the employment contract. This one does not. I don’t plan to try to bring anyone over (it’s a small industry) in the short term, but what does one do when a former coworker expresses interest in coming to the new place?
- Throwing your own farewell party! This one is on a lighter note. There is a prohibition of using morale budget for farewell parties (understandable), so I’m sort of narcissistically organizing a small pizza get-together for my direct team and coworkers. I don’t need or plan to ask for contributions, but what would be the correct etiquette for that situation?
Anyway, it should be a fun week (as we are also trying to meet a very tight deadline).
Ethics Alarms 
Two-week notice:
Seems alright, especially if you explain why it’s a bit less notice than normal. They still have time to adjust. I’ve seen little animations where office worker”Veronica” demonstrates how to stand up for one’s self at work. They’re all supposed to be inspirational, but some make Veronica look like a selfish jerk. One of the worst is where she gives notice only on her last day with the rationale “You can fire me at anytime, so I should be able to quit at anytime.” This misses the fact that most places let you know when your performance is less than satisfactory, and that basically IS your advance notice, which you ignore at your peril.
Working for a competitor:
They could be monitoring your computer activity…just sayin’.
No poaching for a year:
I’m curious how these contracts define poaching. If your coworker was the one who broached the subject, I don’t think you can be blamed.
Throwing your own farewell party!
I’d say for this kind of party, definitely buy the pizza yourself, but send out an RSVP.
First of all, congratulations!
Your current firm knows your personal ethics well and obviously doesn’t have any concerns about how you will handle things. However, to make you feel better, simply give them the answers to the questions you raised, stating “In case these concerns are on your mind, here are my intentions as I make this transition.”
Respectful adults would love being treated respectfully.
Thanks for the highlight! And also congrats on the 19,000 posts. Looking forward to many more.
Agree with the comments above. While there is still the HR process (designed to be very precise and avoid some of the pitfalls I mentioned above) to go, it all went smoothly. I’ll be bringing pizza this week and have a fun and light conversation with my coworkers as a good bye.