Company is making plans, but I'm going to bschool.

Question

So here's the situation. My company is busy making plans to send me abroad for work in September. There are going to be costs that need to be paid upfront, and they'll probably do so over this month. But I'm going to school in August!

I haven't told them that I'm planning to leave. I enjoy my job immensely and would like to leave on good terms. But if I tell them now, they might ask me to leave within the month (and I still do need to earn some money for school) and if I don't tell them now, I'll probably burn any bridges that I have with them. :shock:

Help me out! :shock:

Being that it's may, I think you're close enough to bschool that you should let your boss know. 1) being that they are gonna be pissed if they invest in your trip and you bail on them (don't burn bridges) 2) being that it's so close, even if you get laid off you can take a little time for R&R, house shopping, or just get like a short internship. I say let them know..

unplugged · Answer

I'm in the same situtaion.

I was promoted a couple of days before. When my boss handed me the letter, he spoke about the plans he had for me this year(quite grandiose) the long abroad trip i have to go on, the increased responsibilities etc.

I've not yet told them I'll be leaving for the same reason..... I need to figure something out

This is the first time I was

when I got promoted

refurb · Answer

Both of you guys need to let your bosses know that you'll be leaving soon!!

Leaving is one thing, but knowing that you'll be leaving and not telling them for a few months?

That pretty much guarantees you'll be leaving on bad terms.

You might be surprised. If your boss truly has your best interests in mind, they'll be happy that you are leaving to improve yourself. If they find out you hid it from them, you'll surely piss them off.

RF

arkadiyua · Answer

Completely agree with refurb. Guys, you have been admitted to some very top schools (at least unplugged, judging from your profile), and MBA does require some degree of adult thinking. Some extra thoughts:

So, here is the situation. It is your short and long-term benefits vs. risks.

Short-term benefits: making some extra money during your stay with a company (in case you are absolutely confident you will be asked to leave shortly after you inform about leaving at the end of Summer)

Long-term benefits: none really. This will not help your career in any way at all.

Risks:

1. Leaving on bad terms. No need to elaborate on that much.
2. Depending on the nature of your work / urgency of ongoing assignments, and how badly your enexpected leave will hurt the company, I would not be surprised if your boss decides to write a letter to the b-school informing them about this.

Remember, since you were accepted, you are perceived as a person with a certain degree of maturity and intergrity, and telling your company you will be leaving days before the actual event will most likely be perceived negatively.

Suggestion: speak with your superiors ASAP. Again, I do not know the exact nature and specifics of the business you are in, and it may the case that for some very justifiable reasons the company simply cannot allow you to stay. But in most cases there will be 2 scenarios:

1. Your boss is a person who understands and values what you are going to do since you are essentially aiming higher than where you are right now, which is always good. Moreover, he will understand that your future MBA will mean that at some point in time you may well become a client of his, or, vice-versa, he/his company will be pitching you.
2. Your boss is rather short-sighted and, well, stupid. Then, there is no value to work for such person any longer anyways, and you are doing yourself a favour

Obviously, those are purely practical considerations, all ethical and emotional put aside, since ethics and emotions are very personal areas and no one is to be a judge there.

Hope this experience sharing helps and good luck!

Obviously, those are purely practical considerations, all ethical and emotional put aside, since ethics and emotions are very personal areas and no one is to be a judge there. Hope this experience sharing helps and good luck!

nink · Answer

I am with refurb here. There's not going to be a happy ending if your bosses are making plans for you guys when in fact, you will be leaving soon for bschool. It' time to get brave and you need to walk into your boss's office and let them know. If you think that burning bridge won't have any effect in the future, you are wrong. There's gonna be a time when you are going to be screwed because you burned the bridge with an ex employer.

a11c99 · Answer

I have a different perspective. I think all depends only on you boss/company.

If your boss is open-minded, you should tell her/him as soon as possible, he will understand, you maintain your job, he may avoid unnecessary cost and prepare better for the future, you maintain good relationships with the company - you WIN/ company WIN; if you don't tell him, he will get upset 'cause he will loose money, you get the money but loose the relationship.

But if your boss is short-sighted, the relationship with the company will be anyway lost - he will get upset anyway (now or then, it's equal) and if you will tell him now, he might avoid some costs but you will loose because you will be fired. Of course, it's up to you whether you prefer to maintain face and be hungry for some months.

aveekguha · Answer

Agree w/refurb. Take a long view as well: its a small world and connections always matter. No need to have this leave a bad taste in people's mouth that moreover follows you to future gigs.

The immediate concern of layoffs is probably not as relevant -- honestly there is a whole host of legal issues there if they wanted to pursue it.

Aveek Guha, President, www.mbadaycamp.com

asimov · Answer

I support  a11c99 's view.

I generally support openness. However, for cases in which the company does not value the employee (i.e. you tell them, they fire you), I think the 2 week notice is proper. If the company has already burn the bridge with precedence, there's no bridge left for you to burn. From your description, it sounds like you have reasons to believe that you would be let go if you tell them, so that's why I'm in favor of the 2 week notice option.

refurb · Answer

I can agree with this. If you've got a bad relationship with your boss, your job security is minimal and the company could really care less, then I would go with 2 weeks notice.

Even if you had a good relationship with your boss, you could still go with 2 weeks notice. That's what I did (kind of). I found out I was going to Tuck in Feb, but didn't tell my boss until 4 weeks before I left in August.

The big difference is, my boss wasn't telling me about all the plans he had for me. He wasn't betting on me being there long term.

However, even if he was doing those things and then I decided to quit and work somewhere else, that's not that big of a deal.

What is a big deal is when you give your boss 2-4 weeks notice that you'll be going back to school and he puts 2+2 together and realizes that you got accepted 4 months ago. He'll think that all those times you nodded your head and said "Sounds great" when he told you about his plans for you, you were lying to him because you never had any intention of staying with the company.

Of course you could always say that you applied but never made a final decision on whether to go back to school until a week or so ago, but that will more than likely come across as a poor excuse.

RF

unplugged · Answer

It is perfectly acceptable if I tell my company a month before my last day. Senior people(Sr. Manager and above) have left the company by giving 1week's notice. It is something that is not frowned upon and is perfectly acceptable, atleast at my company. I'm not saying I'll take the same route.

Now, as far as the future projects and the succession plan are concerned I've already started preparing my subordinates by having extended after-office sessions with them and not involving myself in critical long-term projects. There have been atleast 3 instances in as many months where I turned down the offer of leading couple of big projects.

Money? Yes. My decision to not tell them has something to do with $$$ factor. But I'm OK even if they throw me out tomorrow because I can find some alternate jobs.

Boss? He doesn't give a **t. I don't give a **t. Because of the different nature of my profile, I interface closely with 3 departments. And many times I'm asked to fill someone else's( not in my department) shoes in. I'm in the right books of the people who matter to me.

Company? It matters to the company if I leave without a proper handover. So, I'm doing my part to minimize the effect of issues that might come up because of the short notice period

I've not told them that I'd quit because of 3 reasons

1) Money is a factor but a very small one

2) I don't wanna get bored. I'm kind of enjoying my work now. I'll quit by mid- June. 2 months is enough for me de-toxify and relax

3) I'm using this time to develop my network.

adcxaway · Answer

Well, I'm planning on giving 1.5 months notice - i'm required to give a month's notice by my contract.

So I'm hoping that helps to cushion my announcement. But do you think it would make a difference depending on the country you're in? For example, where I am, I'm pretty much sure when I announce it, I'll be cut off almost immediately - simply because I'm in a mid sized, family run company that frowns on doing an MBA. So I am taking that into consideration as well.

unplugged · Answer

adcxaway,

When does your course start?

Assuming it does in August. You would be better off informing them about your decision in June.

Best case scenario - the relationships don't turn sour, you keep your job till July. If both you and they feel comfortable till July, you can ask for an extension till whenever you plan to work( I don't know whether it works)

Worst case scenario - they'll ask you to leave immediately. But, if the company is run by humans, they'll honor the contract, pay you for one month or as per the terms in the contract. This way you'd still have your July's salary.

The one month's salary( post your quitting and start of the course) shouldn't be a big deal taking into account the 100k debt that you'll be under( unless your salary is insanely high ofcourse)

On a side note, you will not be at a huge disadvantage, if you don't leave on good terms especially in a company that doesn't like MBAs

adcxaway · Answer

Yup, my course starts in August. I was originally thinking about June too, but I figured that a 1.5 month lead time might be sufficient. Of course, now that they've started to include me in their 6-month plans, I'm slightly concerned about that. Putting myself in their shoes, I would be pretty pissed if I made plans for my staff and was suddenly told that he was leaving.

Thankfully, I'm not going to a top MBA school, so the costs are relatively cheaper. But while the one month's salary isn't significant in that sense, it's the relationship that I would like to keep - given that I am considering joining them again after my MBA, in their foreign operations.

I understand that I'm not obligated to tell them etc, but I guess I value the human relationship of working with them. Granted that the company wouldn't think twice about dropping me if I were a non-performer, and likewise, I shouldn't think twice about it either.

It's bitter sweet to know their future plans for me....

osbornecox · Answer

If you are certain that you are attending b-school this fall (you already have the admissions letter, paid the deposit, etc), then you should tell them immediately and resolve the situation. Though you may have been the top candidate for the assignment, they can find someone else. They will appreciate it, you will feel relieved, and you will have a great summer.

By the way, how did you get around the current supervisor thing?

I am much less nervous about approaching my boss (happening this summer!) since realizing a few things about our group's development.

By the way, how did you get around the current supervisor thing?

I am much less nervous about approaching my boss (happening this summer!) since realizing a few things about our group's development.

2012dreams · Answer

so i finally told my manager last week and i will say i'm happy i didn't say anything earlier. aside from the couple of people i'm really close with, i've gotten the cold shoulder and "the look" from so many people. my manager has said about four sentences to me all of today. he's not upset with me, just spinning about what to do and how to replace me, but it's weird nonetheless. i will say i don't ever think i'll encounter these people again in my professional life, but i just need to make sure my manager will give a good reference in the future.

a11c99 · Answer

Can't believe it!!! You're going to Wharton, THE Wharton, they should had been at least politely congratulating you ... better never encounter those folks again

...

robdavidson · Answer

AND most importantly, screw'em YOU'RE GOING TO WHARTON! life will never be the same again!

milias · Answer

Wow, must be the different company culture. When I announced that I was going to b-school, most everybody congratulated me. Of course, I told my manager a long time ago, as she's one of my recommenders. But still, the treatment you're getting is really uncalled for.

unplugged · Answer

I know exactly what you mean. I'm going through same.

Some companies/bosses are different but I think it is a function of industry you're in not so much of company. Most of the people in my industry do not do their MBAs

calimacoffee · Answer

What you need to do is to tell the truth to your boss, and also, say that you are leaving in the near days to come so that they will not ask on the decision if they knew it late. Be true to yourself and don't be afraid because all things will be alright.

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Company is making plans, but I'm going to bschool.

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