There are no guides on how to hand in a two-week notice in the middle of a pandemic. The game has shifted and no one knows the rules. Up is down, left is right, coffee is decaf. When I turned in my two weeks notice at my job in preparation to switch careers, I had to make up the rules as I went along.
Like many people, most of our staff were working from home. There were only my direct supervisor and I in the office holding down the fort. This made it infinitely easier to get a one on one to hand in the printed formal letter of resignation I had written the night before.
The letter detailing my last day and how grateful I was to have this opportunity followed all the basic rules so many guides offer. That was the easy part.
I emailed a copy of the letter to myself so I had a virtual copy for my next steps.
I handed in my letter to my direct supervisor and talked about how to make the transition as painless as possible. She was sad to see me go but was grateful I was willing to help rehire and train a replacement.
My next step was to sit down email the same letter to the CEO, COO, and Human Resources. I worked in a company with less than ten employees so often times I worked on projects for them.
Then I sent a separate email to Human Resources asking to have a sit down to go over PTO, insurance, and the like. I reiterated my desire to help with the hiring and training of my replacement.
Finally, I sent an email to the people I was working on projects with, mainly our marketing and sales departments. I asked to go over any projects we were currently working on and solo projects I had taken on to make the transition as smooth as possible.
Yes, this was a lot. But in the light of COVID-19, many were working remotely. Communication is key for a team to work together smoothly, and that includes when a member is leaving the team.
Some people like to leave a job with a blaze of glory, giving the finger to coworkers they despise and deleting the system32 file on their computers to really stick it to a horrible boss. However certain industries, the cannabis industry included, are like small towns. Everyone knows everyone. Burning bridges, unless they really deserved to be burned, is unnecessary and can make things messy down the road. No one wants to hire a crazy person who broke a window on their way out.
The rules are changing, and we have to change with them. While remote working can make communication difficult, making sure all parties involved are aware of changes is important. And while we rewrite the How-To Book on working in the middle of a pandemic, remember patience is just as important as communication.