How to Behave at Work After You Quit Your Job

Those two weeks can be a huge opportunity if you follow this checklist

Published in

Forge

3 min readDec 4, 2019

As I write this, I’m in the final days of a two-week notice period for a job I held for only six months. It just wasn’t the best fit. So I made a pivot. There’s a good chance you’ll be in the same situation at some point in the foreseeable future: A staggering one in three people have considered quitting their jobs in the past three months, and more workers than ever are following through.

For the first time, though, I haven’t entered into this period with trepidation. I’ve learned from other experiences that you shouldn’t look at the time between quitting and leaving as a slow fade, but as a rare opportunity to do an entirely new job: relationship builder.

Awkward is okay

After you give your resignation, you’re in this weird transitional phase where your boss isn’t really sure how to treat you. It’s like breaking up with someone you live with but not moving out of the apartment yet. Even if the relationship was strong, the period can be awkward for all involved. Here are a few things you can do to ease that awkwardness:

Set expectations. Let your boss know it’s business as usual until your last day.
Find out what you can do to make the move easy for all involved.
Make sure anyone who reports to you hears the news from you first.

Be comfortable with the fact that your boss will start to navigate life without you. You’ll be copied on fewer emails and invited to fewer meetings. But this creates time to do certain tasks that will ensure you leave on great terms.

Don’t switch off—switch on

Personal brands are an important lifetime resource. It can take seconds to undo the high standards you’ve spent years cultivating. Once you’re in your notice period, I’d even argue that you should work even harder than before to maintain your reputation. So, make sure to: