Wednesday 2 August 2006

i'm bad-ass

i found this while i was going through old stuff. it's a letter of resignation to my last company. i worked for a great company that got bought out by an idiot company.
i didn't like the new one. it was shit.

Dear Person,

It is with great relief that I am finally able to hand in this, my letter of resignation.

I will work my months notice period if required, and will leave on 19th September.

Despite spending many months enjoying my job at *old company*; feeling challenged, enthused, respected and in a company that had a clear idea of what they were doing and how they were going to get there, I am glad to say that I am finally able to leave a job where the exact opposite is true.

From the day that we moved from *old location* to *new location* it has been a constant downward spiral. I have spent these past months feeling completely bored. When I first started at *old company*, as any of my *old company* peers that are left will testify, I had a huge enthusiasm for the job and worked my hardest in all parts. This was easy to do in an environment where I was constantly being encouraged to do so: treated like an adult, given hope of prospects, paid on time with no problems, surrounded by people who knew what they were doing and above all, in a company that was transparent, successful and stable.

Since the move it has been consistent that every day something happens that has sapped further enthusiasm or left me dumbstruck that a company could mess up so much and treat its workers with so little respect. I have reached a point now where little could surprise me in the day-to-day operations of this company.

It is a place geared only towards cutting corners and apologising to disappointed customers; excited by high financial turnover (regardless of profit) and quantity of staff (regardless of quality).

When you bought *old company*, did you hope to be taking on the profit that it made as well as the staff and assets without raising yourselves to the *old company* standard? Did you consider that if you treated the new guys like idiots that they would stay, knowing that with their skills they could get new jobs within a few months? Were you even aware that most people left before the move even happened? Is it beginning to look like you have spent a load of money on some second-hand equipment?

I stayed with the company to give it the benefit of the doubt. While all reports suggested that *new company* was a cowboy company, it was promised that they were trying to improve and were looking to take on the successful knowledge and working practice standard that they could gain by merging with *old company*. With that in mind I thought that it might be worth ‘sticking it out’ and seeing if we all couldn’t make something of some quality. Sadly we were lied to. You didn’t listen to any suggestions that we had. Instead, you assumed that we would just fit in, work in the way you are used to and success would easily follow.

All of the above will, I’m sure, mean that your company will continue to have to survive on uninteresting work involving a laptop and screen and having to discount the charge because you were late.

I could go on, but I should think (whoever you are, I’ve never experienced the common courtesy of an introduction) you have stopped reading by now, knowing that your way is best and you don’t need to listen to anyone below you. And frankly, I only want to use one sheet of my paper.

I have no personal ill will towards any one person in particular, but absolutely no commitment to *new company* itself and will be glad to move on to where I can begin thinking about having a career again.

Thank you for the money you managed to pay me.

Lots of love and kisses, Me


(i changed that last bit to protect my secret identity.)
needless to say they told me not to come in on monday.
4 weeks off.
paid.
result.

amusingly, the idiot company have gone bust and into liquidation twice since then, and about 3 buyers pull out of buy-out deals. they've also lost most of their venue contracts and my new company has won them all!

i feel bad about using the word cowboy though. cowboys are cool.

1 comment:

mollymcmo said...

i like cowboys too. they are indeed cool and sexy.
very well written letter :)

m