Leave the way you came in

Leaving can be an excellent opportunity to give insight. Picture / Getty Images

When you've made a decision to leave or you've been managed out or made redundant, the final day is one where telling the truth can seem irresistible. Leaving a job can be an important event, especially if you've devoted a significant part of your life to it. You'll probably have all sorts of thoughts and feelings whirring around in your head - both good and bad.

Let's face it, we all know how it feels; lying awake at night, composing imaginary conversations with our bosses. We go over and over the things we should have said, or might say, if he or she wasn't such a psycho-bully (at least at that particular moment). We paint imaginary scenarios where we stand up to this foe and tell it like it is. But of course, we usually don't follow through.

In the real world, when it comes to dealing with our superiors, most of us tend to keep our heads down and operate with a policy of "tell them that they're right and give them what they want". It's a lot easier all-round, and, as a general rule, no workplace is really all bad, all the time.

However, when you've made a decision to leave or you've been managed out or made redundant, the final day is one where telling the truth can seem irresistible -- maybe at a formal structured meeting, or even a very informal exit interview, over a glass of wine or a beer. It's tempting to banish your inhibitions and let rip with an extensive list of perceived faults with your manager or the organisation, but is that really a good idea? Probably not.

Human resources consultant Tracey Wayte says the way you leave a job can have unexpected consequences further down the track.

"After all, even if you didn't get on with someone, or didn't enjoy your job, you may still need this person as a referee in future - or you might even find yourself back with the company under different circumstances in future, so I'd strongly advise not burning any bridges.

"It's important that your leaving remarks are constructive, and delivered in a calm, unemotional way.

"This doesn't mean you shouldn't cover problems you've had in the role, but nor should you let your comments sound like a personal attack on your manager, because that's never going to end well."

She says this is the time to be "bigger" than the enemy (if that's a particular factor in your leaving) and exit with as much grace as you can possibly muster.

"Be as grown-up and as objective as you possibly can, and try not to think of it as a settling scores situation. It can be an excellent opportunity to give valuable insight into where things are good within the organisation, and within your role, and offer suggestions as to where things can be improved. This may also help your replacement."

Wayte says it's important to be well-organised at the end of your employment and finish as much work as you possibly can, leaving detailed instructions about any that hasn't been completed.

"If the person taking over your job struggles in the first weeks and constantly has to ask others for help finishing things you've started, your reputation could go down in flames."

Finally, Wayte has a warning about sounding off online.

"Even if you've been more polite than you ever imagined on your last day in general, or at your exit interview, reserve the urge to go home and vent on social media, where everything you say is preserved forever.

"Recruiters will often go straight to Facebook when they want to know more about you and having some nasty diatribe about your previous employer on there is not a good look.

"Dignity at all times is the key message here."