Managers Are Often Experts At Shooting Themselves In The Foot

I’ll assert myself twice and only twice; after that, what happens is what they had coming despite clear warnings.

I am building towards an exit from the company I work for. I’m in a difficult position to replace. I have asked to transfer out twice, as I do not plan to stay on in this capacity into our winter period. Essentially, I have given them six months’ notice.

At three months in, I suggest training a replacement. When I was hired, my department didn’t exist, so there was little to no training; I basically built it from the ground up and learned as I went, trial by fire. I like the company and I want my replacement trained for a smooth transition after I leave.

Management is furious at the notion of my suggestion and tells me to leave management to management and basically to know my place. So that’s what I do. I keep my head down and do my work, quietly removing any and all personal post-it notes I have tacked up around the office over the following weeks. Because much of my work is unsupervised, no one even knew these notes existed.

If they don’t want me to train my replacement, I am not going to leave my materials behind as a guide. I put my two weeks in and am out before the first snowfall.

A former coworker told me it was nearly four months before they found a replacement.