I am about to resign from my job. I am doing so for two reasons:
1. I don't really HAVE to work, and my husband would rather I travel some with him (his job requires a lot of travel) and be home when he's home (he's home between jobs for sometimes two weeks).
2. But if my job duties and description had not been altered significantly over the past six months, I would not be leaving -in spite of my husband's schedule. My work week went from about 45 hours to about 55 - nearly every day is an 11 or even 12 hour day, often without a lunch or a break. Banks are suffering mightily these days, and the entire atmosphere is negative and bleak. But I could take that - times are hard, after all. But the killer has been that as people have left, the bank is not replacing them. Our staffing is so short, that our workload has doubled.
To add to that, they haven't replaced several commercial lenders - a field that most of the branch managers are not very familiar with. No matter! Managers - voila! You are now commercial lenders!
The pressure has become ridiculous. The work load is one that no one could do in less than 70 hours a week - I'm not sure it could be done in even that amount of time. I've delegated all I can delegate.
I've always been a high performer and exceeded expectations - and I am not going to live my life going home every day feeling like a failure after busting my *** all day. Their expectations are unreasonable. I've already told them that. Their staffing restrictions are putting a strain on every single employee. I've already told them that as well.
Nothing has changed. Since the passage of the Durbin Act, things are worse, with no end in sight. Life is too short. Stick a fork in me - I'm done.
I am just grateful that I don't HAVE to work. Otherwise I'd be stuck, in this economy. So - in about 1-2 months, I'm going to turn in my resignation. And it will be an honest resignation.
What I've done in the past when I've resigned for unpleasant reasons, has been to put together a rather generic resignation letter for my personnel file, with 2-4 weeks' notice, depending on the job. In that letter, I've mentioned that, other than the (true) phrase "I am resigning because I have been offered a position with another company which offers me an opportunity that better fits my goals and my family's needs" - there are other reasons as well, and if they are interested in knowing those reasons, I will gladly share them.
I've had one manager ask, and one not ask. But it's on them - if they want to know why a quality employee left, they know the door is open for them to find out - I've offered.
I left one job after about seven years, working with a company and a staff I absolutely loved - but suddenly my immediate manager, who obviously felt threatened by me, began doing a lot of undermining,micromanaging, and basically tampering with my job description in an obvious effort to keep me from advancing to a level that was laterally at her same level (though not HER position, so for the life of me I couldn't figure out why she wanted to keep me down, but it was obvious to many people that for whatever reason, she felt threatened that I would be at her same level). This was a very emotional parting, and in this one case, I was very deeply hurt and angry. It was a PERSONAL attack, not a business/industry issue like the one I'm dealing with now, and I was furious and heartbroken.
In that case, I did compile a series of facts about my accomplishments, and her behaviors, and was brutally honest in the letter I wrote, which I gave to her, and to the owner. I also met with the owner in person and was forthright.
I gave a two week notice but of course, after that scathing, but very true, letter, I was told that I could leave immediately. I had already cleaned my office out, so all I had to do was pick up my keys and walk out.
I was unemployed for fifteen minutes - the time it took me to drive across town and be drug screened on my way to fill out my hiring papers at my next job.
That was one of the most satisfying days of my life!
