You Can Do All the Right Things and Still Leave on a Bad Note

A New Opportunity

For some backstory, I had been with my company for almost five years in a HR Manager capacity. I liked the company, the people, and the overall vision. Just over a year and a half ago, I was offered another role to progress my career. The new position was at a different branch and in another location. At the time, the leadership communicated that the property faced ‘a few challenges’ that needed to be worked through.

Like many in similar situations, I saw this as an opportunity to learn and grow. Little did I know that when I walked through the shiny gold doors of my new workplace, those “few challenges” would turn out to be an absolute disaster on every level imaginable.

The Reality Check

The people made work difficult, some clung to their old ways, others failed to perform the jobs they were hired for, and a others created constant problems for everyone around them. I’m convinced some did nothing at all.

On top of that, the finance team worked with too few resources. They had fallen six months behind in paying bills, leaving office staff harassed daily by suppliers chasing payment.

When myself and the new General Manager reviewed the situation, we agreed the branch’s leaders had mismanaged resources, ignored accountability, and left the team under-resourced.

We worked through each challenge one-by-one to get a positive outcome.

The Transition

After a year and a half, once the branch was back on track, the General Manager was relocated. I requested a new project, as I had done everything possible for the team.

The company thanked me for my work but advised that no other major projects were available at the time or coming up soon. They suggested I enjoy the fruits of my labour. Around then, a temporary General Manager joined the branch, while they were hiring a permanent replacement. I knew it was time to find a new job. I was transparent about my feelings with the regional HR team and the General Manager about my desire to move on. Although I must admit there were other contributing factors, too.

Two months after these discussion with upper management took place, I started applying for roles elsewhere outside of the company. I quickly found a great new opportunity.

The Resignation

In theory, I did all the right things in preparation for resigning. Scheduled a meeting with the General Manager at the end of the day on a Friday. I explained that I had accepted a new role. That the company no longer needed someone with my profile in the position. I suggested they replace me with someone who could focus on team engagement and training for the next phase. The branch needed different type of support now.

The response was crushing. I was told I was unprofessional for resigning on a Friday. My manager suggested I should have waited until after his contract ended the following Wednesday, so that he didn’t have to deal with the companies ownership representative. He asked me not to put my notice in writing yet. There were no congratulations, no thank you for my contributions. Just silence.

It was a reminder that you can do all the right things for a company and still seem to exit on a bad note.

A Sad Ending

After everything I had done to turn the branch around, as you could imagine, this ending hurt. It was a very sad and disappointing conclusion to an otherwise positive chapter of my career of five years with the company.

Lessons Learned

1. You can’t always control the ending.
   No matter how much effort you put in, sometimes the way you leave a role is shaped by others reactions rather than your own intentions. That doesn’t lessen the impact of your contribution.
2. Transparency is worth it.
   Being open about your career goals and your desire to move on might not always be received positively, but it builds integrity and clarity for yourself.
3. Growth comes through discomfort
   Those challenging months were some of the hardest of my career, but they gave me more professional growth than any “easy” role could have.
4. Your value isn’t tied to one workplace.
   A disappointing exit doesn’t erase the skills, resilience, and experience you gained along the way. Those lessons move with you.
5. Closure isn’t always neat.
   Not every chapter ends with applause or recognition. Sometimes, you simply have to take pride in what you know you achieved and walk away with your head held high.

Have you ever done everything right, only to leave on a bad note? How did you make peace with it?