My last day

The day has finally come.   In some ways it felt like it would never get here.  It has been months in the making, and has been well needed for several years. That’s right.  Today is my last day in my current job.

After three months of interviews, background checks and health screenings (I doubt Obama vetted his cabinet this thoroughly), I was cleared for hiring and issued my new badge for my new job which starts on Monday.  Yay me!

I gave my notice three and a half weeks ago, and as I have mentioned here, my current boss has been, well, weird about it.  Some are being kind and saying he’s simply in denial.

The first bit of evidence of his denial was his refusal to negotiate with my new boss on my release date.  I’m simply moving over to a different division of the business, so it is courtesy that the new and the old bosses confer and come up with a mutually agreeable  date for the transfer that is no more than a month from the day notice is given.   Basically he just said he didn’t know when he could release me and the negotiation  ended. New boss had to get HR involved and they just told him outright when I was leaving – and it was a very reasonable 3 1/2 weeks after I gave notice.  Old boss’s only comment?  “I had hoped you would leave with dignity” and “your new boss is not a very nice person.”

For the next couple of weeks old boss completely ignores me.  There is no transition plan. I have no idea who is going to take my work, who I can direct my users/clients to.  Fingers are twiddled. A novel is written.  Old boss shaves his head (no, it’s not a style thing – he is neither a hipster nor losing his hair. Frankly, I think he just pulled a Britney).  When finally one of my colleagues asked him this last Tuesday if we were going to have a lunch for me, since I’ve only been on the team eight freakin’ years, she said he looked as if he had been slapped.  An email gets sent: “LB has decided to pursue her career outside of the group.  Let’s say farewell at lunch.”   OK, I guess it’s better than nothing.  Though I’ve certainly read more gracious notices/invitations, especially after 8 years of service.  But, hey, it’ a free lunch.

At lunch, due to a fluke in seating, my boss ends up sitting next to me.  I expected maybe he would want to know the status of wrapping up my projects, or perhaps let me in on his plan for who my users should contact. Perhaps even a polite “you will be missed, but we wish you well in your new endeavor.”  You know, the usual.  But, instead, he spent much of the lunch acting as if I was not going to leave.  He said I still had time to change my mind, and that he hadn’t even started my exit paperwork.  Oh, and the giggling. The maniacal giggling. Really, old boss, there is nothing funny about trying to guilt trip someone into staying.

If this had been a normal farewell luncheon, someone, usually the boss would say something nice about me, and then I would get a chance to make a closing statement.  I was advised by some wise friends to kill them with kindness in my speech.  And I was prepared to do that.  But, since the old boss refused to acknowledge my leaving, that whole step was skipped.

I’m somewhat relieved though. I don’t like being insincere and I don’t lie well. I’m not feeling gracious.   I think my old boss is an ass.  Normally, I’ve cut him some slack and have said “He’s a nice man, but a bit of a novice in terms of being a manager.”  Nope.  He’s an ass.   As for my other colleagues*, truth be told, I’m really not going to miss them all that much.  It’s not that they are not nice people.  They are.  I just have nothing in common with them. There is no glue to hold together any friendships outside of that environment.

So, I head into the office for my last day.  A lot of people work from home on Fridays.  It should be quiet. I will pack my things, change my voice mail, change the title and contact information on my email.  I can be pretty damn sentimental sometimes, but I don’t see a bout of that coming on.   I’m just going to be relieved it’s over.

* It wasn’t complete social hell there.  There are people I worked with closely during my tenure on that job that I consider friends, but they worked in a different division and office.  I hope to continue my relationships with those people, both personally and professionally.