"I love the smell of napalm in the morning."Col. Kilgore, "Apocalypse Now"
In April 2001, a certain dotcom that shall remain nameless went through its first painful round of layoffs. One employee got laid off who had (so the story was heard by me anyway) already been assured of his survival. Hurt and angry beyond imagination, he crafted a "good bye" message to everyone in the corporate headquarters that was remembered for years to come, questioning whether the co-founder had a personality or even a soul, and suggesting perhaps that he should spend his dotcom-lotto winnings on buying one or both. (They learned their lesson, though, and by the time my layoff came, I had to send an e-mail individually to about 100 people saying good-bye... although it had none of the vitriol of this guy's message)
In the end, though, something we all could predict came to pass. He had burned that bridge sky-high, its fire blazing into the night brighter than Kilgore's beloved napalm. And several years later, after that employee had moved on to a new job in a new company, the original company bought his new company, and lo and behold, he was working for the same founder who he'd so publicly slagged years prior.
Sure, he probably regrets it. Sure, his raw emotional outrage (given the circumstances) was completely understandable. But it's still a fact of life that should be a corollary to Murphy's Law, and I'm going to claim it for my own:
The only bridges you ever need to cross are the ones you burned behind you.
This comes to mind for me tonight, as I watch another friend of mine lobbing FAE over his shoulder on the way out the door. I know why he's doing it, and I completely understand it. I used to work there, I can relate to it on that level, and he's totally getting the shaft, so I can relate to it on that level as well. But, by the same token, you never quite know the ways this may come back to you in the ass months or years from now.
I've written a few flaming goodbyes and regret none of them. Super bridge-burners.
The key is to despise processes, not people.
There is only one bridge I can recall that I have ever burned, and that would be the one with the immortal Mr. Buckland at GTE who by all accounts "Pulled a Wally" during the end of my tenure there and was eventually shown the door.
BTW, any chance of posting the text of this tacnuke your friend is leaving?
I never left a flaming, note. Just a note explaining why I was leaving because of communication issues that bothered me so much it affected my job performance. It sucked feeling like I was in a prison or just a fancy slave. And that was in the department, not the company. My department was it's own little special corner of hell.
However I do want to ask the question (which I should eventually put on my own blog). How is it professional curtosy(sp) for the employee to give days/weeks notice..... but fine for an employer to fire you on the spot (or even have you train your replacement, telling you they're there to help)? I have the same right as them to terminate the [employement] contract at any time... but I'm the asshole if I don't help them transition.
meh