Considerations when leaving a job

[Alf91]

Well hello everyone, I am hoping you can help me think of things that I may not be thinking of. I am fairly sure that I will be leaving my job in the next few months, and I want to make sure I've thought of everything before I do so.

Things like:
-get a dental checkup before I lose my benefits
-find out what to do with my retirement plan
-think about getting life insurance since it's covered through work now
-get contact information for references for future jobs

What else?

[Paul der Krake]

Figure out whether it makes sense to use your PTO. Some pay out, some don't, some pay out at a reduced amount.

Go through your all the fringe benefits and corporate discounts available and see if anything is worth pulling the trigger on.

[IslandFiGirl]

Leave on the 1st of the month so your health insurance is good for the remainder of the month.

[mgnhrvth]

Can you share why you might be leaving your current job? Are you moving to a new job?

Regarding your original question:

- Refresh/update your LinkedIn account
- Refresh/update your CV
- Research unemployment benefits
- Renew any certifications etc
- Turnover with your replacement(?)
- Meet with a career coach/mentor
- Meet with a CPA to understand any tax impact
- Research new industry (interviews, contacts etc)

 

[Christof]

- Make sure you don‘t have any personal data on your work computer
- Store email addresses and phone numbers that you need later
- if you lent anything to a coworker like money or a book, make sure how to get things back
- if you signed up to any interesting newsletter with your work email, move them to your personal email address.

[legalstache]

Consider maxing out your 401(k) for the year at your current employer before you leave. A lot of companies have waiting periods before you can enroll in their 401(k), so if you'd be subject to a waiting period (or aren't sure if you would be), you could try to contribute as much as possible before leaving.

Also, if you currently have an HSA, remember that the amount you can contribute depends on how many months out of the year you're enrolled in a HDHP. If you're going from a job with an HSA to a job without one, make sure you haven't overcontributed for the year. 

[ixtap]

If you are eligible for retirement benefits, do you even need life insurance?

[Linea_Norway]

https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/post-fire/pre-fire-checklist/

[Roadrunner53]

Start taking home any personal effects you have. You might be surprised how many things you have accumulated at work. Such as manuals you received from going to  seminars. Those 3 ring binders are heavy if you want to take them with you. If you have any plants in windows at work, you might want to find a new owner for them. Take off any personal information you might have on the computer. Like photo's of coworkers from company picnic's and such. Phone number you might have stored on the computer. Any contacts that you might like to keep if you order things.

I also might think about making some templates of types of reports you have written. Not the report itself but the way the reports are formatted. You might need an example of a well written report at your new job. Something you are familiar with.

The last job I had, I was laid off from. I was called to HR and given the news. When I got back to my desk, they had cut off access to my computer so I couldn't pull anything off. I had about an hour to gather my personal belongings and leave. It was very, very stressful.

Start getting your stuff prepared to go because you never know what the company has up their sleeve. They might lay you off before you are ready to go.

[Alf91]

Yes, these are super helpful, thank you all, keep em coming! And for those who asked, I'm not FIRE but I'm leaving my job to focus on side gigs.

[Roadrunner53]

Working one day into the next month is good advice that someone else mentioned. My husband retired from his job and fortunately the HR person told him to do that if he wanted to  and he would be covered for the entire month. We were on Obama care and that saved us over $500 for health insurance that month.

That is another thing, if you plan to go on Obamacare start checking out the costs for the different plans. Or check out Cobra. Cobra is an expensive choice from what I have heard.

I also agree on maxing out on your 401k for the amount of months you plan to work. I did that at another job. I didn't actually max out but I bumped it up a lot for about 6 months.

My husband had certain days he wouldn't have gotten a pay out for so he was told to take the days off. He hardly worked the last month he was employed.

[Alf91]

I'll mention too that I am in Canada as I notice some comments mentioning Obamacare etc.

[Saving in Austin]

Don't give more than 2 weeks notice.

I knew someone who gave two months and they forced him out early.

[Linea_Norway]

Start taking home any personal effects you have. You might be surprised how many things you have accumulated at work. Such as manuals you received from going to  seminars. Those 3 ring binders are heavy if you want to take them with you. If you have any plants in windows at work, you might want to find a new owner for them. Take off any personal information you might have on the computer. Like photo's of coworkers from company picnic's and such. Phone number you might have stored on the computer. Any contacts that you might like to keep if you order things.

I also might think about making some templates of types of reports you have written. Not the report itself but the way the reports are formatted. You might need an example of a well written report at your new job. Something you are familiar with.

The last job I had, I was laid off from. I was called to HR and given the news. When I got back to my desk, they had cut off access to my computer so I couldn't pull anything off. I had about an hour to gather my personal belongings and leave. It was very, very stressful.

Start getting your stuff prepared to go because you never know what the company has up their sleeve. They might lay you off before you are ready to go.

This.

Some people get escorted out of the building as soon as they give notice, e.g. if they go to a competitor. Make sure you have collected your personal stuff before giving notice. Also what is on your computer that you want to reuse and your bookmarks.

At my job, I printed lots of hiking maps during my last period. My job had a good color printer and my printer at home doesn't work so well. I generated maps of all national parks that I didn't have maps of and of other places on my bucket list, and printed at a time that most other people were not at work.