my boss is being a jerk since I resigned

A reader writes: My company is, to put it plainly, a difficult place to work. I’ve been here three years and, in that time, multiple people have left after staying less than a year. The expectations on us are high to the point of often being unrealistic, and we’re frequently given deadlines that are impossible […] The post my boss is being a jerk since I resigned appeared first on Ask a Manager.

Jun 24, 2025 - 18:00

my boss is being a jerk since I resigned

A reader writes:

My company is, to put it plainly, a difficult place to work. I’ve been here three years and, in that time, multiple people have left after staying less than a year. The expectations on us are high to the point of often being unrealistic, and we’re frequently given deadlines that are impossible to meet. As a result, people tend to work lots of (unpaid) overtime on nights and weekends, and people burn out quickly. You’d think we’d at least be paid well in exchange, but no – our salaries are actually below market. Needless to say, I’ve been actively looking for a new job.
Two weeks ago, I finally received a job offer I was excited about and I put in my notice. Our company asks professional-level staff to give two months of notice, and I gave that plus an extra week (so nine weeks total). Despite the conditions here, I’ve had a pretty good relationship with my boss, Sally, and I thought this would help the news go over better. While I was expecting her to take it badly when I quit (in the past, she has tried to refuse other co-worker’s resignations!), she actually did handle it well – at least at first — and I’ve been spending time training my replacement, trying to leave in work in good order, and continuing to manage most of my projects until I leave.
However, as of this week – the third week since I gave notice – Sally has been behaving different toward me. She has started loading me up with a bunch of additional work outside of what we agreed I would handle in my remaining time, even though that will leave me without time to get everything done. Today she asked to meet with me, chastised me for the quality of my work, and said she had seen a noticeable dip in my work in recent months and now understood why (i.e., that I had been job-hunting and trying to leave). She said she expected me to give 100 percent during the rest of my time here and that I should think my “legacy” at the company. It’s definitely true that I’ve been less engaged in some of the big-picture planning conversations … because I’m leaving! I think my priority should be training my replacement and wrapping things up as much as possible in the next few weeks.
After that meeting, she sent a very long, harshly worded message about how she understands it’s normal to switch off to some extent once you land a new job, but my attitude was impacting her own workload and having a negative effect on team morale (I guess it’s not her recent demands that all staff work unpaid overtime or witch hunts punishing staff members for not doing a task correctly). She then went on a lengthy rant calling me and other co-workers robots. I did not engage and answered very noncommittally that we would finish our collaboration “strong.” But I am unsure about how to respond if these sorts of comments continue, as they are quite emotional and very draining to receive. I would like to finish up my time in my current position well and on a positive note. How do I navigate my last few weeks (if this is even possible) with these sorts of comments?

You can read my answer to this letter at New York Magazine today. Head over there to read it.

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