Notifying current department about new position

[xav]

People talk as if options are abundant... Toxic departments are toxic, but it's a job in an impossible market.

[cutting your losses]

Jan 4, 2023 0:59:01 GMT -5 Insight on this said:

I waited until April to tell my department I was leaving even though I accepted a new job in December. I felt bad for my colleagues for kind of screwing them, but my chair and college admin were extremely toxic and I feared retaliation. So it really depends on the situation. Karma.

Yeah, sometimes you just have to cut your losses. It luckily didn't happen to me, but I figure that if a new AP or even a postdoc goes on the market in the first months of a new position, they are probably trying to leave for good reasons.

If getting another job would prompt a current colleague to retaliate against you, it sounds like a no-win situation and the best you can do is minimize harms. The collateral damage is to the decent colleagues in the department who wouldn't have enough time to start a search promptly, which does suck all around. These decent colleagues would be justifiably peeved but hopefully understand.

If one of those former colleagues tried to badmouth you to me afterwards, I would be thinking to myself "ah, I see why someone would try to get away from this person." And then I would try to politely get away from that person.

[Also]

Also, just to clarify, the Archivist wrote that the topics discussed in the original thread had nothing to do with the hire, but it's specifically because a user saw the hire post on his social media about moving institutions that the discussion started...

Nonetheless, I agree that the convo is interesting and better suited for a different thread. Thanks!

[don't burn bridges]

Jan 10, 2023 15:05:36 GMT -5 time for self reflection said:

Dec 13, 2022 13:30:27 GMT -5 don't burn bridges said:

Yes, of course. They're going to have left after a year regardless of when they tell me; delaying the news won't change that. But it will make me feel like they lied to me for months, and like they kept our program from being able to make plans. Seriously, don't do this. Word gets around and we'll know you knew long before you revealed it. And we'll feel foolish that our colleagues in other departments knew you were leaving but we did not.

Yeah, if someone is not telling you, it means that your department is so toxic that they were afraid of telling you, so that's an opportunity for your to reflect on that. And your vengeful, "word gets around" veiled threats and bitter attitude about it suggests that your department could in fact be toxic, so maybe it's time to un-learn those attitudes and behaviors.

The point of "word gets around" is that we'll probably end up hearing the news from someone else if you took an offer somewhere way before you told us, not that we'll badmouth you around the discipline. Chill.

[Follow up]

Jan 14, 2023 22:15:30 GMT -5 don't burn bridges said:

Jan 10, 2023 15:05:36 GMT -5 time for self reflection said:

Yeah, if someone is not telling you, it means that your department is so toxic that they were afraid of telling you, so that's an opportunity for your to reflect on that. And your vengeful, "word gets around" veiled threats and bitter attitude about it suggests that your department could in fact be toxic, so maybe it's time to un-learn those attitudes and behaviors.

The point of "word gets around" is that we'll probably end up hearing the news from someone else if you took an offer somewhere way before you told us, not that we'll badmouth you around the discipline. Chill.

Are you sure, though? Do faculty at R1s really talk to faculty at regional comprehensive universities or community colleges?

When I was on a campus visit at an R1, they didn't even know my current institution existed... (and it was also a research school!)

[don't burn bridges]

You're right: I was thinking about lateral moves between R1s, which tend to be pretty intensively linked through gossip networks. Maybe this is also different in subfields with different timing, since ASA is right at the start of the job market. But people go to the SWS winter meeting, they give talks at each others' departments, they coauthor and gossip on their zoom calls...

[Cool]

Well, at the end of the day, it really is not too big of a deal (notifying a department about leaving). Petty/toxic people are everywhere unfortunately, so do not waste time thinking about it and focus on your research.

[Consequences]

I think there’s something to be said about holding off on telling your department, IF you fear repercussions. I had a friend tell their department and then almost immediately had their summer class revoked. Actually, this happened to a couple of friends now that I think about it.

It’s a sticky situation, but if you’re in a department that is hostile (and many of us are), there could be risks to telling too early.

[Guest322]

I’ve also heard multiple instances of research accounts being immediately frozen once they told their department.

[Appreciation]

This entire discussion has helped me to appreciate my current university even more. A few years back I decided to apply for a new position in a different state. There would have been pluses and minuses about taking it if I received an offer. I had private talks with my chair and dean about the opportunity, and both ended up writing supportive letters of recommendation.

In the end, I didn’t leave. And they have never held my application against me. Never underestimate the value of good collegial relationships with colleagues and administrators. Unfortunately, that is often a feature of the department or campus culture that predates your arrival. (And it is one reason I stayed.)

[Wow]

Jan 20, 2023 13:01:21 GMT -5 Guest322 said:

I’ve also heard multiple instances of research accounts being immediately frozen once they told their department.

This is insane! I hope the people who were pushing candidates to tell their news early now realize why it may not always be the best idea.