Resignation etiquette

There are certain things you just expect in a grown up work environment when you resign. On the same project team within about 3 weeks of each other, 2 people have resigned and I’m flabbergasted at the response.

Firstly, the announcement:

Mine wasn’t a resignation per se but rather a decision to not see out my contract. As I always do, I discussed the pros and cons of doing this with my manager in an effort to make a decision. Whilst I was fairly certain that I was going to go, it was not decided at the point that my manager gave early warning to he who manages the IT program of work, as my possible departure needed to be added to a raft of other resource issues on the project. He, who is a self-centred show-off took it upon himself to go around the Melbourne arm of our project and announce that I had resigned. I was appalled! As far as I am concerned a possible resignation eluded to in good faith is a basic human confidence that he broke in order to buy allegiance with the aforementioned troubled project team by blaming my departure as the straw that broke the camel’s back. I went over his head and resigned on the spot in person stating that I refused to work for someone like that.

Secondly, the reaction.

When my departure was announced there was no reaction. Nothing. No-one either in our team meeting or afterwards said anything. No congratulations, no questions, no comments. So I felt pretty awful about the whole thing and still do. Completely ostracised. When the second person in our team to depart announced their resignation (today) the same stony silence fell. And this was probably even more of a surprise to everyone as the ‘leak’ mentioned above did not occur. I mean what kind of project team is this? Whether or not you like the person or are glad to see the back of them, you at least acknowledge their resignation.