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Comment by alimbada | Hacker News Reader

Professionalism doesn't even come into it. You're under no obligation whatsoever to even tell them why you're leaving but if you do, you're doing them a favour. If they know what's good for them they'll have exit interviews but I doubt that's a thing they do if they're not willing to hear you out or fix things when you're actively working for them.

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Further, anything you say in an exit interview can and will be used against you. So either tread lightly or keep quiet.

That depends on the environment/culture of the company. Anywhere I've been that has done exit interviews has done them in order to improve themselves as a company. Yes, tread lightly if you think they'll use it against you but you can still give feedback at most places without burning any bridges if you do it with some tact.

Can you elaborate pls?

Giving your employer the standard two weeks notice is so if they're called by a place you'd like to work for reference they say they'd rehire you. If you go negative anytime during the exit process your management can use that to flip your re-hire status. That's just one way previous employers can affect someone who's left. The balance of power is firmly stacked against the employee and for the employer.

If you want to be a "voice of change" then you'd better have enough evidence to stand up in a court. Anything less can be gaslit.

Also remember, Recruiters and HR move around to different companies a LOT, and they all know each other (BECAUSE they move around a lot!). So you may find that one of these folks at a company you apply to either knows someone involved with your hiring or leaving a previous company, or might have been involved themselves.

Legal circumstances of giving away data of your previous employee aside (which might be very different here in EU), why would my new company rather trust my previous company's bad-mouthing HR than me? And if so, would I be willing to work for such a company?

Rare, but companies can shit on you if they ever get called during a background check.

e.g., * "Hi, I'm calling about Alice. Can you confirm Alice's title and start and end dates of her position?" * Started X, left Y. They're not allowed on the premises anymore."

Generally, companies avoid this because it exposes them to lawsuits, but all it takes is one HR rep who doesn't know the company policy.

A lot can be said by just tone of voice without saying anything incriminating, for that matter.

"Let me check what I am allowed to say about Alice."

Or just the kind of tone like you’re giving them a wet tissue.

Never tell why you leave, only if you want a bad reference letter.

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