#NotAllManagers

[minoanmiss]

Oh this is funny. This is a slightly unorthodox submission, as it is a thread in a discussion of an answer.

The original question was "should I feel guilty about leaving for another job?"

Here's one comment:
ENFP in Texas*
September 15, 2021 at 12:30 am
#1 – remember that It’s Just Business, It’s Not Personal. He’s your manager,not your best buddy, and it’s a workplace, not a family.

Also realize that if the company had to cut costs, they could – and would – lay you off in a heartbeat without any guilt whatsoever.

Good luck with the job hunt!

This is Alison's Response:

Ask a Manager*September 15, 2021 at 12:35 am
Eh, plenty of managers feel terrible when they have to lay people off. I’m not a fan of the “they’d get rid of you without thinking twice” framework — often they would agonize over it and feel terrible about it (that’s true of every single manager I know who’s had to lay people off, including me). Plus if it doesn’t ring true to the person receiving that advice, they’ll be less likely to listen to the part that is true — which is that this is work and you can put your own interests first.

My thoughts in first comment

Comments

[xenacryst]

So much this. I know for a fact that my manager would have a terrible day if he had to lay me off. I also know he wouldn't have a choice - at least, not if he wanted to keep his position, and that's assuming he wasn't also part of the layoff (and even if he did refuse, that wouldn't exactly save me). But he's not the one making the decisions, he's just the poor sod tasked with pushing the button, and at the end of that terrible day my beef would not be with him.