Ask a Manager

Remember the reader whose boss kept pressing her to do contract work after she left for a new job? Here’s her update:

I tried to tell my old boss in person that I would not be doing any contract work but he kept pestering me until I ended up just emailing him to let him know I would not do it and he never brought it up again. Fortunately, I left the job on very good terms despite that bit of tension.

I have been at my new job for almost four months and I really appreciate my new boss. She is encouraging and helpful and I also have a lot more autonomy. It’s a great fit. Since I left my last job, I have kept a good relationship with my old boss and my old coworkers; I even sat down for lunch with the person he hired in my place and answered a few of her questions. My old boss also hired another person for the department, which I am not sure would have happened if I had stayed.