Having to part ways with a teammate is a sad moment, no matter if they have decided to pursue other opportunities or we found that they're not a good fit. When it happens, we want to make sure the offboarding experience is as smooth as possible for everyone involved, so that we can focus on handling the emotional aspects in the best possible way.
Resignation
First of all, if you're even remotely thinking about resigning, you should let your manager know. No one will punish you for your candor: our culture is focused on transparency, and looping in your manager will allow you to have a chat and ensure you're considering all possible options before quitting. Sometimes, what seems like an insurmountable problem can be easily solved with some creativity and the support of company leadership.
If you really do want to resign, your manager will let you know about the exact process you need to follow, which will be different depending on your type of employment and how long you've been with us. They will also most likely hold an exit interview to understand what did well and what we could have done better during your journey with Nebulab.
We typically ask people to send a goodbye note in #announcements to let the company know they're leaving. This maintains a sense of transparency and ensures no one's in the dark about what's going on. If you're unsure of what to write here, your manager can help you out. If you're not comfortable writing the note and would rather delegate that, your manager can also send the message.
Termination
If there's ever a problem with your performance or behavior, you'll hear about it a long time before we even consider the idea of termination, so you should never stress over issues that your manager is not directly addressing—if you're unsure of where you stand, talk to them during your next 1:1!
Very rarely, we may be forced to let someone go. This can be for a number of reasons, but it usually happens when the teammate has failed to produce meaningful results for a significant period of time, or if there's been a critical and sustained breach of our Values.
If you are being let go, we're terribly sorry, and we want you to know that we take responsibility for the event. Having to fire a teammate almost always means that we failed at properly assessing them during our Hiring process, which led us to onboard someone who wasn't a good fit.
We'll announce your termination after your last workday at Nebulab. We'll protect your privacy by withholding any specific circumstances that led to the decision, but we do want to make sure that teammates are in the loop about what's happening and understand the decision-making process—this avoids the spread of unhealthy rumors. You're also more than welcome to say goodbye in Slack and discuss any details of your termination with your teammates, if you wish.
Alumni Slack channels
No matter whether you have resigned or have been terminated, we will typically ask you if you want to stay around in certain non-work-related Slack channels. There might be exceptions to this rule, most notably in the case of severe breaches of our company culture and values.
Being in Slack will allow you to keep in touch with the people you've met here, and it's a nice way to follow the evolution of the company over time. It's amazing to be able to chat with people who have moved on years ago, and the fact that most teammates choose to stick around even after leaving fills us with joy.