Do not sign any papers until you speak to an attorney. If you are charging a company with discrimination/unfair practice get legal advice before you sign anything. You will be able to contact your attorney tell him what transpired and ask him/her to accompany you to the meeting.

The Exit Interview

If you have worked for a company and they wait until you resign to ask your opinion about working conditions you have to ask yourself will anything you say result in change? You should come up with no as an answer.

Keeping that in mind remind yourself that they are getting paid big money to know what’s going on in the company. It is not up to you to point out your secretary’s slow typing speed or your co-worker’s laziness. They already know this and they don’t care or they would have fixed it. Be non-committal in your answers and keep them short.

This is a good time to ask for letters of recommendations and references. If you want you can also offer to stay until a replacement is found. However, make sure they know you have a timeline until you start your next job.

Avoiding Employer Manipulation Through Guilt and Counteroffers

Employers know that it costs money to train new people. Haven’t you been working like ten men but getting paid the salary of one? Now the boss realizes that this may potentially clog up the works. He may even think that twenty-five cent raise you asked for last Christmas might be something he can examine. He might even give you a counter offer.

Do not take a counter offer ever! Research shows that 75% of people who take counter offers are usually not working in the same job six months later. The reasons: they have been laid-off, downsized or fired.

Apparently, the boss believes that those once willing to resign are not loyal company people. Those employees who accept counteroffers are usually replaced when work is slow and the company has time to hire and train someone who will work for less to do the same job.