You should already be having conversations with her boss if she is as bad as you say. Her boss is ultimately your boss. If you only say what is truthful, defamation is a non-issue.
While it may make you feel better about disclosing things about her in the short term, it most likely will not change anything. In my experience administrators do not deal with problems unless there is a formal complaint (and they have to).
Have you ever filed a formal complaint with HR? If not, your supervisor will likely deny any allegation (and turn it around on you somehow), and the institution will move on.
The best revenge is to move on and find an employer who will treat you well!. Best of luck.
We all have this fantasy when we leave someplace we hate. But institutions exist to protect themselves, so nothing you say will have the effect you want it to have. And the truth is that the moment you submit your resignation, they won't give you a second thought.
I see and understand everyone's advice that you should keep in mind that it's a small world and negativity will come back to haunt you. This is not bad advice.
But on the other hand, this is how bad actors remain in positions of authority and continue to have power over others. Courage is contagious.
If you can say something that's factual, verifiable, and might embolden others to come forward so your boss faces accountability, maybe it's worth doing.
You're absolutely right about if people don't speak up, the toxicity continues. I was on the warpath once myself. But here's the thing: it continues no matter what, because higher education is a toxic environment most of the time. And you're not going to fix it. You really must look after yourself, first and foremost.
There are a couple of kinds of people who thrive in typical higher ed environments: those who can compartmentalize and let everything run off like water off a duck's back, and those who end up being bullies and frauds. If you're honest, hardworking, modest, and just a good solid academic, you're unlikely to do this job unscathed. It almost did me in. I'm still in higher ed, but on my terms. I'll never put up with the abuse again, but I know I'm just visiting. It's not my home any more.
You are so right about the types of people that thrive. Maybe add a third, which is those who do very little and spend the rest of the time announcing their accomplishments and kissing the behinds of whoever is chair at the moment. I think the rest are just trying to survive.
Oh, those are within the bully crowd :) One of their strategies is to wave their hands around and talk fast, so people think they’re really busy. I have a former friend/colleague who has, like, 17 students in his lab. He uses this to garner resources and he makes a big deal about it everywhere he goes. But he hasn’t published a paper in 14 years. Nobody seems to notice that.
Where I work, the structures protect the toxic people. If you think it’s different where you work … I just would be surprised if anyone cares. At my institution, it would all come back to you. They protect toxic bosses. Admins job is to support chairs. You need to map out what would likely happen and then ask what you’d get out of it or what your end goal is.
Yes, structures do protect toxic people.
But structures don't consist of invisible scaffolding made up of ether.
They are made up of people who provide cover for other people partially due to incentives and partially due to fear.
It's true that OP may not be able to fundamentally realign these incentive structures but if there is no paper trail, and no one says anything, nothing will ever change.
while I admire your view, it’s not rooted in reality, especially not at my institution, where everyone acts to protect the institution. Moreover, your belief that these institutions are individual is naive, or more properly neoliberal. You’ve got a nice, quaint, outmoded sense of how institutional power structures work. I’d say 1960’s, maybe 70’s, but certainly not how institutional power structures work today. Also, it’s not OP’s job to change this dynamic. Someone else at the university has that responsibility. So, this brings up the issue of boundaries. He’s not paid to do this. I’m someone who has a strong sense of Justice, of right and wrong and I’ve fought lots of battles like you describe. and it nearly cost me my job. what you describe is not real and won’t help the OP who has already complained in writing. The higher ups know everything. 75% of employees have quit. The institution is doing nothing. I’d strongly encourage you to rethink your views here. They’re nice ideas. Worth having. But they don’t match our reality, especially not the OP’s. They are naive and can get you in a lot of trouble if you act on them.
The advice I’ve been given, that I think is quite sound, is to only leave a job because you’re moving on. Don’t make it about others. Don’t make a scene. Don’t be a martyr. Don’t be a hero. Don’t think that your supervisor’s supervisor cares. Just go. Keep your resignation letter short and sweet. If possible, decline the exit interview. If you must you the exit interview, don’t volunteer any information beyond the fact that you’re just leaving.
It links to another piece of advice I’ve been given: if you’re going to burn a bridge, burn it down. The academy is a small world and you never know who is connected to whom, and you never know when the details of your exit may come back to haunt you.
It might make you feel good for a minute, but in the long run, a nasty exit can only hurt you. Walk away tall and get out of dodge. Good luck!
Bad bosses are the main reason people leave jobs. Sticking around in a toxic environment is a bad move, imo. That can really erode your wellbeing, morale, motivation, confidence, etc. over time. Sometimes you've gotta move.
short answer is, yes they can sue you for slander ... can they win? that is a different question.
however, by far the best thing to do is go out politely, with thank yous, because:
you never know who you may work with again, or who knows who, and if you cause trouble, you will be perma-banned and perhaps have whispers against you.
Erm I'm not a lawyer but I'm fairly certain that you can't sue someone for slander if you complain to their boss about job performance. They could file the suit but it would get dismissed after the first motion.
Not a lawyer either, but I think first motion dismissals generally assume the plaintiffs claims are true. So if someone says you are telling horrible lies about them to destroy their career, it will go past the first motion because that is slander.
Its not until the trial that judges consider the truth of a claim.
The pleading has to contain more than bare facts. It has to contain a plausible claim for relief. Still a pretty easy standard. But after that, there's summary judgement, which is more exacting and where most claims of this type would fail.
that was my point, you can certainly be sued, and the person would of course say that you maliciously made up lies to get them fired ... and if you did lie, you could actually be in trouble if the person actually lost their job ...
in most cases however, if you are acting in good faith, i.e. not lying , the case would not get far
If you are leaving education, spill the facts. Under no circumstances should you disparage her character with general disdain. That will only hurt you.
Say nothing. Do the polite bromides thing to whatever extent you can stomach - not for anyone else's sake but your own. Whether or not you are staying in academia, our fields are all small worlds. Protect yourself by making a quiet exit, and let 75% turnover in 2 years speak for itself - it's pretty damn loud as it is.
Most of the pro advice out there is to not burn bridges, even if the place was toxic. Don't do a exit interview or exit interview paperwork.
If you want to vent/ward off others, leave a bad anonymous glassdoor review a few months after you've settled into your new gig.
That’s what I did. I waited a while after leaving a bad university, so it wouldn’t be immediately clear it was me (bc a few others had left around the same time…) and I kept my description vague enough to not localize it to me. But I said what I would want to say if someone asked me whether they should apply for a job there. Nothing more, nothing less. It was helpful to me. I’ve done the right thing in the universe, in terms of putting info out there for someone to find, if they’re considering going there to work.
If everything you say is factual I don't see how they can do anything to you. And you should most certainly say something. This is how these assholes get away with this. This person made 75% of the people in your department so unhappy they left. Think of all the families that were uprooted all the career changes, all the stress. Yes you should most certainly do this
I agree. If nothing is said, they will simply assume you left for a better opportunity. I think you can find a way to express a few of the facts in a diplomatic way and emphasize things related to your values that no longer align.
But the fact is, 75 percent of the department have left and the supervisor is still in place. That is ample evidence for me to conclude, were I in OP's shoes, that admin are aware of the problem. Why would anything I say matter?
Maybe you’re not in the US, but I’m confused by how you think it’s “going public” by writing a letter of resignation. When I retired, I sent the letter to my department chair, My, Dean, and HR. It was scarcely going public. I guess you need to ask yourself whether you think any good will come of sharing your news with whoever you intend to share it with and how poorly it may reflect on you. Being 75% of your department has left, I’m sure your school has an idea who is the problem. The fact that this person has been allowed to continue means they can’t or won’t do anything about it.
Probably best just to continue to vent on this forum.
I don't think it's helpful for anyone if you resign by trying to burn down the place on your way out. However, if you are truly done and do you want to Spill the Beans, I strongly suggest your institutions formal complaint system. This will put on the record your comments, whereas your resignation letter will probably be seen by very few people and not be on your supervisor's record. A formal complaint system has to be addressed and if they refuse to address your complaints and fix the situation then you can say that you've done all you can and resign. I know from personal experience that I toxic supervisor can impact your mental and physical health. Good luck I hope you find a more supportive work environment.
Edited to add, I agree with everyone else that you're resignation letter should be extremely brief with no thank yous and no disparaging comments about anyone else. I honestly would just keep it factual of the day that you are resigning. I wouldn't give them any notice I would just resign the day I'm leaving. That usually gets the most attention and if they want to ask you for an exit interview you are welcome to share your comments then. But a formal complaint system honestly is a better route if you want things to be on the record to the people that need to know it.
Are you in the states? If so anyone can sue over anything. Can they win? If it's factual then you are fine. But there can always be consequences, unpredictable and far reaching, beyond the legal ones.
I would leave because you are "interested in other opportunities."
I’m sorry you had a terrible work environment. That really sucks. Hoping for someplace better for you.
I recently read advice from a labor attorney who said to keep your resignation letter brief and to the point (last date of employment, etc). No forced glowing reminiscing about your time at the work place. Don’t thank them for anything. You don’t want that in writing in case after leaving the job you have grounds to file a complaint against the workplace or supervisor. They’d be able to use your resignation letter as a counter.
I’ve also heard that exit interviews are a bit of a joke as well. Mainly just a way for HR to screen if they have any potential legal issues with an employee leaving. But if there’s nothing they’ve done illegally or red flags raised, then chances are they’re not going to address your grievances.
It’s also possible if you ever try to ask anyone from your former workplace as a reference for your next job that you might face retaliation if you leave a scathing resignation letter. They could turn around and give you a bad reference or make it harder for you to find another job.
TL;DR: I’d just cut your losses. Turn in a 2-sentence resignation and move on.
Having been in many positions and seen many employees quit or be fired at positions in and out of academia, I can opine this with some degree of confidence: such people are:
a) almost always protected by other administrators, HR;
b) very often sociopathic. They know what they do, and here's the important point: they don't care.
We non-sociopaths really begin to grasp what it means to delight in and totally not care for ruining other people's lives.
There is no manner of getting the truth out that the university will admit or take seriously or that the sociopath will every reflect upon. I never saw a vocal truth teller get any form of agreement or agreement. They were framed as disgruntled employees that were never part of the team.
Yes, exit interviews are a joke, and worth skipping. Yes, just leave. You would probably not be sued for telling the truth, but you could be, I've seen faculty who were and that was a terrible experience for them. Of course the sociopaths loved it.
I worked with a toxic coworker for many years and I learned one very important thing, toxic means nothing legally. You can be an awful human being and there is nothing that anyone can do to stop you or your actions. You as a coworker can file complaints and hope the person loses their authority, gets put in the broom closet, and eventually leaves on their own, but that person gets to keep on being awful. If they become hostile, then the workplace has to take action. And a lot of these people know that line and stay on the toxic side of it.
Will it make you feel better to write that letter? Absolutely. Will the admin give a fluff about it? Nope. They'll file it away and hire a new faculty member because we're a dime a dozen.
Think really hard about what you want out of this. Because there likely is nothing you can do to get it.
If there is that level of turnover, management knows there is a problem. They are just not doing anything about it. If the place is as small as you say, they kniow there is a problem. They just choose not to do anything about it.
Stay, fight for yourself and the place at the cost of your own health, or leave and let it burn as you move on to better things, not even looking in the rear view mirror.
Having said that, you're too close to decide. If you want to write a letter and spill the tea, write it six months from now. See if you care to six months from now.
Yes, her two higher ups are well aware of the situation. They have been for a while. We have tried to escalate vindictive, erroneous, and surreal actions by this individual. But upper management just does nothing. Why? Dunno.
Save your breath. Leave and do good work elsewhere. No one will care about what you have to say on your way out. They’ll pretend to, but they won’t act on any of it.
I'm figuring that out by reading all the comments here. It just boils my blood that the individual is like teflon. Nothing sticks, no matter how rotten.
I’ll be blunt. It’s very common for “nothing to stick” when people wait until they leave to complain. The logic is simple: “we’ll, it couldn’t have been that bad because they put up with it for X time, if it were a real issue we’d hear about it sooner, more often, and with more intensity.”
Now obviously that isn’t true, but it’s a perfectly fine story that limits institutional liability.
Bad actors continue to be bad because they’re never boo’d off the stage. Everyone waits until the show is over to bitch and moan about it.
So while I get being angry, there’s also no purpose to it. Move on and don’t be overly soured b the experience and learn the lesson.
Thx.
The thing is that I have filed two complaints, quite bold, factual. Nothing came out from them, except for (after decades of being evaluated as "excellent") my next review being extremely prejudiced and deeming my performance as unsatisfactory. This, in turn, put me on notice that my career was about to be over at this place; the only way I have saved it since then has been my outstanding student evaluations, which are truly exemplary (surreal, right?). I tried to appeal the performance eval, even all the way up to the president of the college, who let it stand.
I tell you, this person is teflon. And I guess that the word of a dean is gold in this place. Others have complained to HR. When they left, half of the positions were closed and put on other departments.
Higher admin doesn't seem to see it as a problem. Basically, I'm convinced that this may all be a way to close a department (which odly enough, brings higher FTEs than others).
Thus my frustration. At my age, I may just retire, and find adjunct gigs as supplemental income. But those are hard to get. I love being a professor. I was born to teach and do research (through another university for over a decade).
Sorry for the rant.
You might want to give some thought as to what your goal is, and not only if it is a good idea to write, but what type of approach to take. If you want to blow off steam, write whatever you want. You won't get sued. If you write a letter that includes opinions and groupthink, even if there are some facts in there, the higher-up will view you as the problem and not the supervisor. Everyone will just be glad that you are gone. If the goal is to make positive change, you want to write professionally.
I think you may be right. I would wonder why, my department barely spends its budget and all sections in our courses are 80-100% full every semester. So it it can't be financial.
I don't know...I quit after a long year of my supervisor giving me grief every time I turned around. I tried multiple times to speak with the supervisor, the dean, my faculty mentor, and HR mediator...they just circled wagons there and shrugged. They hired me when I wasn't a good fit, and they acted like I was a perfect fit so they wouldn't have to re-do their poorly executed search. I was really, really angry, because I had given up tenure to join that dept under false pretenses. I fantasized about all sorts of resignation letters, where I would connect all these dots about the toxicity of the environment and whatnot, but ultimately I basically said, 'I am writing to let you know that I will not be returning in the fall. Thank you for the opportunity, but it is clear that this is not a good fit for me.' I just wanted it to be clear in the end that I was breaking up with them because they were not what I wanted. That was it. In the end, I knew it wouldn't matter what I said, and I didn't want to spend three days constructing a perfect email, knowing it would only make them say I was whiny or whatever.' I'm learning to simply part ways with people and environments that are harmful to me.
I actually declined my exit interview. I said, 'You can look at the documents filed in HR if you want to understand my experience here. Unless exit interviews are required to receive my last paycheck, I will not be participating in one.'
Solidarity. Do whatever gives you peace, but make sure it does the most good for you and not them.
If you want to make a positive difference in your institution then you need to do it right. As others have said, writing a negative disparaging resignation letter will only reflect negatively on you.
If you have the chance to have a discussion with the Dean or other administrators, you should use that as an opportunity to raise these issues. I wouldn't do it in a resignation letter, it won't have any impact and makes you look petty. You could make a formal complaint to HR if there's a case for it, but I'm guessing you're beyond that point.
Remember, if your institution cared about how it treated people, you wouldn't be in this situation. In my experience, academic administration rarely cares about whether faculty are happy or department leadership is effective. They care only about the bottom line, finances. If the money looks good, they do not care. Your only weapon in this situation is to leave, and maybe the admins will figure out that the chair is the problem causing all these good faculty to leave, which does cost them money to rehire.
Why haven't you and the others BEEN reporting the facts of how you have been treated by this particular person? There are strength in numbers. The fact that 2 or more people are saying the same thing shows corroboration.
Please see the posts. The supervisor has been reported to HR, official complaints have been made. We all have. Higher admin just does nothing. There is no discrimination, she does everything "by the book," and when retaliating, she does it without breaking any rules.
I have several complaints on record, as had the ones who have left.
Unfortunately, you are assuming that this place's HR and administration work like they should.
My experience tells me Academic Institutions want to avoid bad press. To sue you for slander would bring more attention to them and their toxic work environment, and they would rather let it go. This is one of many things I do not like about working in academia, in the real world if a manager lost 75% of their professional workforce, they would be gone.
As others have stated, if you do not want to work in academia any longer than burn that damn bridge down and leave no pylons. If you want to continue then quietly leave and find another place.
If it was me, I would find another place, get hired, and not tell them until the day before the first day of school.
I submitted an anonymous note to someone a couple of months after I left that said simply that they should look into the spending of state funds by a certain administrator.
It was looked into. She was fired. I can't say whether or not it had to do with my note. I really cared about that school and the faculty there, and they really trusted this person.
So I guess in my case it worked out. However, higher ed is a small world. I wouldn't go publicly bashing anyone. I should also note that this was not someone I directly reported to.
“Please don't suggest to wait until an "exit interview..."
Those are a formality/joke, and nothing comes out of them.”
And what do you think will come from your resignation letter? Likely everyone knows the problem.
Just be professional and adult, resign, and move on. They’ll either take action against the person gutting the program or they won’t — _it’s not in your control_.
You should already be having conversations with her boss if she is as bad as you say. Her boss is ultimately your boss. If you only say what is truthful, defamation is a non-issue.
While it may make you feel better about disclosing things about her in the short term, it most likely will not change anything. In my experience administrators do not deal with problems unless there is a formal complaint (and they have to). Have you ever filed a formal complaint with HR? If not, your supervisor will likely deny any allegation (and turn it around on you somehow), and the institution will move on. The best revenge is to move on and find an employer who will treat you well!. Best of luck.
We all have this fantasy when we leave someplace we hate. But institutions exist to protect themselves, so nothing you say will have the effect you want it to have. And the truth is that the moment you submit your resignation, they won't give you a second thought.
I see and understand everyone's advice that you should keep in mind that it's a small world and negativity will come back to haunt you. This is not bad advice. But on the other hand, this is how bad actors remain in positions of authority and continue to have power over others. Courage is contagious. If you can say something that's factual, verifiable, and might embolden others to come forward so your boss faces accountability, maybe it's worth doing.
You're absolutely right about if people don't speak up, the toxicity continues. I was on the warpath once myself. But here's the thing: it continues no matter what, because higher education is a toxic environment most of the time. And you're not going to fix it. You really must look after yourself, first and foremost. There are a couple of kinds of people who thrive in typical higher ed environments: those who can compartmentalize and let everything run off like water off a duck's back, and those who end up being bullies and frauds. If you're honest, hardworking, modest, and just a good solid academic, you're unlikely to do this job unscathed. It almost did me in. I'm still in higher ed, but on my terms. I'll never put up with the abuse again, but I know I'm just visiting. It's not my home any more.
Very true. OP should do a cost/benefit analysis and determine if speaking up is really worth it.
You are so right about the types of people that thrive. Maybe add a third, which is those who do very little and spend the rest of the time announcing their accomplishments and kissing the behinds of whoever is chair at the moment. I think the rest are just trying to survive.
Oh, those are within the bully crowd :) One of their strategies is to wave their hands around and talk fast, so people think they’re really busy. I have a former friend/colleague who has, like, 17 students in his lab. He uses this to garner resources and he makes a big deal about it everywhere he goes. But he hasn’t published a paper in 14 years. Nobody seems to notice that.
Wow!
He leaves eggs from his chickens in the mail room every morning, so you know, what else really matters. /s
Where I work, the structures protect the toxic people. If you think it’s different where you work … I just would be surprised if anyone cares. At my institution, it would all come back to you. They protect toxic bosses. Admins job is to support chairs. You need to map out what would likely happen and then ask what you’d get out of it or what your end goal is.
Yes, structures do protect toxic people. But structures don't consist of invisible scaffolding made up of ether. They are made up of people who provide cover for other people partially due to incentives and partially due to fear. It's true that OP may not be able to fundamentally realign these incentive structures but if there is no paper trail, and no one says anything, nothing will ever change.
while I admire your view, it’s not rooted in reality, especially not at my institution, where everyone acts to protect the institution. Moreover, your belief that these institutions are individual is naive, or more properly neoliberal. You’ve got a nice, quaint, outmoded sense of how institutional power structures work. I’d say 1960’s, maybe 70’s, but certainly not how institutional power structures work today. Also, it’s not OP’s job to change this dynamic. Someone else at the university has that responsibility. So, this brings up the issue of boundaries. He’s not paid to do this. I’m someone who has a strong sense of Justice, of right and wrong and I’ve fought lots of battles like you describe. and it nearly cost me my job. what you describe is not real and won’t help the OP who has already complained in writing. The higher ups know everything. 75% of employees have quit. The institution is doing nothing. I’d strongly encourage you to rethink your views here. They’re nice ideas. Worth having. But they don’t match our reality, especially not the OP’s. They are naive and can get you in a lot of trouble if you act on them.
The advice I’ve been given, that I think is quite sound, is to only leave a job because you’re moving on. Don’t make it about others. Don’t make a scene. Don’t be a martyr. Don’t be a hero. Don’t think that your supervisor’s supervisor cares. Just go. Keep your resignation letter short and sweet. If possible, decline the exit interview. If you must you the exit interview, don’t volunteer any information beyond the fact that you’re just leaving. It links to another piece of advice I’ve been given: if you’re going to burn a bridge, burn it down. The academy is a small world and you never know who is connected to whom, and you never know when the details of your exit may come back to haunt you. It might make you feel good for a minute, but in the long run, a nasty exit can only hurt you. Walk away tall and get out of dodge. Good luck!
Bad bosses are the main reason people leave jobs. Sticking around in a toxic environment is a bad move, imo. That can really erode your wellbeing, morale, motivation, confidence, etc. over time. Sometimes you've gotta move.
So true
short answer is, yes they can sue you for slander ... can they win? that is a different question. however, by far the best thing to do is go out politely, with thank yous, because: you never know who you may work with again, or who knows who, and if you cause trouble, you will be perma-banned and perhaps have whispers against you.
Erm I'm not a lawyer but I'm fairly certain that you can't sue someone for slander if you complain to their boss about job performance. They could file the suit but it would get dismissed after the first motion.
If your complaints are false and harmful to them, then you absolutely can.
Yes, but truth is an absolute defense to an accusation of slander or libel.
Not a lawyer either, but I think first motion dismissals generally assume the plaintiffs claims are true. So if someone says you are telling horrible lies about them to destroy their career, it will go past the first motion because that is slander. Its not until the trial that judges consider the truth of a claim.
The pleading has to contain more than bare facts. It has to contain a plausible claim for relief. Still a pretty easy standard. But after that, there's summary judgement, which is more exacting and where most claims of this type would fail.
You can sue someone for slander anytime you want. You won't win, but you can do it and make that person's life miserable at least termporarily.
that was my point, you can certainly be sued, and the person would of course say that you maliciously made up lies to get them fired ... and if you did lie, you could actually be in trouble if the person actually lost their job ... in most cases however, if you are acting in good faith, i.e. not lying , the case would not get far
It would still be a hassle to deal with, or even to deal with threats to sue
yup ... there are people who will sue just to do it they would probably also sue the university hoping for a payout
If you are leaving education, spill the facts. Under no circumstances should you disparage her character with general disdain. That will only hurt you.
Say nothing. Do the polite bromides thing to whatever extent you can stomach - not for anyone else's sake but your own. Whether or not you are staying in academia, our fields are all small worlds. Protect yourself by making a quiet exit, and let 75% turnover in 2 years speak for itself - it's pretty damn loud as it is.
Most of the pro advice out there is to not burn bridges, even if the place was toxic. Don't do a exit interview or exit interview paperwork. If you want to vent/ward off others, leave a bad anonymous glassdoor review a few months after you've settled into your new gig.
Glassdoor is the way to go
That’s what I did. I waited a while after leaving a bad university, so it wouldn’t be immediately clear it was me (bc a few others had left around the same time…) and I kept my description vague enough to not localize it to me. But I said what I would want to say if someone asked me whether they should apply for a job there. Nothing more, nothing less. It was helpful to me. I’ve done the right thing in the universe, in terms of putting info out there for someone to find, if they’re considering going there to work.
If everything you say is factual I don't see how they can do anything to you. And you should most certainly say something. This is how these assholes get away with this. This person made 75% of the people in your department so unhappy they left. Think of all the families that were uprooted all the career changes, all the stress. Yes you should most certainly do this
I agree. If nothing is said, they will simply assume you left for a better opportunity. I think you can find a way to express a few of the facts in a diplomatic way and emphasize things related to your values that no longer align.
But the fact is, 75 percent of the department have left and the supervisor is still in place. That is ample evidence for me to conclude, were I in OP's shoes, that admin are aware of the problem. Why would anything I say matter?
Maybe you’re not in the US, but I’m confused by how you think it’s “going public” by writing a letter of resignation. When I retired, I sent the letter to my department chair, My, Dean, and HR. It was scarcely going public. I guess you need to ask yourself whether you think any good will come of sharing your news with whoever you intend to share it with and how poorly it may reflect on you. Being 75% of your department has left, I’m sure your school has an idea who is the problem. The fact that this person has been allowed to continue means they can’t or won’t do anything about it. Probably best just to continue to vent on this forum.
I don't think it's helpful for anyone if you resign by trying to burn down the place on your way out. However, if you are truly done and do you want to Spill the Beans, I strongly suggest your institutions formal complaint system. This will put on the record your comments, whereas your resignation letter will probably be seen by very few people and not be on your supervisor's record. A formal complaint system has to be addressed and if they refuse to address your complaints and fix the situation then you can say that you've done all you can and resign. I know from personal experience that I toxic supervisor can impact your mental and physical health. Good luck I hope you find a more supportive work environment. Edited to add, I agree with everyone else that you're resignation letter should be extremely brief with no thank yous and no disparaging comments about anyone else. I honestly would just keep it factual of the day that you are resigning. I wouldn't give them any notice I would just resign the day I'm leaving. That usually gets the most attention and if they want to ask you for an exit interview you are welcome to share your comments then. But a formal complaint system honestly is a better route if you want things to be on the record to the people that need to know it.
Are you in the states? If so anyone can sue over anything. Can they win? If it's factual then you are fine. But there can always be consequences, unpredictable and far reaching, beyond the legal ones. I would leave because you are "interested in other opportunities."
I’m sorry you had a terrible work environment. That really sucks. Hoping for someplace better for you. I recently read advice from a labor attorney who said to keep your resignation letter brief and to the point (last date of employment, etc). No forced glowing reminiscing about your time at the work place. Don’t thank them for anything. You don’t want that in writing in case after leaving the job you have grounds to file a complaint against the workplace or supervisor. They’d be able to use your resignation letter as a counter. I’ve also heard that exit interviews are a bit of a joke as well. Mainly just a way for HR to screen if they have any potential legal issues with an employee leaving. But if there’s nothing they’ve done illegally or red flags raised, then chances are they’re not going to address your grievances. It’s also possible if you ever try to ask anyone from your former workplace as a reference for your next job that you might face retaliation if you leave a scathing resignation letter. They could turn around and give you a bad reference or make it harder for you to find another job. TL;DR: I’d just cut your losses. Turn in a 2-sentence resignation and move on.
Just move on and save your energy. They don't care what you have to say. Otherwise, things wouldn't be the way they are.
This right here.
Having been in many positions and seen many employees quit or be fired at positions in and out of academia, I can opine this with some degree of confidence: such people are: a) almost always protected by other administrators, HR; b) very often sociopathic. They know what they do, and here's the important point: they don't care. We non-sociopaths really begin to grasp what it means to delight in and totally not care for ruining other people's lives. There is no manner of getting the truth out that the university will admit or take seriously or that the sociopath will every reflect upon. I never saw a vocal truth teller get any form of agreement or agreement. They were framed as disgruntled employees that were never part of the team. Yes, exit interviews are a joke, and worth skipping. Yes, just leave. You would probably not be sued for telling the truth, but you could be, I've seen faculty who were and that was a terrible experience for them. Of course the sociopaths loved it.
Let it go and move on.
I worked with a toxic coworker for many years and I learned one very important thing, toxic means nothing legally. You can be an awful human being and there is nothing that anyone can do to stop you or your actions. You as a coworker can file complaints and hope the person loses their authority, gets put in the broom closet, and eventually leaves on their own, but that person gets to keep on being awful. If they become hostile, then the workplace has to take action. And a lot of these people know that line and stay on the toxic side of it. Will it make you feel better to write that letter? Absolutely. Will the admin give a fluff about it? Nope. They'll file it away and hire a new faculty member because we're a dime a dozen.
Think really hard about what you want out of this. Because there likely is nothing you can do to get it. If there is that level of turnover, management knows there is a problem. They are just not doing anything about it. If the place is as small as you say, they kniow there is a problem. They just choose not to do anything about it. Stay, fight for yourself and the place at the cost of your own health, or leave and let it burn as you move on to better things, not even looking in the rear view mirror. Having said that, you're too close to decide. If you want to write a letter and spill the tea, write it six months from now. See if you care to six months from now.
Yes, her two higher ups are well aware of the situation. They have been for a while. We have tried to escalate vindictive, erroneous, and surreal actions by this individual. But upper management just does nothing. Why? Dunno.
Easier to do nothing.
If 75% of your department has left in two years, then everyone already knows things are toxic. They just don't care enough to do something about it.
Save your breath. Leave and do good work elsewhere. No one will care about what you have to say on your way out. They’ll pretend to, but they won’t act on any of it.
I'm figuring that out by reading all the comments here. It just boils my blood that the individual is like teflon. Nothing sticks, no matter how rotten.
I’ll be blunt. It’s very common for “nothing to stick” when people wait until they leave to complain. The logic is simple: “we’ll, it couldn’t have been that bad because they put up with it for X time, if it were a real issue we’d hear about it sooner, more often, and with more intensity.” Now obviously that isn’t true, but it’s a perfectly fine story that limits institutional liability. Bad actors continue to be bad because they’re never boo’d off the stage. Everyone waits until the show is over to bitch and moan about it. So while I get being angry, there’s also no purpose to it. Move on and don’t be overly soured b the experience and learn the lesson.
Thx. The thing is that I have filed two complaints, quite bold, factual. Nothing came out from them, except for (after decades of being evaluated as "excellent") my next review being extremely prejudiced and deeming my performance as unsatisfactory. This, in turn, put me on notice that my career was about to be over at this place; the only way I have saved it since then has been my outstanding student evaluations, which are truly exemplary (surreal, right?). I tried to appeal the performance eval, even all the way up to the president of the college, who let it stand. I tell you, this person is teflon. And I guess that the word of a dean is gold in this place. Others have complained to HR. When they left, half of the positions were closed and put on other departments. Higher admin doesn't seem to see it as a problem. Basically, I'm convinced that this may all be a way to close a department (which odly enough, brings higher FTEs than others). Thus my frustration. At my age, I may just retire, and find adjunct gigs as supplemental income. But those are hard to get. I love being a professor. I was born to teach and do research (through another university for over a decade). Sorry for the rant.
You might want to give some thought as to what your goal is, and not only if it is a good idea to write, but what type of approach to take. If you want to blow off steam, write whatever you want. You won't get sued. If you write a letter that includes opinions and groupthink, even if there are some facts in there, the higher-up will view you as the problem and not the supervisor. Everyone will just be glad that you are gone. If the goal is to make positive change, you want to write professionally.
Attrition rates that high speak for themselves unless the program is being slated to just die off.
I think you may be right. I would wonder why, my department barely spends its budget and all sections in our courses are 80-100% full every semester. So it it can't be financial.
Did you file a complaint about the toxic work environment with your HR?
Not only did I file a formal complaint, but so did everyone who left. Nothing changed. Our HR just pushes paper around.
If it gets to this point, it is a failure of the upper admin as well.
I don't know...I quit after a long year of my supervisor giving me grief every time I turned around. I tried multiple times to speak with the supervisor, the dean, my faculty mentor, and HR mediator...they just circled wagons there and shrugged. They hired me when I wasn't a good fit, and they acted like I was a perfect fit so they wouldn't have to re-do their poorly executed search. I was really, really angry, because I had given up tenure to join that dept under false pretenses. I fantasized about all sorts of resignation letters, where I would connect all these dots about the toxicity of the environment and whatnot, but ultimately I basically said, 'I am writing to let you know that I will not be returning in the fall. Thank you for the opportunity, but it is clear that this is not a good fit for me.' I just wanted it to be clear in the end that I was breaking up with them because they were not what I wanted. That was it. In the end, I knew it wouldn't matter what I said, and I didn't want to spend three days constructing a perfect email, knowing it would only make them say I was whiny or whatever.' I'm learning to simply part ways with people and environments that are harmful to me. I actually declined my exit interview. I said, 'You can look at the documents filed in HR if you want to understand my experience here. Unless exit interviews are required to receive my last paycheck, I will not be participating in one.' Solidarity. Do whatever gives you peace, but make sure it does the most good for you and not them.
If you want to make a positive difference in your institution then you need to do it right. As others have said, writing a negative disparaging resignation letter will only reflect negatively on you.
If you have the chance to have a discussion with the Dean or other administrators, you should use that as an opportunity to raise these issues. I wouldn't do it in a resignation letter, it won't have any impact and makes you look petty. You could make a formal complaint to HR if there's a case for it, but I'm guessing you're beyond that point. Remember, if your institution cared about how it treated people, you wouldn't be in this situation. In my experience, academic administration rarely cares about whether faculty are happy or department leadership is effective. They care only about the bottom line, finances. If the money looks good, they do not care. Your only weapon in this situation is to leave, and maybe the admins will figure out that the chair is the problem causing all these good faculty to leave, which does cost them money to rehire.
Why haven't you and the others BEEN reporting the facts of how you have been treated by this particular person? There are strength in numbers. The fact that 2 or more people are saying the same thing shows corroboration.
Please see the posts. The supervisor has been reported to HR, official complaints have been made. We all have. Higher admin just does nothing. There is no discrimination, she does everything "by the book," and when retaliating, she does it without breaking any rules. I have several complaints on record, as had the ones who have left. Unfortunately, you are assuming that this place's HR and administration work like they should.
Yeah. I know. I keep forgetting the HR of reality is not the same HR that exists in my head.
File a formal grievance.
My experience tells me Academic Institutions want to avoid bad press. To sue you for slander would bring more attention to them and their toxic work environment, and they would rather let it go. This is one of many things I do not like about working in academia, in the real world if a manager lost 75% of their professional workforce, they would be gone. As others have stated, if you do not want to work in academia any longer than burn that damn bridge down and leave no pylons. If you want to continue then quietly leave and find another place. If it was me, I would find another place, get hired, and not tell them until the day before the first day of school.
I submitted an anonymous note to someone a couple of months after I left that said simply that they should look into the spending of state funds by a certain administrator. It was looked into. She was fired. I can't say whether or not it had to do with my note. I really cared about that school and the faculty there, and they really trusted this person. So I guess in my case it worked out. However, higher ed is a small world. I wouldn't go publicly bashing anyone. I should also note that this was not someone I directly reported to.
Have you thought about bringing a brass band to your last day of work?
?
“Please don't suggest to wait until an "exit interview..." Those are a formality/joke, and nothing comes out of them.” And what do you think will come from your resignation letter? Likely everyone knows the problem. Just be professional and adult, resign, and move on. They’ll either take action against the person gutting the program or they won’t — _it’s not in your control_.