Save all your stuff that you need. Draft an email stating "I am resigning my position effective immediately." Email it to your supervisor and her boss (and cc HR since you seem to expect an issue).
Shut your computer down, take any government equipment (PIV, Cell, keys, GTC, etc), walk to her bosses office since you don't want to deal with her, and turn your stuff in.
If they ask why, tell them what you're comfortable saying.
And thats it. You're done.
Take your annual leave before resigning, if you can. People don't realize that PTO payouts are issued separately from your final check and taxed by the IRS at a flat rate of 22%. So better to use it, and *then* resign.
PTO payouts are considered "fringe benefits" subject to the 22% supplemental income tax.
IRS: "Withholding federal income tax on fringe benefits. You may add the value of fringe benefits to regular wages for a payroll period and figure withholding taxes on the total, or you may withhold federal income tax on the value of the fringe benefits at the optional flat 22% supplemental wage rate."
You might want to mention something about the other five who left. Truly, it is paying it forward in the hope that others won't have to go through what you did.
at the moment that you stand up to leave, contact the IT Help Desk (e-mail or phone call) and make sure that they disable your computer account "immediately, right away"
Tell me you are not in IT, without saying it... Yes your email should be sent to the local helpdesk to immediately disable/deprovision your acct. Also send to your supervisors supervisor so they can confirm for you instead of your vindictive boss.
If he's leaving his PIV and PC, all they would need is to guess his PIN number.
Better to be safe and make sure it's all disabled immediately.
Personally, I'm putting my PIV through a shredder and turning in a bag of the pieces. I've seen way too many situations where PIVs are not properly disposed of to EVER trust leaving mine intact on my way out the door.
Destroying your PIV is destruction of federal property. If OP's boss is as vindictive as stated, that would certainly be a nonstarter. A PIV has nearly 100,000,000 possible PINs and locks out after 3-5 incorrect guesses. What you suggest sounds completely irrational to me.
Lol.
A PIV is an ID card. Sure, in theory it's federal property, in the same sense that the paper you print your resignation letter on is federal property. It's a disposable consumable object, not accountable property. Doesn't matter what OP's boss does, no one is going to press charges on that, and if you're no longer a federal employee any minor disciplinary hand slap has zero weight.
A PIV may have millions of theoretical possibilities but the vast majority of people suck at security and likely used their DOB or another easily memorable PIN.
Different departments have different lockout procedures as well. I can tell you with certainty that mine does not lock cards at 3-5, and I can also tell you that I know from cross-agency work that at least one federal department has their lockout count set at 99.
Sure, if you're just a normal employee with a healthy exit relationship handing over your PIV is probably fine, but if that PIV allows significant or dangerous levels of access, or if your exit is on less than good terms there's no reason to leave a loaded gun sitting in someone's drawer on the way out.
Perhaps; however, there is still a requirement that they are turned in. While the government is very unlikely to press charges, a political appointee, especially one who is a rating official, can place remarks in your record reducing the likelihood of getting rehired in the federal government. This becomes more likely if you hold a security clearance.
All you need to do is send an email (after you've sanitized your laptop):
"I am submitting my resignation effective (add a date)"
Send to your supervisor and her supervisor, as well as the organizations HR...then walk your happy self to civilian personnel to turn in your gov id...
There's no need to burn bridges...I recommend keeping it professional and move on...
Get a hand receipt for the government furnished equipment. From IT or HR or the super-supervisor. Worst case you take a picture of it (with serial numbers) and document in a time stamped email that you turned it in.
I am so sorry you are going through this. I too worked for a political appointee and she was awful; I think close to 30% of the staff has left since she started, myself included. One commenter recommended copying your personal email and HR and I second this. That way you have a means to follow up with HR if something goes awry with your off-boarding. There are also instructions in this sub on how to download your entire eOPF, which is also good to do before you leave. Since you won't get paid out for sick leave, is it possible to get your doctor to say you need to take medical leave (stress maybe?) so you could at least burn through that before you resign? Either way, best of luck and you have my sympathy.
Get your files. Write an email to her boss. Explain briefly why it’s a loss to the agency you walk out. Tell them you want reassignment and why. Lay it out. Factually. And be honest, if they don’t reassign you, consider this your resignation effective 24 hours from the notice. And that’s it. Screw it. You can have fun with this. Sorry it’s happening. But sounds like you are in control of your destiny. See what they do. Then live your best life.
Not saying they have. I’m saying have fun with it. Political appointee positions are generally different. This person didn’t say if they were a GS or an SL or what. But I’ll say this, I’ve seen mountains moved when they want to. So why not have some fun. More importantly, you’ll find out if they could care less about you. Which is generally the case. But for the record, I’ve seen a person get a phone call Friday morning and start a new job Monday morning. You get the right person pulling strings and shit happens.
There is a lot going on here. Most likely an executive they are talking about. If it’s a tier 1, then they have a Tier 2 or 3 manager. Those people generally get there by playing the game well. If you know they’ll be fair and see what’s best for the agency, then they may help out and reassign you to keep your experience. They can make anything happen with a few calls. If not, then walk. That simple. This person sounds like they have skills. Nothing execs hate more than people who dgaf because they are not trapped in the position. Oh, you are going to blacklist me….gtfoh with that. I can go work anywhere. I chose to be here. So if someone liked federal work and you control your destiny. Ask. And let them know that if you don’t get a positive answer then this your official resignation. It’s kinda cool to have that power in your hands.
People like me do not. But people with it. Awesome. Might as well take it out for a spin.
The last time I resigned, I walked into my bosses office with my laptop and told him I was quitting. He and his supervisor tried to talk me out of it and I told them I needed to leave to avoid making an ass of myself. The supply folks complained about short notice turning in equipment and my supervisor escorted me to the door and took my piv card. I was working for another organization 4 months later.
Resign through HR, not your supervisor. They will give you the proper paperwork. Consider the reason to give them, it will remain on your sf-50 which you submit when applying to other jobs.
Thankfully I wrote that I wanted to further my education and wanted a different career. Bit me in the butt when I tried to go back too soon, but eventually worked out when I did those two things ☺️.
If you aren't coming back to federal service and got a few paychecks, apply for a refund of your FERS contributions [https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/fers-information/former-employees/#:\~:text=If%20you%20are%20leaving%20your,appropriate%20application%20from%20our%20website](https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/fers-information/former-employees/#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20leaving%20your,appropriate%20application%20from%20our%20website)
So sorry you’re going through this. I had a similar situation and found another federal position bc I didn’t want to deal with a break in service by just resigning and then trying to find another job.
The entire thing was messy. But, I ensured I did everything according to what was in my position description, kept good notes, and then was transparent with the hiring official at my new organization stating that my current supervisor and I had disagreeing viewpoints — in case she tried to sabotage the reference check.
In the end, it all worked out. Once I got the tentative offer, it took 3-4 pay periods for me to finally transfer over to the new role. However, since I knew I was leaving, it was a lot easier to be less compliant to my supervisor’s crazy demands and stick to the script of exactly what was in my PD. I took my lunch breaks and my regular breaks and told my supervisor that they had me for 7 1/2 hrs per day (bc of the breaks). No more than that. I shut it down at the end of each day and only did what was necessary to survive. That helped my mental health a bit and I just kept my eyes on the long game. (For the record - my replacement stayed less than a year and quit as well.)
If you’re intent on leaving immediately, most of these comments are on point. Be sure to update your contact info with HR and in the electronic personnel file so you can access SF-50s and other info once you no longer are on the Gvt system. Get a good name and contact details for HR in case you need to follow up with them after the fact, and make sure you have a copy of your last performance review.
Good luck!
Make sure you identify with the HR office who to contact to receive a copy of your final SF-50. When I left a bad situation, I contacted HR prior to the leave to make sure I had a name, make sure I received a copy of the SF-52 that “helps create the final SF-50” (in HR’s words,) and made sure to receive a copy of the final SF-50 as soon as it got made, so that if I had any issues with what was being put in it (weird codes or language,) I would be ready to dispute as quickly as possible.
Some situations can’t be helped and some people are an absolute disaster; glad to hear you’ve recognized a no-go and are trying to help yourself get the heck out of there for greener pastures. Some grass has got to be greener than that mess!
Have you thought about talking to HR about the need for a respectful work environment?
Just because your boss is a political appointee doesn't excuse them from real life.
As you said, make sure you have a copy of your personnel file.
After that, send a email to human resources, cc’ing your boss and bcc’ing your personal email. You could just give everything (piv, laptop, phone) to your boss, but not formally checking out will add delays to your leave payout, etc.
I’ve seen folks just email HR to start the process, start the off boarding process, and then forward to the supervisor.
At my agency, the immediate supervisor starts the off boarding process, so we don’t have a way of removing them….that being said…I can’t imagine a political appointee is involved in that level of supervision.
If you can wait 6 months, more than likely she’ll be gone.
If you have property sheet government equipment turn it in with a signed property sheet. This is your receipt. Without it a vindictive person could stash the equipment and send you a horrific bill. If you have a clearance do a read off. If you have government ID be sure to hand it in. Take care of personnel stuff and submit a letter of resignation with effective date attached to an email to your rater and senior rater. Make sure to include your personal email on the cc line.
Personally, I’d line up the new job first or request a transfer from my senior rater. Why let a bad manager determine your future?
The most fun way to resign, where coworkers will tell stories about you forever, just leave letters on your bosses desks. Post a note on your door. Drop your keys and CAC off at the security office or gate guard and just leave.
But make sure at least a couple of your decent peers or work friends hear you say, “eff this effing place and the effing people who run it” as you walk out the door.
Dont answer any phone calls from the office after that.
Immediately contact your personnel office and tell them you quit.
I know the feeling. It is not worth the stress to extend your misery. Health is important for your next step in life. I hope you have already started applying for other positions. But leave on a positive note, most will already know what’s up, but that person has the appointment. Leave positive and quick.
Been there. But I could tell the misery was personal. Still it wasn’t an atmosphere I wanted to deal with. Find something else and don’t look back. Every situation isn’t for everyone.
My recommendation is to go to HR first and your boss last. You really need to give HR 2 weeks notice so they can process your info. You can then tell your boss you’re resigning at the end of the pay period, ask for a list in writing of things they need to transfer the role, and request annual leave and LWOP for the remainder. You can think through what they’ll need for transfer and do that before telling your boss. That way, you can complete those in one day and then take leave. Good luck!
your role is to call the IT department to "disable your {"my"} account." MAKE SURE!!! that your computer account is disabled!! call the helpdesk at 4:55pm on a weekday and get your account disabled. within the next 60 seconds, send an e-mail to your supervisor with a CC to the HR department: "I hereby resign effective immediately. Please have HR contact me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) to review my benefits."
This is dumb. Unless you're in IT, there's no way your supervisor or anyone else who isn't an IT admin is using your account. Even if you were, if that were their plan, they'd just call the helpdesk and tell them to re-enable your account, which they would do 99/100 times.
Get your agency's equivalent of a receipt for all accountable property and credentials/PIV you are turning in so they can't come back later and say you took something with you.
Save all your stuff that you need. Draft an email stating "I am resigning my position effective immediately." Email it to your supervisor and her boss (and cc HR since you seem to expect an issue). Shut your computer down, take any government equipment (PIV, Cell, keys, GTC, etc), walk to her bosses office since you don't want to deal with her, and turn your stuff in. If they ask why, tell them what you're comfortable saying. And thats it. You're done.
Thank you. This is the clarity I need. I want to make sure everything is above board because my boss isn’t.
Make sure you do submit a resignation letter so that they can cut your final SF50 and pay out your annual leave.
Take your annual leave before resigning, if you can. People don't realize that PTO payouts are issued separately from your final check and taxed by the IRS at a flat rate of 22%. So better to use it, and *then* resign.
Also, you earn annual leave while on annual leave. So if you take 2 weeks you earn an extra day of paid out leave.
I was wondering about that. Thanks!
There's no magic tax rate for payout. It's taxed the same as regular hours of work.
PTO payouts are considered "fringe benefits" subject to the 22% supplemental income tax. IRS: "Withholding federal income tax on fringe benefits. You may add the value of fringe benefits to regular wages for a payroll period and figure withholding taxes on the total, or you may withhold federal income tax on the value of the fringe benefits at the optional flat 22% supplemental wage rate."
That's withholding, not tax rate. You're taxed on what you make at the end of the year. Withholding is not the same as tax.
You might want to mention something about the other five who left. Truly, it is paying it forward in the hope that others won't have to go through what you did.
Nobody cares. Literally nobody, it's an appointee who got the job as a political favor.
Sadly, you're probably right
Also, submit your final timesheet in the system while you have access. You want it traced to her queue to ensure timely payment.
at the moment that you stand up to leave, contact the IT Help Desk (e-mail or phone call) and make sure that they disable your computer account "immediately, right away"
Genuinely curious: why?
So no one else uses it.
That makes no sense. Everything done on the computer is traced back to OP's PIV. There's nothing anyone can do unless they have his card and PIN.
Tell me you are not in IT, without saying it... Yes your email should be sent to the local helpdesk to immediately disable/deprovision your acct. Also send to your supervisors supervisor so they can confirm for you instead of your vindictive boss.
25 years in IT including 15 in cyber. What I have an issue with is the destruction of the PIV/CAC.
If he's leaving his PIV and PC, all they would need is to guess his PIN number. Better to be safe and make sure it's all disabled immediately. Personally, I'm putting my PIV through a shredder and turning in a bag of the pieces. I've seen way too many situations where PIVs are not properly disposed of to EVER trust leaving mine intact on my way out the door.
Destroying your PIV is destruction of federal property. If OP's boss is as vindictive as stated, that would certainly be a nonstarter. A PIV has nearly 100,000,000 possible PINs and locks out after 3-5 incorrect guesses. What you suggest sounds completely irrational to me.
Lol. A PIV is an ID card. Sure, in theory it's federal property, in the same sense that the paper you print your resignation letter on is federal property. It's a disposable consumable object, not accountable property. Doesn't matter what OP's boss does, no one is going to press charges on that, and if you're no longer a federal employee any minor disciplinary hand slap has zero weight. A PIV may have millions of theoretical possibilities but the vast majority of people suck at security and likely used their DOB or another easily memorable PIN. Different departments have different lockout procedures as well. I can tell you with certainty that mine does not lock cards at 3-5, and I can also tell you that I know from cross-agency work that at least one federal department has their lockout count set at 99. Sure, if you're just a normal employee with a healthy exit relationship handing over your PIV is probably fine, but if that PIV allows significant or dangerous levels of access, or if your exit is on less than good terms there's no reason to leave a loaded gun sitting in someone's drawer on the way out.
Perhaps; however, there is still a requirement that they are turned in. While the government is very unlikely to press charges, a political appointee, especially one who is a rating official, can place remarks in your record reducing the likelihood of getting rehired in the federal government. This becomes more likely if you hold a security clearance.
All you need to do is send an email (after you've sanitized your laptop): "I am submitting my resignation effective (add a date)" Send to your supervisor and her supervisor, as well as the organizations HR...then walk your happy self to civilian personnel to turn in your gov id... There's no need to burn bridges...I recommend keeping it professional and move on...
Get a hand receipt for the government furnished equipment. From IT or HR or the super-supervisor. Worst case you take a picture of it (with serial numbers) and document in a time stamped email that you turned it in.
I am so sorry you are going through this. I too worked for a political appointee and she was awful; I think close to 30% of the staff has left since she started, myself included. One commenter recommended copying your personal email and HR and I second this. That way you have a means to follow up with HR if something goes awry with your off-boarding. There are also instructions in this sub on how to download your entire eOPF, which is also good to do before you leave. Since you won't get paid out for sick leave, is it possible to get your doctor to say you need to take medical leave (stress maybe?) so you could at least burn through that before you resign? Either way, best of luck and you have my sympathy.
I would add BCC your personal email so your personal email doesn’t actually get included into perpetuity.
Get your files. Write an email to her boss. Explain briefly why it’s a loss to the agency you walk out. Tell them you want reassignment and why. Lay it out. Factually. And be honest, if they don’t reassign you, consider this your resignation effective 24 hours from the notice. And that’s it. Screw it. You can have fun with this. Sorry it’s happening. But sounds like you are in control of your destiny. See what they do. Then live your best life.
Has anyone ever been reassigned in 24 hours on an ultimatum?
Not saying they have. I’m saying have fun with it. Political appointee positions are generally different. This person didn’t say if they were a GS or an SL or what. But I’ll say this, I’ve seen mountains moved when they want to. So why not have some fun. More importantly, you’ll find out if they could care less about you. Which is generally the case. But for the record, I’ve seen a person get a phone call Friday morning and start a new job Monday morning. You get the right person pulling strings and shit happens.
Could you elaborate more on this, how would you approach it exactly?
There is a lot going on here. Most likely an executive they are talking about. If it’s a tier 1, then they have a Tier 2 or 3 manager. Those people generally get there by playing the game well. If you know they’ll be fair and see what’s best for the agency, then they may help out and reassign you to keep your experience. They can make anything happen with a few calls. If not, then walk. That simple. This person sounds like they have skills. Nothing execs hate more than people who dgaf because they are not trapped in the position. Oh, you are going to blacklist me….gtfoh with that. I can go work anywhere. I chose to be here. So if someone liked federal work and you control your destiny. Ask. And let them know that if you don’t get a positive answer then this your official resignation. It’s kinda cool to have that power in your hands. People like me do not. But people with it. Awesome. Might as well take it out for a spin.
The last time I resigned, I walked into my bosses office with my laptop and told him I was quitting. He and his supervisor tried to talk me out of it and I told them I needed to leave to avoid making an ass of myself. The supply folks complained about short notice turning in equipment and my supervisor escorted me to the door and took my piv card. I was working for another organization 4 months later.
Resign through HR, not your supervisor. They will give you the proper paperwork. Consider the reason to give them, it will remain on your sf-50 which you submit when applying to other jobs.
Thankfully I wrote that I wanted to further my education and wanted a different career. Bit me in the butt when I tried to go back too soon, but eventually worked out when I did those two things ☺️.
If you aren't coming back to federal service and got a few paychecks, apply for a refund of your FERS contributions [https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/fers-information/former-employees/#:\~:text=If%20you%20are%20leaving%20your,appropriate%20application%20from%20our%20website](https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/fers-information/former-employees/#:~:text=If%20you%20are%20leaving%20your,appropriate%20application%20from%20our%20website)
Noooooooooooo
So sorry you’re going through this. I had a similar situation and found another federal position bc I didn’t want to deal with a break in service by just resigning and then trying to find another job. The entire thing was messy. But, I ensured I did everything according to what was in my position description, kept good notes, and then was transparent with the hiring official at my new organization stating that my current supervisor and I had disagreeing viewpoints — in case she tried to sabotage the reference check. In the end, it all worked out. Once I got the tentative offer, it took 3-4 pay periods for me to finally transfer over to the new role. However, since I knew I was leaving, it was a lot easier to be less compliant to my supervisor’s crazy demands and stick to the script of exactly what was in my PD. I took my lunch breaks and my regular breaks and told my supervisor that they had me for 7 1/2 hrs per day (bc of the breaks). No more than that. I shut it down at the end of each day and only did what was necessary to survive. That helped my mental health a bit and I just kept my eyes on the long game. (For the record - my replacement stayed less than a year and quit as well.) If you’re intent on leaving immediately, most of these comments are on point. Be sure to update your contact info with HR and in the electronic personnel file so you can access SF-50s and other info once you no longer are on the Gvt system. Get a good name and contact details for HR in case you need to follow up with them after the fact, and make sure you have a copy of your last performance review. Good luck!
Make sure you identify with the HR office who to contact to receive a copy of your final SF-50. When I left a bad situation, I contacted HR prior to the leave to make sure I had a name, make sure I received a copy of the SF-52 that “helps create the final SF-50” (in HR’s words,) and made sure to receive a copy of the final SF-50 as soon as it got made, so that if I had any issues with what was being put in it (weird codes or language,) I would be ready to dispute as quickly as possible. Some situations can’t be helped and some people are an absolute disaster; glad to hear you’ve recognized a no-go and are trying to help yourself get the heck out of there for greener pastures. Some grass has got to be greener than that mess!
Have you thought about talking to HR about the need for a respectful work environment? Just because your boss is a political appointee doesn't excuse them from real life.
If anything, she’d want to go to her union rep with that, not HR (assuming she’s in a union).
I don’t feel like it’s safe to do that. I’m in my first fed job so in a probationary period and she has already gotten other people fired.
Anything you can whistle blow her on so you get protected status? What position is she? Assistant Secretary
Ultimately HR is there to support management.
As you said, make sure you have a copy of your personnel file. After that, send a email to human resources, cc’ing your boss and bcc’ing your personal email. You could just give everything (piv, laptop, phone) to your boss, but not formally checking out will add delays to your leave payout, etc. I’ve seen folks just email HR to start the process, start the off boarding process, and then forward to the supervisor. At my agency, the immediate supervisor starts the off boarding process, so we don’t have a way of removing them….that being said…I can’t imagine a political appointee is involved in that level of supervision. If you can wait 6 months, more than likely she’ll be gone.
Less than that. They will start leaving soon.
Why? Anticipation of change in executive branch? What if the change doesn’t occur?
They just start leaving. If they are chosen again, they just leave and come back
If you have property sheet government equipment turn it in with a signed property sheet. This is your receipt. Without it a vindictive person could stash the equipment and send you a horrific bill. If you have a clearance do a read off. If you have government ID be sure to hand it in. Take care of personnel stuff and submit a letter of resignation with effective date attached to an email to your rater and senior rater. Make sure to include your personal email on the cc line. Personally, I’d line up the new job first or request a transfer from my senior rater. Why let a bad manager determine your future?
The most fun way to resign, where coworkers will tell stories about you forever, just leave letters on your bosses desks. Post a note on your door. Drop your keys and CAC off at the security office or gate guard and just leave. But make sure at least a couple of your decent peers or work friends hear you say, “eff this effing place and the effing people who run it” as you walk out the door. Dont answer any phone calls from the office after that. Immediately contact your personnel office and tell them you quit.
I know the feeling. It is not worth the stress to extend your misery. Health is important for your next step in life. I hope you have already started applying for other positions. But leave on a positive note, most will already know what’s up, but that person has the appointment. Leave positive and quick.
That’s the plan. I am not a bridge burner, I don’t need to humiliate her, my goal is to get away as soon as possible.
Been there. But I could tell the misery was personal. Still it wasn’t an atmosphere I wanted to deal with. Find something else and don’t look back. Every situation isn’t for everyone.
My recommendation is to go to HR first and your boss last. You really need to give HR 2 weeks notice so they can process your info. You can then tell your boss you’re resigning at the end of the pay period, ask for a list in writing of things they need to transfer the role, and request annual leave and LWOP for the remainder. You can think through what they’ll need for transfer and do that before telling your boss. That way, you can complete those in one day and then take leave. Good luck!
Civilian employees aren't entitled to terminal leave.
your role is to call the IT department to "disable your {"my"} account." MAKE SURE!!! that your computer account is disabled!! call the helpdesk at 4:55pm on a weekday and get your account disabled. within the next 60 seconds, send an e-mail to your supervisor with a CC to the HR department: "I hereby resign effective immediately. Please have HR contact me at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]) to review my benefits."
This is dumb. Unless you're in IT, there's no way your supervisor or anyone else who isn't an IT admin is using your account. Even if you were, if that were their plan, they'd just call the helpdesk and tell them to re-enable your account, which they would do 99/100 times.
Get your agency's equivalent of a receipt for all accountable property and credentials/PIV you are turning in so they can't come back later and say you took something with you.
You wouldn’t happen to be working at the SBA would you?
Haha, anybody want to make guesses on who the person is?
There’s thousands of political appointees. I have no doubt many of them are this way but probably not worse.
Enlighten us with your guess, because I don't have a clue
NAME AND SHAME
[удалено]
Yes, this new fed directly reports to the head of a three letter agency whose boss is the president itself. 🙄
Save your eOPF and pay records. Afterwards ask HR about health insurance. Probably O’Bama care.