Dear Flack,

I just gave my two weeks notice. So, is it uncommon to do absolutely nothing while you are waiting for your two weeks to be done? What is the proper etiquette for quitting a PR job?

Best,

Quitter

Dear Quitter,

You’ve put in your two weeks and I’m sure all you can think about is starting your new job. Screw “the man” right? However, the one thing my mom always says, which I’ve tried to follow throughout my career, is to “never burn bridges.” So, as tempted you are to sit at your desk and add to your impressive doodle collection or surf the web all day, it’s important to realize you are still there for another two weeks. That means the company is still paying you.

No matter your experience at the job, whether it has been positive or negative, it’s important to leave on a good note. Why? Well, you never know who you will run into down the proverbial career path. To help you make a graceful exit, PRBC has pulled together a few pointers to keep in mind:

Clean up your PC – It’s important to delete all your e-mails (received and sent), personal files, and pictures – anything that is of a personal nature and not relevant to company business. That means all those e-mails to your co-workers about potential lunch options and drunken vacation photos – yeah, get rid of those. (e.g. don’t leave a “F**k this place!” memo in a file somewhere).

Back it up – Keeping in mind any non-compete/confidentiality agreements you signed, you should back up any Outlook contacts, press releases you wrote, etc. that you might need down the road.

Tie up loose ends – Put together a recap of what’s been done and what needs to be done for each of your clients/projects. Not only is this the right thing to do for the company, but it will be extremely helpful for the next person taking over. Don’t go out of your way to make their business that much better, but don’t make things a lot harder for them in the process (not that you would do that anyway).

Notifying the clients – More than likely you have formed a bond with some of your clients and you want to say your proper goodbyes. Unfortunately, this is not up to you, it’s up to your superiors. The company should alert the clients of your departure; the news should not come from you, unless otherwise directed. In some cases, companies will refuse to notify the clients at all, and unfortunately if you find yourself in this situation, you will not be able to say your goodbyes.

Checking out – If you can, try to make sure someone from your office who has the authority checks you out before you leave, so that anything they find after you leave can’t be used against you. Turn in your keys, sign any documents needed, etc. This might not be required at your company, but it’s a good idea to do so no matter where you work. You can never be too careful with this kind of stuff.

It’s your turn. Do you have any dos and don’ts for those last two weeks?

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