My Former Boss Won’t Leave Me Alone
It’s a common predicament: you leave a particular job and your former boss won’t stop making contact. The situation can be awkward, uncomfortable, and even downright annoying. It’s not often easy to know when and how to handle a situation like this, especially if you don’t want to cause unnecessary offense or hurt any feelings. In this post, we’ll cover some tips and tricks to help you navigate this tricky situation and move on with your life.
First, consider the reason why your former boss might be trying so hard to stay in touch. For instance, they may feel like they want to maintain a professional relationship with you because you were a valuable part of their team. Or, if the job you had at the previous company was particularly stressful, and you left on good terms, it’s possible that your boss may just be looking for some friendly chatter to help ease the transition.
Whatever their intentions may be, it’s important to remember that you have a right to your own time and privacy. This means that you don’t have to respond to every message and phone call from your former boss. If you feel like the contact is becoming too much and is starting to interfere with your current job, it’s always OK to set limits.
You can do this by politely acknowledging the message and clearly expressing that you don’t want to be in regular contact with your former boss. Be sure to thank them for all their help during your time at the company and explain that you’d like to focus on your current job and career.
It’s also a good idea to mention that you’re happy to be contacted if they ever need to talk about specific work-related issues. That way, you can manage their expectations and set up boundaries.
Another strategy is to manage the frequency of contact by changing the medium. Instead of communicating via phone or email, suggest that you move the conversation to a professional networking platform like LinkedIn. This way, you can keep in contact with your former boss on your terms and avoid feeling overwhelmed.
If a simple request for space isn’t getting the message across, it may be time to have a more direct conversation. If things have become so uncomfortable that it’s starting to affect your current job performance, you’re allowed to tell your former boss that their continued contact is making it difficult for you to focus on your work and that it’s really affecting your life.
Finally, if all else fails and your former boss continues to contact you, you should always have the option to block them or take legal action if necessary. While it’s best to avoid this route, it’s important to know that you have the power to protect yourself if the situation escalates.
Navigating a situation like this can be difficult, but it’s important to remember that it’s OK to set boundaries, even with former bosses. It’s crucial to be firm and direct in communicating your needs while also being polite and respectful. It’s also important to remember that while this particular situation may be uncomfortable, it can also be seen as a good learning experience and a reminder to always be aware of agreeing to any expectations your employers might have for your future interactions.
