Whether you’re leaving on a good or bad note, it’s always a little nerve-wracking to say goodbye to a familiar work environment and step out onto foreign terrain.

Indeed, after spending nearly seven years at my workplace, the thought of changing jobs was both thrilling and terrifying. But I had prayed about it for several years, and had sensed that God was leading me to step out of my comfort zone and take on new challenges He had in store for me. 

That spurred me on to start the process of job hunting. While I didn’t have the clearest idea about what God had in store for me, I believed that He was just as concerned about how I would get there, as much as what I would end up with. 

This knowledge helped me focus on two things. One, to put my best effort into the handover process and not leave my colleagues in the lurch. Two, to consciously remind myself to allow God to direct my decisions, and not let my pride and worldly desires get in the way. 

Long story short, I ended up serving a longer notice period than originally intended, and finding myself in a different job from originally planned. But both turned out way better than anything I could have conceived of on my own. 

Perhaps you’re in a similar situation, and you’re wondering if it’s time to make a change at work. It could be due to push factors (unreasonable boss, difficult colleagues, unfulfilling job, demanding hours, boredom) or pull factors (better pay, better hours, better job scope).

Whichever scenario you’re in, you might be asking yourself:

It’s natural to want to grab the best opportunity that comes along, even if it means making a sudden or untimely decision that catches everyone off-guard. After all, “we don’t owe anything to our company”, “everyone does it anyway”, and “you’re giving one-month notice as required”, right? 

So it seemed extremely bizarre to many of my friends that I was prepared to give my bosses and team mates at least six months’ notice. “But why?” I was asked. “Even CEOs only need to give three months’ notice.” 

While I understood their puzzlement, I knew that I would have appreciated the same from my colleagues if I were in their position. Giving them a long notice would ensure that my teammates had sufficient time to react and adjust to my impending move, and have all they needed to continue their work effectively.

Philippians 2:3–4 urges us to “do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.”

I believe that we can obey this call by trying to put our colleagues’ needs before our own, even though we are leaving the job. Or course, how we can do this would depend on the situation we’re in, our position and role, and our company’s culture. 

Apart from giving them more advance notice if this is possible, perhaps we could come up with SOPs, manuals, and step-by-step guides to help others take over our work. We could file our emails and documentation in a proper and systematic way, or offer to remain contactable when clearing leave (or even after we have left), to address any queries. 

In short, it means going over and above what we’re usually expected to do. But if it gives us an opportunity to showcase Christ and bring glory to Him, wouldn’t it be worth it?

How many of your ex-colleagues are still your friends today? For most of us, it’s probably less than a handful. But if we think about it, we may have spent more than half our lives with some of our colleagues, slogging together to meet deadlines, sharing meals, and bantering with each other. Some of us may even have spent more time with our colleagues than our families!

Will we keep up these ties once we leave our workplaces? Of course, it’s impossible to keep in touch with every single ex-colleague, but there may be a few whom we’ve built stronger bonds with over the years. In fact, now that we’re no longer working together, we might even feel more at ease about sharing our lives with them—without the sensitivities and complications of hierarchy or office politics.

Perhaps we can let Hebrews 10:24–25 shape our relationships with ex-colleagues, especially with those who are fellow believers: “Consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Today, I am still in touch with four or five different groups of colleagues from past workplaces, including my first (which I left more than eight years ago). Some of them have become travel mates, exercise buddies, and even family—I am the godmother to one ex-colleague’s son—and their friendship continues to bless me with great joy and comfort.

To be sure, not all of us are in work environments that would allow us to do some of these things—or even to leave on a good note. 

Perhaps we need to quit our current workplaces as soon as possible, for the sake of our mental, physical, or even spiritual health. Maybe we’ve been betrayed or taken advantage of by our bosses or colleagues so much that we just never want to see them again. Or, we may have no control or say over the transition, having been asked to leave because of manpower cuts or changes in organisational structure. 

If you are in any of these situations, can I encourage you to seek the Lord in prayer? Ask Him what putting others first and cultivating relationships for eternity might look like in your particular situation, and pray for wisdom and strength to do what He wills—even if it’s difficult. 

As I write this, I’ve just completed a year at my new workplace. My new job has stretched me in more ways than I had imagined, but it has also brought me a lot of satisfaction and joy as I’ve learnt to rely on God more and experience the joy of new friendships.