Was I unreasonable to apply for this job without telling my employers?

[Lambbone]

First time on AIBU - be gentle!

At a recent appraisal the boss asked me if I was planning to stay at the organisation, and I said yes.

However, the weekend of the 12/13 Dec I was casually browsing online and came across the perfect sounding job for me. The deadline was the Monday. I threw together an application and submitted it in time. Got an invite to interview Tuesday, was interviewed Friday (took a day's leave) and was offered the job verbally that day.

In work yesterday I spoke to HR and dropped an email to the boss to explain the situation - not formally handing in my notice, which I won't do until I get the offer in writing. Got a very irritated email back from the boss saying that she would have appreciated a heads up especially bearing in mind our recent conversation. Boss wasn't rude at all, but clearly very irritated.

So was I unreasonable? I didn't think anyone told their employers that they were looking elsewhere, just in case it didn't work out and their loyalty was brought into question. And I wasn't really job hunting - just browsing in a fairly idle fashion. Was it unreasonable of me to have applied at all, having said that I was planning to stay?

[Damselindestress]

YANBU. I would never tell my current employer I was applying for another job as it might destabilize my current position and then I might not get the new job. Heck, in this economy sometimes you don't even get a reply to an application so it would be a waste of everybody's time to tell your employer every time you applied for another job. It's common practice to wait for an offer and your manager has shown exactly why, she's taken it personally and now if you didn't get the new job you would have to deal with bad feeling at work. I think your manager is BU to ask you that question in the first place and then express irritation at not getting a 'heads up'. If you want to leave on a good note, maybe mention that things changed since your earlier conversation so you were not being dishonest. However I don't think you owe her an explanation.

[blueshoes]

On the issue of counteroffer or buy back, unless it is linked with a growth opportunity or different responsibilities like AllBy, it is difficult to see how it could work. Why would the company pay more money for the employee to do the same job at the risk of upsetting the 'team alignment' (euphemism for one employee getting more than other people doing the same job). That would just breed resentment from the manager and co-colleagues.

My firm made an offer to a very senior partner at another firm but he got spectacularly bought back by his firm by a stunning last minute rear guard action. 6 months later, he left anyway to join us. It did not work.

[CallieTorres]

My company makes you tell your line manager if you are planning to apply for an internal role!

[mintoil]

I don't understand this at all - you have given them a heads up. I would not have told them anything until I had received the offer in writing and was ready to actually resign.

If it all falls apart ( and I really hope it doesn't) you will have caused quite a lot of damage to your relationship there.

Best of luck in the new job.

[megletthesecond]

Yanbu. I have never mentioned when I'm job hunting and simply hand in my notice once I've got the new job in writing.

Telling a boss you're thinking of leaving sounds like a way to get treated abysmally until you actually get a new job.

[WeAllHaveWings]

It is your old/current company/boss's responsibility to ensure no one is irreplaceable and they have succession planning/appropriate notice periods. Morally/ethically there is no need to give any notice other than your contracted notice period.

[maggiethemagpie]

Would they give you a 'heads up' if they were thinking of making you redundant? No, they'd do the legal minimum consultaiton period before giving you notice.

Always amuses me when people think they are letting their employers down, when if the boot was on the other foot their boss would not give a shiny shit.

It's a business transaction

[blueshoes]

You can soften the blow for your employer by ensuring a good handover to your successor or if one cannot be hired in time, to leave good handover notes and an empty out tray. You can also start to train other staff on your role, if your manager thinks that is useful.

Apart from that, it is reasonable to go on the assumption that no one is irreplaceable.