My last day today and nobody acknowledged it

[Iamsohungryy]

I left the company after 1 year (6 months in 1 team, then 6 months on promotion in the second team')
It's really shown me how the office environment can make or break a role. Team 1 was absolutely fine, I had a couple of friends, manager was great, job was fine, I just applied for promotion to team 2 as it was a 5k payrise.

Should say on team 1 I joined with 5 others and that really helped bonding and settling in. Team 2..put in alone with people who'd all been there years and all very extroverted/loved banter. Nobody was nasty but I very quickly got the frequent 'quiet' comments and label. I did make conversation and try, went to the team lunches twice but just always felt on the outside. No friends on that team, nobody to talk to.

Gave my notice in 1 month ago as I got onto a course in an area I'm trying to progress into. Manager announced to the team of 12 in an online meeting I was leaving. One woman (the only genuine one) said 'have you got a new job?) I was told I could wfh for the rest of my notice except for once a week. Nobody asked me what job I was going onto. They knew when my last day was. Nobody said a word to me.

Did handover with manager, gave them my laptop etc. He said good luck and all the best. The woman in my team didn't even look up from her laptop. I just walked out and quit the group whatsapp.

Nobody's said good luck. Not a word. I'm not expecting a red carpet, 6 months is only short but it's basic human decency.

I left a job after 6 months 2 years ago (it was a fixed term role) and I got a card, collection and leaving drinks. It just depends on the culture, I've just never known anything like this. Have I expected too much?

They probably assumed you'd failed probation so we're a bit embarrassed and not sure what to say.

I passed it in my previous CS role

But they won’t know that.
Often people don’t want to say wrong thing.
If you’ve not said a word about leaving and just manager announcement then they may have thought let’s not go there you’ve been let go or are leaving before pushed. 2 x 6 months stints is a very short time I’d wonder if it was voluntary.
They could have said best wishes. You could have said my last day is next Tuesday I’m having a holiday before starting my course etc. I honestly wouldn’t dwell on it and move on.

I think sometimes people are not deliberately making it a cold environment, they have a different workplace culture for their team. I’ve worked in very social teams and some that are in their own bubble and some in between. I personally preferred the non-social one but others love a really social and friendly work environment. Each to their own.

I think the manager though is a big piece of the puzzle and should do some things to engage the team.

Hopefully this new direction you are heading into OP will be really great. Good luck!

I worked in the same NHS department for 20 years.
When i retired I admittedly only gave l months notice as we sold our home quickly.
On my last day I was told they didn't have time to do a collection and to return in a few weeks for a gift.
It was embarrassing and humiliating.
For 20 years I'd watched people get full lunches, speeches from the consultant and hundreds of pounds worth of gifts.
I popped in 3 weeks later at their request, my manager was not even in and I was given a pair of earrings and a bottle of champagne. A manager I didnt work with gave me 5 minutes of his time to formally hand the gifts over and my nicer colleagues did wish me well.
A few years later I happened to see on fb a young woman had left after working in the same department for just 1 year. The photographs showed literally piles of gifts and flowers that she'd been given.

Conclusion, some people are popular and some are not.
It's nothing to do with you as a person, I worked hard, rarely went off sick, went to the christmas party and knew most of the staff very well. But I wasn't in the 'popular' set, it's like a mysterious group that you can never join because you don't know how to.

No point berating yourself for it now, but I do think your own reaction to leaving is always going to set the tone for everyone else.

If you just sat there in the meeting and said nothing when the manager announced it, and haven't said or done much about it since, people might have wondered if you were leaving under a cloud. They might have thought they were being sensitive by giving you some space so as not to cause embarrassment or upset. More self-serving types might not want to be seen as aligned with you in case you'd got yourself on the wrong side of management.

Ultimately though, you didn't like the culture there and this has confirmed your feelings. Onwards and upwards!

“I was told I could work from home for the rest of my notice except for once a week…”
I think this might be more of the reason, if you’ve only gone in 4 times over the last month, your presence is already minimal, and yes your work colleagues, who on your own admission, you aren’t that close to, won’t have remembered it was your last day, not because they are arses, just because they are colleagues not friends, with their own stuff going on.
if you had taken in cake or biscuits and said ‘cake / biscuits in the kitchen as it’s my last day, help yourself’ I think you’d find a couple or more would have thanked you and wished you luck.
26 weeks working in a team, especially with only 22 weeks in the office, isn’t very long. If any of them are part time works or work remotely a few times a week, then that’s even less time to forge anything more than a basic ‘hi and bye’ and inconsequential chat during the working day. Don’t take it personally and good luck with your course.

I definitely think you are holding them to higher standards than yourself. I think it’s pretty rude you didn’t say it’s my last day working with the team on Tuesday, it’s been nice working with you all or something bland. You didn’t say anything or buy a packet of biscuits or a box of chocolates, they didn’t either. They have matched your energy and perhaps thought you didn’t want anything saying or any fuss.
If you had said something and taken something in and they’d blanked you then that’s rude. Small gestures like a packet of biscuits break ice ooh who’s brought chocolate biscuits in, Katie she’s leaving today. Likely to prompt a thank you where are you off to. Something to bear in mind if you are in a team again.

I agree with this

Perhaps they disliked you and were glad to see you go.

Did you go over and say bye?

I’ve had this several times many years ago and often after several years. Yep, I think it’s piss poor manners but sadly quite common - probably not helped these days by the amount of home working in many jobs,

Yes, the onus is on the person leaving to say goodbye.

I've been there, similar at old work they'd celebrate everything and although only there a couple of years got married and zero. Just consider that you aren't a people pleaser. Might be a bit of envy potentially or just pure thoughtless caught up in own day yo day lives. If you don't go on about yourself you can be forgotten it they think you don't want any attention.

companies and work places can be so odd. I worked for a smallish family run business and various employees retired / left and one guy went on paternity leave all of which received cards, gifts and even had “collections”. I had been at my job 9 years and had worked my way up through the company, in that time I went on mat leave twice. I didn’t get even a card for either mat leave or when I left. I had never once felt as though people didn’t like me and got on well with everyone. Honestly so strange and it really upset me actually.

Something like this happened to me. I was part of a remote team and handed in my notice when the team was going hybrid (I lived way too far from the office). I'd been there 2 years. Whenever anyone else left, there was a "goodbye Teams call" organised by managers. I never got this. One colleague who I was quite close to called me before I set off to drop my laptop and monitor off. But that was it. I think it was because I was the beginning of people handing in their notices over the change.

That’s shit. We just had a 6 month temp leave and we had present, cake in the office and leaving drinks. I get that you’re not going to do that if it’s very common for people to leave but you can at least say bye. So rude.

There’s some brutal replies in here, I would also be hurt OP. Equally I would never be so rude to someone either - good luck in your new role x

OP, that's very poor form by your Manager & team. You are right to be disappointed!! Even when I did a week's work experience aged 16 I got a bunch of flowers and a thank you card with £20 (30+ years ago!!). & my goodness, to not even show an ounce of interest or manners saying goodbye to you - just awful!

You were there 6 months, didn’t really gel with the team and left … you left for a reason, they clearly don’t really care … move on.

I wouldn't put to a sheet for someone who was only there 6 months. I would say good luck on last day

I had similar. Seven years in a job where I worked way more hours than contracted, was assigned to numerous projects (on top of my normal job) because I was 'reliable'. My manager wanted to meet me to collect my laptop and phone - the usual protocol was to courier them back to head office, so I assumed he might be bringing me a card (maybe even a small present). It took him 3 hours by train to get to me - meeting lasted 10 mins - handed over phone and laptop, and that was it. No card, no present and not even a word of thanks. Incredibly upsetting.

Are they all stayers?

You sound like you’re going places and they couldn’t connect with that.

You left with a lot of dignity!

Unfortunately, your expectations are extremely high for a job you only had for 1 year. It is work not a social club you leaving the team is not a moment for celebration for those left behind. They have to meet their own personal and professional goals. You made an adult decision no matter the reason and most of your co-workers may never see you again.

There are only two people who get their names on the building. One - they own it. Two - they are dead and it is a memorial to their sacrifices. Facts - work is work. Your family and social circle is for making the memories. No one will remember you work there after six months. Don't dwell on it. Keep moving forward and make memories with those you love and that love you.

This is tough love...

I think it’s not nice at all. They didn’t need to do a collection or card but some teams messages or even the person looking up to say goodbye is not too much to ask!