Notice of Departure

Today I received an email with the subject "Notice of Departure." It's not the first time that I've received an email such as this. I have had subordinates leaving the company hence the routing of the notice of departure with the necessary clearance forms. But this time around, the 'departing employee' is yours truly.

The big bold letters, the formality of the text, the finality of the words... It hit me. I will be leaving my company very soon. After five years, four business units, 11 brands, eight different positions/roles, countless financial reports and commentaries, my Unilever journey will come to an end.

I remember my first months with Unilever, fresh off college. I remember staying many nights at the office until 1am, cursing my work, pulling my hair off and vowing to tender my resignation the very next morning. But I had decided on giving it another chance. I told myself that these are just birth pains, that I would eventually get the hang of things. Thankfully, I did. I also remember the arduous new templates the Global guys or new bosses would ask me to accomplish in record-breaking time. I remember promising myself that my resume would be in the hands of headhunters by the end of the day. But it never did. Because I never quit.

Somehow, I always found a reason or reasons to stay--my company's noble vision, my supportive bosses, my talented subordinates, my brilliant colleagues and my challenging yet fulfilling job. Someone wise once told me that the day you find yourself forcing yourself to go to work, will be the day you should consider leaving your job. I've had many of those days. But I've had more days of being at the office, talking to my colleagues, brainstorming and challenging each other, coming up with product and consumer/customer solutions. And completely forgetting why I had a difficult time getting up in the morning. I loved my job and I guess no other reason except my commitment to further my education, expand my global network, learn from the world's best professors and students and all in all experience that quantum leap would have made me leave my job.

Notice of Departure. Yes, it hit me. Hard. And it felt like one big, painful, final thud.