u/Savings_Pumpkin_4414

On my last working day at my previous organization, I did something completely unexpected. More importantly, I made it clear where I stood and what my path ahead would look like.

My last working day there wasn’t exactly a great experience, for a couple of reasons.

First, my last working day was suddenly preponed, and I wasn’t informed about it. I came to know about the change only when someone casually mentioned it during an informal conversation.

When I asked how that happened, I was told that the holidays had been removed from the calculation. That came as quite a shock because everyone who had left before me had followed the same calculation, and I had calculated my last working day based on the same approach.

What surprised me even more was being told not to tell anyone about my last working day. I found that quite strange.

Technically, apart from HR, the management team and me, nobody knew that it was my last day. I still don’t know the reason behind keeping it that way. But, ironically, it worked in my favour.

So, when I reached the office that morning, it felt like a completely normal day—for me and for everyone else.

I had, however, been given a lot of work that had suddenly landed on my desk. I kept working relentlessly. At one point, the person sitting next to me asked, “Why are you working so much? It’s your last working day!”

I simply told him, “I don’t want to leave things pending.”

The person who had been given additional charge of my profile had neither much understanding of the responsibilities nor, from what I could see, much interest in learning them.

By afternoon, I was completely exhausted. That’s when I decided to send my farewell mail. I knew that once I sent it, my system access would soon be blocked, and I had no intention of taking up any more work for the day.

I had already prepared my farewell mail and kept it ready.

But there was one significant difference.

I did not include my personal email ID or phone number in the farewell mail.

It simply didn’t feel right to do so.

The people I genuinely wanted to stay in touch with already had my number. I had personally shared it with them and had also requested them not to share it with anyone else.

The experience I had at that organization had hurt me enough that, by that point, I didn’t want to remain in touch with anyone from there.

Some of the people who read my farewell mail understood my intentions immediately. It was, apparently, the first time someone in the organization had left without sharing personal contact details in a farewell mail.

During my tenure, I had brought about several changes in the organization.

And when I left, I ended up doing something else that was a first too.

I had changed the organization in my own way while I was there—and when I left, I set a new precedent as well.

I worked at an Indian firm

On my last working day at my previous organization, I did something completely unexpected. More importantly, I made it clear where I stood and what my path ahead would look like.

My last working day there wasn’t exactly a great experience, for a couple of reasons.

First, my last working day was suddenly preponed, and I wasn’t informed about it. I came to know about the change only when someone casually mentioned it during an informal conversation.

When I asked how that happened, I was told that the holidays had been removed from the calculation. That came as quite a shock because everyone who had left before me had followed the same calculation, and I had calculated my last working day based on the same approach.

What surprised me even more was being told not to tell anyone about my last working day. I found that quite strange.

Technically, apart from HR, the management team and me, nobody knew that it was my last day. I still don’t know the reason behind keeping it that way. But, ironically, it worked in my favour.

So, when I reached the office that morning, it felt like a completely normal day—for me and for everyone else.

I had, however, been given a lot of work that had suddenly landed on my desk. I kept working relentlessly. At one point, the person sitting next to me asked, “Why are you working so much? It’s your last working day!”

I simply told him, “I don’t want to leave things pending.”

The person who had been given additional charge of my profile had neither much understanding of the responsibilities nor, from what I could see, much interest in learning them.

By afternoon, I was completely exhausted. That’s when I decided to send my farewell mail. I knew that once I sent it, my system access would soon be blocked, and I had no intention of taking up any more work for the day.

I had already prepared my farewell mail and kept it ready.

But there was one significant difference.

I did not include my personal email ID or phone number in the farewell mail.

It simply didn’t feel right to do so.

The people I genuinely wanted to stay in touch with already had my number. I had personally shared it with them and had also requested them not to share it with anyone else.

The experience I had at that organization had hurt me enough that, by that point, I didn’t want to remain in touch with anyone from there.

Some of the people who read my farewell mail understood my intentions immediately. It was, apparently, the first time someone in the organization had left without sharing personal contact details in a farewell mail.

During my tenure, I had brought about several changes in the organization.

And when I left, I ended up doing something else that was a first too.

I had changed the organization in my own way while I was there—and when I left, I set a new precedent as well.

I worked at an Indian firm

When I was working at my previous organization, I reached a point where going to the office became an excruciating task. From the moment I walked in, I would constantly look at my watch, counting down each passing hour and hoping that it would soon be time to go home.

The moment the clock struck 6:00 PM, I would leave without a second thought. In fact, I would start packing my things by 5:45 PM so I could walk out exactly on time. The moment I punched out, I felt like the happiest person in the world.

Fridays were my favorite because they meant the weekend was finally here. I would eagerly look forward to them. But by Sunday afternoon, a sense of dread would slowly take over as I thought about going back to the office the next day.

It wasn't always like this. There was a time when I couldn't wait to get to work. The office used to be my happy place. But somewhere along the way, things changed.

I found myself in a state that I couldn't explain or even express to anyone at work. A few people who were close to me noticed that I had changed, but even they couldn't figure out what had changed or why.

Can anyone explain what this feeling is and why it happens?

When I was working at my previous organization, I reached a point where going to the office became an excruciating task. From the moment I walked in, I would constantly look at my watch, counting down each passing hour and hoping that it would soon be time to go home.

The moment the clock struck 6:00 PM, I would leave without a second thought. In fact, I would start packing my things by 5:45 PM so I could walk out exactly on time. The moment I punched out, I felt like the happiest person in the world.

Fridays were my favorite because they meant the weekend was finally here. I would eagerly look forward to them. But by Sunday afternoon, a sense of dread would slowly take over as I thought about going back to the office the next day.

It wasn't always like this. There was a time when I couldn't wait to get to work. The office used to be my happy place. But somewhere along the way, things changed.

I found myself in a state that I couldn't explain or even express to anyone at work. A few people who were close to me noticed that I had changed, but even they couldn't figure out what had changed or why.

Can anyone explain what this feeling is and why it happens?

When I was working at my previous organization, I reached a point where going to the office became an excruciating task. From the moment I walked in, I would constantly look at my watch, counting down each passing hour and hoping that it would soon be time to go home.

The moment the clock struck 6:00 PM, I would leave without a second thought. In fact, I would start packing my things by 5:45 PM so I could walk out exactly on time. The moment I punched out, I felt like the happiest person in the world.

Fridays were my favorite because they meant the weekend was finally here. I would eagerly look forward to them. But by Sunday afternoon, a sense of dread would slowly take over as I thought about going back to the office the next day.

It wasn't always like this. There was a time when I couldn't wait to get to work. The office used to be my happy place. But somewhere along the way, things changed.

I found myself in a state that I couldn't explain or even express to anyone at work. A few people who were close to me noticed that I had changed, but even they couldn't figure out what had changed or why.

Can anyone explain what this feeling is and why it happens?

When I was working at my previous organization, I reached a point where going to the office became an excruciating task. From the moment I walked in, I would constantly look at my watch, counting down each passing hour and hoping that it would soon be time to go home.

The moment the clock struck 6:00 PM, I would leave without a second thought. In fact, I would start packing my things by 5:45 PM so I could walk out exactly on time. The moment I punched out, I felt like the happiest person in the world.

Fridays were my favorite because they meant the weekend was finally here. I would eagerly look forward to them. But by Sunday afternoon, a sense of dread would slowly take over as I thought about going back to the office the next day.

It wasn't always like this. There was a time when I couldn't wait to get to work. The office used to be my happy place. But somewhere along the way, things changed.

I found myself in a state that I couldn't explain or even express to anyone at work. A few people who were close to me noticed that I had changed, but even they couldn't figure out what had changed or why.

Can anyone explain what this feeling is and why it happens?

When I was working at my previous organization, I reached a point where going to the office became an excruciating task. From the moment I walked in, I would constantly look at my watch, counting down each passing hour and hoping that it would soon be time to go home.

The moment the clock struck 6:00 PM, I would leave without a second thought. In fact, I would start packing my things by 5:45 PM so I could walk out exactly on time. The moment I punched out, I felt like the happiest person in the world.

Fridays were my favorite because they meant the weekend was finally here. I would eagerly look forward to them. But by Sunday afternoon, a sense of dread would slowly take over as I thought about going back to the office the next day.

It wasn't always like this. There was a time when I couldn't wait to get to work. The office used to be my happy place. But somewhere along the way, things changed.

I found myself in a state that I couldn't explain or even express to anyone at work. A few people who were close to me noticed that I had changed, but even they couldn't figure out what had changed or why.

Can anyone explain what this feeling is and why it happens?

I used to work for a non-IT organization where I headed the Branding function. I joined the company because they were desperate to hire someone for that role, and among all the candidates they interviewed, I was the best fit. To ensure I didn't decline their offer, they revised my CTC three times before I accepted.

I joined the organization because the role offered leadership responsibility, a good salary, and, most importantly, an opportunity to learn a skill that was missing from my resume. I even relocated to a new city and invested a significant amount in settling down, especially for accommodation.

However, from the day I joined, I sensed resistance from within the organization. I was a go-getter who believed in completing work within stipulated timelines, whereas the organizational culture was quite lethargic.

Within a short span, I was able to bring noticeable improvements to the company's brand image, both internally and externally. It wasn't easy. Before implementing any initiative, I first had to educate people about its importance and then seek their approval. There were times when I genuinely wondered why they had hired someone for this role if they were so insecure about the very function they wanted to build.

Gradually, the organization's external brand presence improved significantly, and I started receiving recognition for my work. Unfortunately, that recognition made a few people insecure about their own positions. They began creating unnecessary obstacles for me. Since my role required me to be present at most official events, I naturally received visibility and appreciation, which some people mistook as an attempt to steal the limelight.

I never intended to build my entire career there. My goal was simply to strengthen my profile, gain valuable experience, and eventually move on to a better opportunity. However, some people assumed I intended to stay long enough to threaten their positions.

Eventually, a few individuals ganged up against me and began targeting my work without any valid reason. I knew exactly where it was coming from and why, but I chose to ignore it and focus on my responsibilities. That changed when they mishandled a major project and then called me incompetent. That was the final straw. I resigned and handed over all project details to the very person who constantly took credit for my work while claiming to mentor me.

Surprisingly, they didn't even attempt to retain me. Despite having sufficient time to recruit a replacement, they never hired anyone for my position. Instead, my responsibilities were assigned as an additional burden to someone who had little to no understanding of branding.

Even on my last working day, they didn't have the courtesy to give me a proper farewell. After leaving the organization, I cut off contact with almost everyone except a handful of colleagues.

After my departure, they implemented a few of the strategies I had documented as part of my future roadmap. Unfortunately, because these initiatives were executed by someone who was not a subject matter expert, they ended up causing more harm than good.

It's now been eight months since I left. About a month ago, someone from the HR department casually called me and invited me to visit the office. I ignored the invitation.

Then, a week ago, I received another call from HR team requesting that I visit the office. I politely declined and said I wasn't interested in visiting the office . The HR representative immediately responded by saying, "We can meet anywhere that's convenient for you over a cup of coffee."

Now I find myself in a dilemma about how to handle this situation.

The complication is that I'm currently not in a stable job. Just when I was about to join another organization, a family emergency arose that required my full attention. The new employer wasn't willing to wait, forcing me to let go of that opportunity.

At the same time, I am unsure about my second term in the previous organization, as me going back there will make certain more envy, that there plans failed and they make come up with something new and I am no mood for this shit as my ultimate goal is to grow in my career so that I can tell my next employer I worked on my skills that being active in office politics.

At the same time, I am uncertain about returning to my previous organization. Going back could make certain people even more envious because it would prove that their attempts to push me out ultimately failed. There's every possibility that they may come up with new ways to create problems for me, and I'm in no mood to deal with that again. My ultimate goal is to grow in my career by strengthening my skills and delivering results, so that when I move to my next employer, I can proudly say I invested my time in professional growth—not in navigating office politics

I used to work for a non-IT organization where I headed the Branding function. I joined the company because they were desperate to hire someone for that role, and among all the candidates they interviewed, I was the best fit. To ensure I didn't decline their offer, they revised my CTC three times before I accepted.

I joined the organization because the role offered leadership responsibility, a good salary, and, most importantly, an opportunity to learn a skill that was missing from my resume. I even relocated to a new city and invested a significant amount in settling down, especially for accommodation.

However, from the day I joined, I sensed resistance from within the organization. I was a go-getter who believed in completing work within stipulated timelines, whereas the organizational culture was quite lethargic.

Within a short span, I was able to bring noticeable improvements to the company's brand image, both internally and externally. It wasn't easy. Before implementing any initiative, I first had to educate people about its importance and then seek their approval. There were times when I genuinely wondered why they had hired someone for this role if they were so insecure about the very function they wanted to build.

Gradually, the organization's external brand presence improved significantly, and I started receiving recognition for my work. Unfortunately, that recognition made a few people insecure about their own positions. They began creating unnecessary obstacles for me. Since my role required me to be present at most official events, I naturally received visibility and appreciation, which some people mistook as an attempt to steal the limelight.

I never intended to build my entire career there. My goal was simply to strengthen my profile, gain valuable experience, and eventually move on to a better opportunity. However, some people assumed I intended to stay long enough to threaten their positions.

Eventually, a few individuals ganged up against me and began targeting my work without any valid reason. I knew exactly where it was coming from and why, but I chose to ignore it and focus on my responsibilities. That changed when they mishandled a major project and then called me incompetent. That was the final straw. I resigned and handed over all project details to the very person who constantly took credit for my work while claiming to mentor me.

Surprisingly, they didn't even attempt to retain me. Despite having sufficient time to recruit a replacement, they never hired anyone for my position. Instead, my responsibilities were assigned as an additional burden to someone who had little to no understanding of branding.

Even on my last working day, they didn't have the courtesy to give me a proper farewell. After leaving the organization, I cut off contact with almost everyone except a handful of colleagues.

After my departure, they implemented a few of the strategies I had documented as part of my future roadmap. Unfortunately, because these initiatives were executed by someone who was not a subject matter expert, they ended up causing more harm than good.

It's now been eight months since I left. About a month ago, someone from the HR department casually called me and invited me to visit the office. I ignored the invitation.

Then, a week ago, I received another call from HR team requesting that I visit the office. I politely declined and said I wasn't interested in visiting the office . The HR representative immediately responded by saying, "We can meet anywhere that's convenient for you over a cup of coffee."

Now I find myself in a dilemma about how to handle this situation.

The complication is that I'm currently not in a stable job. Just when I was about to join another organization, a family emergency arose that required my full attention. The new employer wasn't willing to wait, forcing me to let go of that opportunity.

At the same time, I am unsure about my second term in the previous organization, as me going back there will make certain more envy, that there plans failed and they make come up with something new and I am no mood for this shit as my ultimate goal is to grow in my career so that I can tell my next employer I worked on my skills that being active in office politics.

At the same time, I am uncertain about returning to my previous organization. Going back could make certain people even more envious because it would prove that their attempts to push me out ultimately failed. There's every possibility that they may come up with new ways to create problems for me, and I'm in no mood to deal with that again. My ultimate goal is to grow in my career by strengthening my skills and delivering results, so that when I move to my next employer, I can proudly say I invested my time in professional growth—not in navigating office politics

I am a man in my late 30s, and I have been noticing a strange pattern in my interactions with certain people, especially those I meet casually or randomly.

Recently, during a family get-together, I became friendly with a man who genuinely impressed me with his intellect. Since we worked in the same industry, though at different companies, we exchanged numbers hoping to stay in touch.

Occasionally, I would send him a simple “Hi” message on WhatsApp just to keep the connection alive, but he would rarely respond. However, whenever he needed professional help or support related to our domain, he would immediately reach out to me. Interestingly, whenever we met in person for such occasions, he would be extremely warm, engaging, and friendly. But the moment the meeting ended, he would once again become distant and almost like a stranger — until the next time he needed something.

This leaves me confused about what his real personality actually is. If he only wants to maintain a professional connection, then why make such extra personal effort and warmth during face-to-face interactions? With people I deal with strictly on a professional level, I maintain clear boundaries and interact accordingly. But with certain individuals like him, those boundaries become difficult to define because their behavior keeps changing depending on the situation.

At times, I feel like I am being used by people who only stay connected for their own benefit. This is not an isolated experience either — I have come across several people, both men and women, who behave in a similar manner. In contrast, I tend to have a straightforward and consistent approach in my relationships and interactions.

I would appreciate your suggestions on how to deal with such people more effectively, and also to understand whether there is any mistake on my part that I should avoid repeating in the future.