"My boss at Morgan Stanley failed to notice that I was about to quit"
Last year, I left Morgan Stanley. I was made redundant, but this was fine by me because I was about to quit anyway.
I spent multiple years at the bank and survived years of difficult managers. I worked in the sort of quantitative role that attracts people with a high IQ but a terrible EQ. They have devoted their lives to the job and once they become senior they call the shots in a way that makes them difficult to work for.
The same thing occurs at most banks, and it can be suffocating. I decided that I wanted to leave.
Long before I was laid off, I started to make preparations to go. I removed the trinkets and personal effects from my desk until there was nothing easily attributable to me, besides some dirty napkins.
Once my desk was devoid of personal effects, I began interviewing elsewhere. People say that “interviewing is tough” and “there are so few openings.” It's true that we are in a “low fire, low hire” environment. But for someone with my skillset (niche coding skills, foreign languages, trading experience), the hiring market is far from dead.
I let it be known that I was looking for a role and I was swarmed by hungry recruiters. I didn't even have to send a CV. I quickly secured an offer from a top hedge fund and prepared to resign.
To my shock, though, three days before my resignation date, my managing director (MD) told me I was laid off. I received a severance package and several months' salary, even though I was about to leave the bank of my own accord and it would have cost them nothing at all!
Needless to say I accepted the payoff gladly, but to this date I'm astonished that it happened like this. I already had a foot out the door. My desk was clear. Somehow, my MD completely failed to notice. It's a sign that in quant roles at least, MDs are completely incapable of reading the room.
It worked out great for me. I now manage my own book at a top fund and don't have to report to these people.
Nathan Osborne is a pseudonym
Have a confidential story, tip, or comment you’d like to share? Contact: +44 7537 182250 (SMS, Whatsapp or voicemail). Telegram: @SarahButcher. Signal: sarahbutcher.22 Click here to fill in our anonymous form, or email editortips@efinancialcareers.com.
Bear with us if you leave a comment at the bottom of this article: comments are moderated intermittently by human beings. Sometimes these humans might be asleep, or away from their desks, so it may take a while for your comment to appear. You must take sole responsibility for comments you post on this site. We will take reasonable steps to weed out anything that we consider to be offensive or inappropriate.
