FWD: Switching Job Query--what about files? -Reply

[Lisa Comeau <COMEAUL -at- CSA -dot- CA>]

Ann On E. Mouse wrote:

I'm about to switch jobs. I was wondering what most people do with their
old paper copies of documents, notes, review copies, etc. Do you take them with you? Do you throw them away? Do leave them with the person taking your position?

My 2 centavos;

Long story short, when  I went to my last 2 jobs, I was swamped with hundreds (in one case, thousands) of files left to me by my predecessor(s). In some cases, they were things I could *not* have lived without, and essential to my position. In other cases, they were as useless as certain body parts on a big male bovine, and just took up a lot of space I needed for other things. (not to mention the 3 weeks straight of sorting through paper *and* computer folders to see what was in each file.)

My advice would be to take anything you can use in your new job (lists of contacts you're *legally* allowed to use, files on your correspondence with them, notes performance reviews, references...), pass on files that are old but may be needed by your esteemed pack rats in filing, and organize the rest for the person following in your footsteps (alphabetically by the name of the month in which they were written is *not* a good system - don't think I'm kidding!).

Hopefully you are leaving on a good note, and your employer understands that you will need your personal files. 
If you are not leaving in a nice way, be even *more* careful about the fine print of your contract and what is says about removing "company info".

But please, no matter *what* you do, don't leave a mess for your successor to clean up, they didn't ask you to leave your job, and they deserve to be treated like people whose time means as much as yours.

Let the rebukes begin...best of luck in your endeavours!

-Lisa Comeau
IS Super-User/Trainer
Certification and Testing Division
Canadian Standards Association
Rexdale, ON
comeaul -at- csa -dot- ca