‘I hope you never return… ’: Employee resigns. His former manager’s message to him goes viral. Netizens react: ‘Rare W…’

A message from your former boss is usually vexing to most employees. But one Reddit user’s revelation of a rather heartwarming letter from his ex-manager has won hearts on the subreddit Indian Workplace. The subreddit, which usually is littered with stories of rude managers who overworked and disrespected employees and toxic bosses, had one post about a manager who was appreciative of his former employee, go viral and gained over 16K likes.

The manager told him that he may have criticised the employee’s decision to resign and told him that the doors of the company would be open for him if he ever decided to return but also confessed he later saw his LinkedIn post and was “super impressed an surprised". He then told the employee that the doors of the company would be closed for him. Not because he would not be welcomed back but because he hoped he would never have a reason to return to the company.

The post was heartwarming, and Reddit users unanimously agreed that they were touched by the former manager’s sweet gesture. “I hope you stay in touch with that gem of a person. Rare W in the corporate world,” wrote one commenter.


Another said this was an instance of great leadership. “I would say that's rare, high-integrity leadership. Unfortunately, most corporate managers weaponise departure anxiety and secretly root for alumni to stumble back into the safety net. Admitting they misjudged your ceiling and wanting you to outgrow their ecosystem entirely is genuine mentorship. Keep sprinting forward, never look back…” read the comment.

"Context - Left my corporate job two years ago to pursue something of my own. My boss was not very convinced about my decision back then and told me I could always return if things didn't work out. Two years later, things have turned out better than I expected," another comment read.