These are difficult financial times for businesses and workers alike. Pink slips have become the norm. Fired, pinkslipped, downsized, if you have received notice, do yourself a favor and leave with grace. Storming out or parting in a negative way will follow you for years. Loudly proclaiming for all to hear, that you have given the best years of your life, or muttering “I can’t wait to get out of this hell-hole” are things that will not serve you well.

Take care that you don’t burn any bridges on the way out the door. When future employment opportunities arise, your former manager will most likely be called for a reference. Generally it is not your manager who answers the telephone, if you walk out name-calling and leave the office in an uproar, it is a picture not easily forgotten. You do not want your prospective employer to hear negative comments from receptionists and other gatekeepers. Think about the stories and snickers that you hear today about some former employee. Bad behavior is slowly forgotten; in some cases it is never forgotten. Bad financial times will not cloud memories, they make them sharper.

Be mindful to take the high road when leaving, because it is not about your former boss, it's about you.

Take a look at this of job don'ts and add your own:

• Don’t send your boss a nasty e-mail before walking out of the door.
  
  
• Don’t walk out in the middle of a workday never to return.
  
  
• Don’t say nasty things before you go.
  
  
• Don’t destroy important documents.
  
  
• Don’t take anything from your desk that does not belong to you personally. If you purchased an item with office money, it belongs to the office.
  
  
• Don't talk about your former boss in a negative way. Under no circumstances should you bad-mouth your former boss while in an interview. You will not gain points. "I had to leave because my boss was so incompetent"; "I left because she/he had it in for me"; "She had favorites". While some or all of this may be true, keep it to yourself.
  
  
• Do leave with grace and dignity.
  

The best action is to leave as quietly as possible. Later, you’ll be glad that you took the high road.