This happens in Germany.
Work culture doesn’t fit my personality: I don’t talk much, I keep to myself, I simply want to do my job and go home, I separate my personal life from work, my colleagues are full fledged gossips, ignore the duties that need to be done and then expect me to help them when they are late. I don’t have patience for that crap anymore.
Due to internal regulations, I have to stay on the unit for 4 weeks after sending my notice. Answering honestly the question of why I’m quitting would ensure that they yell at me and bully me, and I don’t want to experience that again. Even saying ‘it’s none of your business’ ensures that they feel insulted and start yelling. I have decided I don’t have patience for people like that anymore.
So, what do I say?
“New job pays X euros more” and make up random number. That’ll shut em up
Alternatively, and this has happened to me, they may offer to match the number. When a former boss did this it did get a bit awkward and I had to say “No, I honestly just don’t like it here and tbe fact that you’re offering me a 60% raise as I walk out the door after never giving reasonable CoL increases just cements that more.” I fucking hate squeaky wheel driven compensation, it’s stressful and makes employment unnecessarily adversarial (employment is an inherently adversarial activity in most of the world so you don’t need to make it even worse).
At this point OP has already signed a new contract though. Also I’d make up a ridiculous number to sow doubt among the asshats.
But yeah the ‘you could have offered me a raise before to avoid all this’ is a good point.
Good for you for having conviction.