There are a lot of people who have questions like: How do I resign well? What should I say to my boss? What do I put in that letter? How do I tell my coworkers?. Well, in this article, you will find a complete guide on how to resign from the job with grace and thus not by destroying any relationships. You will also find some bonus tips at the end of the article to have a smooth job transition. So if you want to learn about the same, then just keep on reading!. Let us know ‘Resignation Of Employment Complete Guide’.
We could get into a lot of nuances or special situations around resignation. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to successfully ease the resignation process.
Step by step guide to the resignation of employment
Step 1. Timeline of notice to be given to the employer
- Informing Ahead
If you’re leaving your job because you’ve already accepted another position, you need to talk with the new job about your start date. Sometimes people are eager for you to start. And they might ask you to join in the next two days or so. In that case, you need to tell them that you’re ready to join, but you also need to respect your current employer and give them two weeks of notice until the starting date. Mostly, this conversation will come up during the interview process for the new job when they ask about the time you could start.
Now it’s always better to let the new boss know that you’re not yet resigned from your current position. Mostly all the companies are very understanding in this kind of situation. So, don’t hesitate.
Your starting date helps them figure out your schedule. And how to adjust the work distribution when one person is added.
- Two Weeks Notice
Two weeks is pretty much US standard but always check your employment contract or union guidelines.
There is also a chance that when you turn in your two-week notice, the company can reject it and ask you to leave on that day itself. It scares people. However, you probably have been there long enough to see how this has happened with other people. If not, then check the company’s standards. There are some industries where you have so much private information, and that is why they ask you to leave right away.
So industry by industry, the timeline is going to change a bit. If you want a smooth transition and have good relations with your boss, there is nothing wrong with giving more than two weeks of notice.
So now that you understand the timeline, here is the general process for the way to resign.
Step 2. Draft a resignation letter/ email
– First, draft your resignation letter or email. Some places want to have a formal letter. But since most people are working from home right now, you will probably be asked for an email. But you mandatorily have to send a formal resignation letter to the employer. It can be brief. They do not need to know every detail of why you are leaving.
– You’re also going to be very gracious in this letter because you want to leave gracefully. You might need somebody from this company to give you recommendations one day, letters of reference, etc. So you want to leave nicely.
– It is also sometimes common to add where you have moved. Yes, that is none of their business. But, if you are having a great work situation where you know they will be excited for you, let them know that. It is great if you have that kind of boss. But do not think you have to tell them.
– The other thing you need to put here is what you will be going to do over the next two weeks to help the transition. Like you can say, over the next two weeks I will make sure to put a guidebook together of what I have done in my role, or you can say, please let me know any ways I can help make this transition as smooth as possible in these last two weeks.
Step 3. Talk to your boss face to face
As uncomfortable as it might be, you need to talk to your boss face to face. So, set aside a specific time. Ask them for a time to meet and talk. Awkward conversations are a part of life. If you are going to go in, say that you have accepted a new job offer, and then leave, then it is very unprofessional. Whatever the reason is, to be as general and specific as possible.
Make sure that you also say some kind things during this. For instance, you can say that you have thoroughly enjoyed your time there and have learned so much in your role. And you are very much excited to take those skills to your new join position. It is not the time to air grievances. So you must never say something like you are thankful for leaving this toxic environment. Do not say such things even if that is the actual reason why you are leaving.
Then leave the time for any questions they may have for you. You cannot just say this and walk away. They might have questions or they might say some nice things about you. Like, thank you for your time, etc. So, you need to give them that opportunity.
So once you have talked to the supervisor, now you are going to go back and send that email. And in most of those conversations, they’re going to tell you that they need you to send them a formal resignation email or letter.
Step 4. Send the resignation letter/ email
Now that you have already talked to your boss, face to face, it is time to go back to your desk, open the window of the resignation email that you have drafted before and finally hit “Send” on your email and you are ready to go! In case they asked for a letter, you can go and hand it to your boss, the resignation letter.
Step 5. Inform your closest colleagues
Now, they will tell everybody else. Once your boss knows now, you can tell other people. This can be done in different ways. For instance, if you’re in an office that is open right now and you are seeing people, you could go to the ones who are closest to you and tell them face to face. If you’re working from home maybe it feels like one or more things to set up a zoom. Or else you can call those people or if you have texting relationships, you can text them. It depends on your office but, it would not be weird to text those people just letting them know that you wanted them to hear it from you rather than anyone else.
You need to think through who you need to tell. For instance, your department, the clients you work with, the customers, the cross-functional team, etc. In other words, your favorite colleagues and all those people you could think of who have helped you during your time in the company, or maybe championed your growth and supported you. You can also talk about this with your boss and ask if you can send that email to the team. You can also write a similar resignation letter that you wrote to the boss to your colleagues, but that might be just more casual.
Some key points you should know about the resignation of the employment process
1. You have to work like before even, after giving two weeks of notice
Sometimes people give that two-week notice and then think that you are now free of work. Because anyway, you are going to leave that place soon. No! You have to still work as if you are showing up every day for the coming years. You should think like since you just have two weeks to serve the company, you will do your best. That will help you leave the company on good terms. So always make your last time memorable in a positive way, so that everyone remembers you.
2. Make sure to ask your HR about the benefits and insurances if you are eligible for that
Some companies will direct you towards this but also make sure to check in with HR about benefits, the investments that you need to roll over to something else, about insurances, all those sorts of things. If you are moving to another position right away, it is easy. But if you are resigning because you are moving to another state for a significant job transfer, and you do not have a job yet, or you are quitting because of medical reasons or whatever, you are going to want to know those things. So talk with the HRs as well.
3. Save contacts and your files in your assets from the work computer
Another thing you always want to make sure you do is to download any files you need, any contacts you have, or maybe you saved something personal in your work computer that you should not have. So, ensure to download all those things in your assets such as your personal computer, laptop, IPad, or phone. It is to ensure that you have the access to that in the future.
4. Try to keep the reason for leaving to yourself
There are probably tons of reasons why you have decided that it is time for you to go. And while you may want to share those reasons, it is advised to keep those reasons to yourself. We understand that you may have been dreaming about this day if you hated your job. But now that the time has come, please do not say a lot of the things that you were wishing to admit. Because it just does not seem professional.
5. Keep the details short and sweet
Before you speak to the manager or boss, you want to decide the best way to explain that you’re leaving. Even if you have been with the company for 5 or 15 years, you still want to keep your reason for leaving generally positive. You don’t have to tell your manager or anyone else the specific company that you’re going to join. And you do not have to share the reason why you decided to join that company. Ensure to be consistent in your story, you do not want to tell your manager one thing and then tell your colleagues another thing. And the next thing you know that the rumors are flying. Because even though you are leaving, the information that you are sharing with them will still be in the room.
6. Be positive while talking to your boss about the resignation
The way you tell your boss and what you say is equally important. Even if your boss is the reason why you are leaving, the way you leave is the way you are going to be remembered. When informing your boss you should say that you’ve accepted a new role at a new company and thus March 17th will be your last day in this company. Then you want to end your conversation by telling your boss how you plan to transition your responsibilities. You can even offer to create a transition document that outlines your day-to-day tasks. So that the next person who is in your position is well equipped to succeed because you helped them understand what you did when you were in that role.
7. Prepare for the good and the bad
How will you respond if your boss asks you to stay longer than two weeks? What will you say if they offer you a counteroffer? If you’re interested in the counteroffer, what kind of things would you want to be included in that will make you stay at the company and oppose the job that you are offered? What if they tell you to leave immediately?
It is crucial to know the answers to these questions before you have a conversation with your boss. If you’re not willing to stay longer than two weeks, then you need to be prepared to politely offer. If you’re not interested in the account offer, then you need to be ready to refuse that as well. And in case you are interested, you need to make clear how you respond if they do offer you that. If you know that they can ask you to leave right away, then be prepared for that as well.
8. Tie loose ends and make the next person’s life easier
Finally, a bonus point is if you want to leave the job on a good note and without destroying any relationships, then it is highly recommended to do whatever you can to make the next person’s life easier by tying any loose ends. You should perform your job well till the last day of your work. And do not think as if it is not necessary to do your work since you have already given your two-week notice. Instead, you must think, in a way that since your time at the company is going to end, why not do your best while you are still there?
By following all these tips, you will surely make them wonder why they did not do more to keep you.
Samples 1 [Formal resignation letter to the boss]
[Your Name]
[Your address]
[Your email address]
[Today’s Date]
To,
The Head Of The Company,
[Name of the company]
Subject: Resignation of employment.
Mr./Mrs. [Your boss name],
I’m grateful for the time I had with [Company’s name] this far. However, I am writing this formal letter to let you know that [Your last date of work] will be my last day in this company.
I’m thankful for the opportunities the company has provided me in all these years. Also, I am very grateful for the support that you and the entire team have provided me. I have learned so many things from the time I had here, and I am excited to use those sets of skills in my next role.
I offer nothing but best wishes to you all and the entire team. If I can be of any help to make this transition smooth, then please do not hesitate to let me know.
Again thank you so much.
Yours truly,
[Your Name]
Sample 2 [Formal resignation letter to the boss]
[Date]
[Your Name]
[Your Phone number]
[Your Email address]
To,
[Your boss name]
[Name of the company]
[Company’s address]
Subject: Resignation of employment.
Mr./Mrs.[Last Name of your boss],
I request you to accept this letter as formal notification that I am leaving my position with the [Name of the company] on [Your date of leaving].
Thank you for the opportunities you have provided me during my time with the company.
If I can be of any assistance during this transition, please let me know.
Sincerely,
[Your signature]
[Your Name]
Sample 3 [Resignation email]
Email Subject Line: Resignation of employment.
Dear Mr./Ms. Last Name,
I’m writing this email to bring you to the notice that I am resigning from my position as [Your position] at [Your Company’s name]. My last day will be [Your last date].
I would love to thank you and the company for all of the support and opportunities that you have provided. I have learned so much during my time here, and will surely never forget the kindness of all of my colleagues.
Please let me know if there is anything I can do to make this transition as smooth as possible. You can contact me at [your email address] or [your contact number] anytime.
Again thank you for your years of support and encouragement.
Respectfully yours,
[Your Name]
Sample 4 [Email for the resignation of employment]
Mr./Mrs.[Last Name of your boss],
I request you to accept this email as formal notice of resignation from [ your position] in [name of your company]. [The date of leaving] will be my last day at this company.
I truly appreciate all the golden opportunities that this organization has provided me in the past five years that I’ve worked here.
Please contact me if there is anything I could do to make this move as effortless as possible.
Yours truly,
[Your signature]
[Your Name]
Conclusion
This article is a complete guide on the topic- resignation of employment. You will learn every step that you are supposed to go through during this process.
If you want to leave the company gracefully and not by not making any fuss, even though you hate the company or love the company, follow the steps mentioned above properly. There are also some bonus tips that you would find helpful in the article along with some sample letters of resignation, just to give you an idea of how it should look like. Make sure to write the letter or an email of the resignation of employment, in your own words to make it look more genuine.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What should be the timeline of notice of the resignation of employment?
According to United States standards, there should be a timeline of two weeks of the notice.
2. Is it crucial to mention the reason for leaving?
It is advised not to mention the reason for leaving until they ask you directly.
3. Can you take back the resignation letter?
It depends on the company. Most probably they’ll make an offer for you when you approach them with your notice. So, if you are willing to take their offer, you can take back the resignation letter.
4. Should I talk to the boss first or send the resignation letter first?
It is always better to talk to your boss in person first, before handing in the resignation letter.
