How to Resign Gracefully – Leave your Job with Dignity

There are no two ways about it, handing in your notice is a big move. But before you submit your letter of resignation, you need to consider all your options and be doubly sure you’re doing the right thing.

Once you’ve firmly decided leaving your current job is the best decision, you’ll have to think about how to resign gracefully and when to talk to your boss. This can be uncomfortable, but have faith in your decision and what’s best for you and your career.

There are official channels you have to take when leaving your job; it’s not just handing in your letter and waving goodbye. You want to leave gracefully, working your notice period and supporting the company in finding your replacement. Here’s everything you need to know about how to resign gracefully.

Handing in your notice and leaving on good terms

Once you’ve decided it’s time to leave, you need to prepare a few things first. Double check the staff handbook for the resignation process, paying attention to your employment contract and notice period. You’ll then need to mull over your resignation letter, the possibility of an exit interview and other potential outcomes – preparation is key to leaving on good terms. Don’t burn bridges!

Writing your resignation

The first point of call is writing your formal resignation letter. It’s important to remember that the letter doesn’t have to be long and it doesn’t need to detail your reasons for leaving either. This letter is a formality for HR and so it must be formal as it will be placed in your records. Begin the letter by stating the position you’re resigning from and the date of your final day of work.

Example:

Dear {your boss’s name},

Please accept this letter of resignation from my position as {your job title} with {company name}. Per the terms of my contract, my last day of work will be {date of your last day}.

In the next section of the letter, you should thank your boss for the opportunity to work with them. Remember you may need a reference from them down the line, so regardless of whether you’re thrilled to be leaving, you want to end things on a positive note!

Example:

I have really appreciated my {number of years of employment} years at {company name}, and all the opportunities that it brought me. I’ve learnt some great skills that I will take with me through my career, and have really enjoyed having the pleasure to work with some great people. 

In your sign off you should state your willingness to make this transaction as smooth as possible, and give the company your best wishes.

Example:

I will do what I can to help make my leaving as easy as possible for both me and the company. Let me know what you would like me to do in the way of handing over my responsibilities during my final {month, two weeks… whatever your notice period is}.

Best wishes to you and all at {company name} in the future.

Yours sincerely,

{Your name}

Tell your boss in person

When you’ve written your letter and decided that you’re ready to quit your job, don’t tell anyone until your boss knows! You might well trust your colleagues, but these things have a way of getting out. Your boss will be much happier to hear about your decision to leave from you rather than through a series of Chinese whispers.

Arrange your meeting

When you’re ready to take the leap, you need to book a meeting with your boss. In this meeting you will give them the letter, explain the situation and find out what the next steps are. It might be wise to ask how you can help in handing over your responsibilities.

Prepare for any outcome

Even if you get on really well with your boss, you need to prepare yourself for a negative reaction. Fingers crossed they’ll be accepting, but as they’re losing a member of staff and having to prepare for your departure, they might react uncharacteristically – this is especially true if your resignation has come suddenly. If they don’t react as you hoped, don’t take this personally, they’ll get there.

If you have a notice period, it’s likely you’ll be expected to work for its duration as normal. You need to prepare for any outcome though; some employers might ask you to leave with immediate effect, but hopefully this won’t happen! If it does though, ask the reason for your immediate dismissal, keep your cool and gracefully leave as requested. Try not to let it get personal. (By the way, if this happens, the company still have to pay you for your contractual notice period as normal.)

You also need to prepare yourself for a counter job offer that your current employer might approach you with if they really want you to stay. You should prepare for this by reminding yourself of why you’re leaving; will a pay rise make you stay? Or is it time to move on? It’s impossible to make a final decision on this until you’ve heard the counter offer, but you need to keep these things in the back of your mind.

Stay strong

Telling your boss you’re leaving can be an uncomfortable conversation, but stick to your guns. Don’t avoid handing your notice in because you’re too nervous; you need to get the ball rolling as soon as you can. Stay strong when you’re talking to your boss. It’s difficult for them to hear a member of their staff wants to leave, so remember that regardless of what’s said in the meeting, you’re handing in your notice for a reason and you shouldn’t feel guilty about it.

Giving a reason for leaving

When resigning, you have no contractual obligation to give your reasons for leaving. You shouldn’t put it in your resignation letter, but if you get on well with your boss you may decide to tell them in person. If you want to, you can request an exit interview to disclose the issues that influenced your decision to leave. In this interview you can discuss any problems so they’ll hopefully rectify them for future employees. Keep calm through this process; you don’t want to leave your job feeling bitter.

Notice periods

A notice period is the amount of time you have to continue in your position after you’ve handed in your letter of resignation. They are often a key part of your contract and can range from a few weeks to a few months. If you don’t have one, the standard practice is at least two weeks; that way you can give your boss some time to prepare for your departure.

Don’t slack off

You might know you’re leaving but slacking off for the next few weeks is not a good idea. You’re still an employee and are still being paid by the company and so you have a job to do. What’s more, you might need a good reference from your boss, so you’ll want to leave a great lasting impression!

Inform your colleagues

Before the news of you leaving is spread through office gossip, check with your boss if they’re happy for you to inform the rest of your colleagues. It’s likely the best way to do this is through circulating an email to let everyone know. Remember to keep it professional; here’s an example:

Example:

Hello all,

Just wanted to inform you that I will be leaving {company name} as of {date of last day}.

It’s been a pleasure to work with you all during my time here and thank you for all the support you’ve given me.

Best of luck in the future!

{Your name}

Handover documents

It’s wise to help your boss with the handover process so that your replacement can start working effectively as soon as possible. Your handover document detailing everything you do, will go to your boss, probably your team, and the person filling your position.

You should start by listing all your responsibilities and then go back through each one to bulk them out with a comprehensive guide of how and why you do this particular job. You should explain any software, usernames and passwords and day-to-day runnings. Make sure you tie up loose ends with your workload such as finalising projects and giving appropriate forwarding details to clients, and document all of this in the handover. Once that’s complete you can leave the company and begin your next adventure!

Resigning can feel really scary, but once you’ve handed in your notice, tied up loose ends and prepared to leave, it’ll all come to a close quite quickly. Good luck on your next steps!

Article contributed by: CV-Library