The Complete Guide to Job Resignation (200+ Resignation Letter Templates Included)
Guide to Job Resignation
Have you ever seen those coming of age movies where the poor, overworked employee gives their boss a piece of their minds, shaking their fists in the air, and walking out the office door with their heads held high? After a dramatic – and seemingly informal – resignation letters, these characters then find themselves landing a much better job or having their villain of a boss experience a change of heart and beg for them back (with better benefits, of course).
But, you see, my dear readers, as much fun as these scenes are to imagine and fantasize about, I’m afraid they must remain that – a fantasy. In the real world, resigning is much more than stalking out and never returning. No, resignation is a long process.
While this may be a rather sensitive topic that many would rather not discuss, it is important to know the proper protocol of leaving the office. This complete guide to job resignation will discuss at lengths the etiquette you must observe upon resignation, deciding whether resigning is the best choice for you, how to write a resignation letter, and how to leave with your reputation as a professional intact. Also included in this guide are sample templates you could go over, read, and use as a guide when drafting your own resignation letter.
Whether it’s a job is often a difficult experience, especially if you’ve come to love your work and the people you work with. Let this complete guide and the templates we have provided help you in transitioning to the newest chapter of your life.
Knowing When to Quit
Top 15 Reasons to Quit Your Job
You might have been thinking about it for some time now. To quit your job is not an easy decision to make, especially if you’ve gotten rather attached to the company and its people or if you have nothing waiting for you after your exit. However, you can only play a martyr for so long. Just as everything must come to an end, as does your employment – maybe.
If you’re still undecided about leaving your job, here are some reasons you might have to quit. If barely any of these reasons apply to you, then perhaps you’ve found your reason to stay.
A New Job
A new job is not immediately a reason to quit your current one, yes, but if your new job presents you with better opportunities and more room to grow, it might be time to seriously think about taking this on. However, keep in mind that fortune doesn’t knock twice – whether that fortune is your current job or the new one being offered is up to you to decide.
You Hate Your Job
Are you miserable every Sunday night because tomorrow is another work day?
Does the very thought of your work irritate you and make you want to throw up?
Well, maybe it might be time to think about handing in a notice. Of course, no one is going to be as happy as Spongebob with his job, but if you hate your work with a passion that burns, it might just not be worth it. Misery, after all, has no price.
You’re Seriously Sick
There is no money in the world that should make you think that makes it okay to compromise your health. If you’re already sick to begin with, perhaps continuing to work in a job that stresses you out is not the best way to be nursed back to health. However, if you love your job and wish to continue working despite your health conditions, you might be able to form some sort of arrangement with the HR Department.
Your Work Environment is Difficult
If your boss hates and guts and your officemates laugh at you behind your back. This does not seem like a great place to work. Even if the compensation and benefits package are unmatchable, you might want to take the hint before a toxic environment like that gets the better of you.
The Schedule and Hours Do Not Fit Your Life
No, this does not mean that you quit your job because the hours won’t let you go to a concert you “really really want to see”. This reason only applies to the above work priorities you have like family matters. If the working schedule means that there’s no one who could pick your son up from school, drive your daughter to soccer practice, or maybe leaves you with no time for your spouse, then it seems like a pretty good reason to leave. Remember that to a company, you are an employee they could put an ad up to replace but to your family, there is nobody on Earth who could possibly take your place.
You’ve Decided to Go Back to School
So you’ve finally decided to take that shot and chase after your dreams? Go for it! If you think that getting that diploma will lead you to having a better and happier life, then by all means, march forward!
You’ve Decided to Pursue Other Passions
Some people learn their calling late in life, after they’ve already established their career paths. It might seem risky to throw away a lifetime of work for a possibility or a childhood dream, but sometimes, this is exactly what we need to spark up our passion for life again. Of course, finding success may not be easy at all, so you might want to think long and hard. Keep in mind that when everything has passed and we look back to the life we’ve lived, it is usually the chances we don’t take that we regret the most.
You’re Moving
If you’ve decided to relocate, it might also go that you would have to quit your job. However, this might not be the only option. If you want to keep working with the company, ask if there are any alternatives so you could keep your job and move. With technology today, you’d never know what could be possible.
The Company is Moving Towards a Downward Spiral
If there is already talk of big bad changes in the company, the noble thing to do would be for you to stay and help salvage as much of the company as possible. However, often, the smarter choice would be to save yourself. The best talents in most companies would already be job hunting if they hear of rumours that the company might be heading downwards. Staying in a company that cannot offer you job security might end up meaning that you reject once-in-a-lifetime opportunities just to give breath to something that would soon die anyway.
Relationship with Your Manager is Damaged Beyond Repair
No matter the reason behind the animosity between you and your manager, you know that this big a problem in the workplace will affect your evaluation and work performance. No matter how civil and professional you try to keep things, humans are humans. Unfair judgment will always cloud the way we see things. Staying despite the icy cold air between you and your manager will not be doing your career any good.
Your Life Situation has Changed
For most of us, there is a life outside of work. To many of us, working is only a means to provide a living; it is not life itself. And when the situations in our personal lives have changed, this could affect our work lives significantly. These changes may include a serious illness, the birth of a baby, getting married, getting divorced, or having someone in the family pass away. These are milestones in our lives that we must take care of before anything.
Your Values are at Odds with the Corporate’s Values
Are you the authoritarian type who believes that office hierarchy must be strictly observed but found yourself working in a laidback, devil-may-care company? Or perhaps it’s that you’re a conservative person in an office full of freethinkers? If the company’s policies and culture make you feel uncomfortable, it might be better to find a company that is better suited for you than compromise your personal beliefs.
The Stress is Affecting Your Personal Life
Do you go home cranky and miserable because of how tired you are from work? Or are you starting to get a lot sicker, hair falling off, color draining from your face, and just plain lethargic because of how much your job drains you? It is easy to forget that you should be working to live and not living to work. If your job is making your entire life miserable, it might be time to start writing a resignation letter.
You Feel Bored and Unchallenged
Life is a continuous cycle of learning: you experience, you reflect, you learn, you teach, and you do it all over again. This keeps us from becoming stagnant. Instead, we continue to develop our skills and become better people. In a job where you feel unchallenged and bored, it would be advisable to stir the game up. If you can’t, then it may be time to find something else to do with your life. After all, humans don’t live long enough to have the luxury to be bored.
You’re Overworked and Underpaid
If you’ve been taking work home and are spending your days off in the office and are still being paid as much as the guy who has his feet on his desk, then you’ve got some thinking to do. Of course, you could always approach your supervisor or the Human Resource Department and ask if adjustments could be made on either your wages or the duties you’re expected to finish. However, if you are unable to find a compromise with the company that would satisfy you, we’ve got a couple of resignation letter templates down below.
5 Unconventional Ways to Decide if You Should Quit
Everyone’s been there before: when you’ve got to make a life changing decision and you have absolutely no idea what to do. The options, which you should be weighing, have instead been weighing you down and the uncertainty is stressing you out. If you’ve tried all the old tricks on making decisions and you’re still reading this, they obviously haven’t worked. So here are five unconventional methods you could try out:
The 10-10-10 Method
The 10-10-10 Method is a way making decisions that considers both the long term and short term implications of the decision you’re making. Ask yourself if you will be happy with the decision to quit your job – or stay in it – in 10 minutes. How about in 10 months? And 10 years from now? After then, you can decide for yourself if the choice you are about to make would be the right one.
Pretend You are Giving Someone Advice
Unconsciously, you might already know what you want. It’s just a matter of realizing and accepting it. What you could do is imagine that your friend came to you with the exact same dilemma that you have. What would you say to them? Why? Often, the advice we give other people are simply the advice we would give ourselves if we are in the situation.
Talk to People of All Ages
Meet or call people who are a lot older than you and people who are a lot younger than you. Learn from the experience of the older people and listen to their wisdom. They’ve probably been through what you’re going through and know what they’re talking about. Talk to younger people to remind yourself of the innocent dreams of your childhood and to remind you that sometimes, life is about taking a chance. You can make an informed decision afterwards by taking into consideration the advice that older you might give and younger you would want to take.
Flip a Coin – Sort of
Assign heads to quitting and tails to staying in the company, or the other way around. When you toss the coin up into the air, a part of you would start hoping that the coin falls on the heads side or the tails side. This is how you find out what you really want.
If not, then take a look at what side it falls. If you’re unhappy about the result of your coin-flipping, then you it is probably the other option that you really want.
Pros and Cons List
This age-old decision-making method has come through for a lot of people throughout history. Making a pros and cons list may seem like such a nerdy method you could easily scoff at, but this is a great way of measuring whether or not the decision would be good for you. Besides, halfway through it, you might begin to root for the decision you really want by making sure you could add more pros to it than the other option.
Quitting Your Job
How to Gracefully Resign from Your Job
So your boss once again dumped a huge pile of work that should be his on your table. Nonchalantly, he tells you that he needs you to stay after office hours to work on those because he has a party to attend tonight. He doesn’t say please, or thank you, or even so much as cast a glance at you. Your hands start shaking and your heart is racing like crazy. You slam the table and say, “NO.” You proceed to give a dramatic – yet inspiring – speech on how you’re underappreciated and such and, with your head held high, you walk out of the office while your officemates clap and cheer you on. You might have even seen someone wipe tears from their eyes.
Does that scene seem familiar? Well, that’s probably because you’ve seen it in the movies and just the movies. You see, as much as we might enjoy fantasizing about telling off that abusive supervisor and strutting out the office, it must remain just that – a fantasy. In real life, you must retain professionalism in every situation. You have to politely hand in a resignation letter and give the company adequate notice, then you have to smile and say you regret having to do this and say that you’ll miss everyone in the organization.
When resigning your job, make sure that there is no true ill word that anyone can say against you. Make sure that as you walk out that door, you walk away with grace and class. Keep these tips in mind as you prepare yourself for your last days in the office:
1. Know What Comes Next
Make sure that you know what to do with your life after you end your employment. If the reason you’re quitting is because you’ve been offered a new job, do not express your intention to quit your current job until you’ve signed a job offer or an employment contract and a start date has been set. It is unwise to give up what is certain for a promise of no tangible merits.
2. Plan a Transfer
Don’t leave your boss hanging. Make sure to finish as many tasks as you can. Have a plan on who could take over your responsibilities and unfinished projects until a replacement has been hired.
3. Write a Resignation Letter
Compose your notice and resignation letter. Make sure that you give your boss ample time to deal with losing talent. Most often, the notice period is only two weeks. Some companies, however, require their employees to render up to thirty days upon submitting their resignation letter. Remember that the higher your position, the more time you should give your boss.
When writing your resignation letter, avoid being too personal. There may be a lot of people you want to thank and bid adieu, but it is better to send these personal messages individually. Keep your resignation letter strictly professional. Simply write your intentions and thank the company as for the opportunities they’ve given you.
4. Tell Your Manager First
Of everyone in your office, it is your direct supervisor who has the right to be the first to know of your intention to leave the organization. Avoid telling your co-workers or anyone else until you’ve sat down and talked to your supervisor. Ask them for a couple of minutes of their time and hand in your letter. As much as possible, always do this in person.
5. Agree on How to Tell the Others
Talk to your boss on what should be done to inform the other people in the office regarding your resignation.
6. Meet Others Directly Involved
Aside from your direct supervisor, you might have other people – both superiors and subordinates – who will be directly affected by your leaving. Schedule a couple of minutes from their time and talk to them individually. Tell them that you are leaving the company and why, and let them know what changes they could expect upon your departure.
7. Clean Your Area
Wait until you’ve notified the people involved of your leaving. Take home all personal items and make sure that you leave the space neat and clean for the next person to use your former space. If your next employer is a rival of your current company, don’t be surprised if you are watched by security as you clear your desk and escorted out the building.
8. Remain Professional
Even if you want to hold a huge party to celebrate your finally leaving a company, you should remain poised and classy all throughout. Do not say anything critical or negative about your current employer.
9. Work Hard
Continue to put in your best effort in your work. Behave accordingly, remain professional, and help make the transition to your replacement as smooth as possible. Do not burn old bridges as you might someday find yourself seeking reemployment with the company or needing a good recommendation letter.
Remember that just because you are leaving, this is no reason to tarnish a good reputation. The corporate world is a small one and news spread fast. What you do in your last few days in the office will follow you around for the rest of your professional life.
5 Ways to Keep Diplomacy When Resigning
It is of utmost importance to be able to keep your head up high when you quit a job. No matter how miserable you were at a job, this is no excuse to behave unprofessionally. Keep these tips in mind when resigning to make sure that you leave only good memories behind:
1. Give Proper Notice
Don’t wait until the last possible minute to hand in your notice. Remember that your leaving the company means there are a lot of things that would have to be taken care of and a lot of paperwork that have to be filled out. Give the company enough time to be able wrap things up and adjust to your leaving.
2. Write a Formal Resignation Letter
Make sure that there are proper documentations for your resignation. Submit a well-written resignation letter stating your resignation and its date of effectivity. Sign the letter by hand and personally deliver this to your supervisor. Have a copy made for the human resource department.
3. Offer to Help with Hiring and Training
You’re the one who is most familiar with the ins and outs of your job, so you’re probably the best person to determine who would best be able to fill your shoes. If the company was able to immediately find someone to take your job, offer to train the new recruit yourself. Talk to your replacement and give them clear and helpful tips about the job to ensure smooth transition.
4. Complete Your Tasks
Just because your days in the company is coming to an end, it does not mean that you are now free to slack off. Try not to leave any task or project unfinished. It might also be easier for your replacement to take on a new project instead of having to complete your half-finished one.
5. Leave on a Good Note
The way you behave on your last few days in the office will be the lasting impression people will have of you. Even if you were a saint in your ten years in the company but acted like a total tool in your last ten days, people would remember you as the jerk that you became. So even when your days are counted, act normal. Remain humble and don’t rub in people’s faces that you are going after better opportunities.
A reputation you spent years trying to build may take only an instant to crumble. While you may think that there is no point on smiling through the daily grind that you can’t wait to leave behind, don’t forget that the corporate world is smaller than you think. A bad reputation is difficult to shake off, so make sure that you end on a good note. Besides, you’d never know when you might need a favor or two from your previous employers.
15 Things You Should Do Before You Resign
So after mulling it over, you’ve finally decided to take the leap and quit your job. But hold your horses! This isn’t over yet. You have a lot to do and more to take care of before you can finally, once and for all, bid the office goodbye. Here are 15 things to take care of to keep a good reputation in a company you’re about to leave:
1. Give a Fair Notice
If you’re leaving for a new job, it is understandable that you would want (need) to wait until the job is set in stone. However, it is also important that you give your current employer enough time to deal with your departure. The global norm would be to inform your employer two weeks before the effective date of your resignation. Some companies, though, would require you to give at least a month of notice. Check your employee policy on what the protocol is.
2. Quit Gracefully
Be professional about quitting your job. Ask for a few minutes of your immediate supervisor’s time and have a chat with them. Express your intention to resign. Prepare a signed simple resignation letter that states the date of effectivity of your resignation and make sure to have a copy ready for the Human Resource department.
3. Wait Before You Announce the News
You may be tempted to run to your office best friends and tell them that your resignation has been approved and you guys could start planning a farewell party. Many employees are guilty of this but this does not make it okay. During your talk with your supervisor, agree on how you will tell the other people in the office about your resignation and who are the people you should tell.
4. Offer to Train Your Replacement
Upon your resignation, tell your supervisor that you’d be happy to meet with your replacement and share with them the ins and outs of your job. If your replacement will be arriving before your effective resignation date, allow them to shadow you as you perform your duties and introduce them to the people they’d be working with. If not, then offer some after-office hours with your replacement so you could tell them some trade secrets you picked up that will not be covered by the training department. When you offer to train your replacement, mean it and go through with it.
5. Smoothly Handover Clients and Important Contacts
Cooperate with the handing over your clients and hot talents. If you’re never working with them again, this could be considered as your last act of service to them. If you will be trying to win them over in your new job, be fair. You owe it to your employer without whom you would never have made contact with your clients anyway. Give it some time before you try to win clients over for your new company. Check your employment contract’s non-compete clause.
6. Share Important Information
It would be chaotic for the office to have to scramble about to look for information only you would have known. Before you leave, remove passwords and passcodes from office gadgets. If you can’t, write these down in a piece of paper and leave them on your desk for your replacement to see.
7. Let Important Contacts know
Don’t leave your clients scratching their heads when your replacement gives them a phone call. Ring your clients up and inform them that you are leaving your post. If you know the name of the person taking over and their qualifications, go over these with your clients as to assure them that top quality service will still be provided despite your absence.
8. Document Your Current Work
Aside from your passwords and passcodes, also write down information about your current work. Include a to-do list of tasks you think the person replacing you should work on. If there are confidential information they are not yet qualified to access, then you should relay these to the proper officer.
9. Work Hard Until the Last Days
Don’t ruin years’ worth of hard-earned reputation by slacking off on your final days in the company. Remember that you will be remembered by your actions in the last couple of days. Work just as hard as you did in your first months at work. Avoid coming in late. If you are going to take advantage of leaves and other employment benefits, make sure to file the proper paperwork.
10. Wrap it up
It will be difficult for the person taking over your job to take over a halfway finished job, especially if you two have different mindsets, thinking processes, and ways of performing tasks. As much as possible, finish all tasks you can. Write down tasks you don’t have enough time to finish and specific instructions you on what you think should be completed for the success of the task.
11. Cooperate in the Exit Interview
Even if the reason you’re leaving the company is because of the terrible way they take care of their employees, avoid at all costs screaming bloody murder. Try to remain positive throughout the entire interview and be critical and constructive in your criticisms of the company. Do not personally attack anyone. Be careful with how you deliver your words but make sure you answer every question honestly.
12. Thank Everyone Who Helped You
You would not be where you are without the help and support of the people around you. Make sure to thank them and tell them how much you appreciate the opportunities they’ve given you.
13. Say a Proper Goodbye
Don’t suddenly just disappear. Make sure you bid the people around you a proper goodbye. And by goodbye, not just an “I’m leaving, see you around,” e-mail, but an actual, face-to-face goodbye. Offer hugs and exchange numbers with colleagues you want to stay in touch with. Don’t close doors because you never know when you might need to open them again.
14. Keep Your Cool
Bon Jovi may have made it sound like an awesome way to go but in the professional world, going down in a blaze of glory is a huge no. Do not give a huge dramatic speech about how much you are better off now. Do not, in any way, leave in a way that will leave a negative impression on anyone in the company.
15. Politely Decline Counteroffers
Tempting as it may be, think twice before jumping at a counteroffer. Studies show that half of the employees who accept counteroffers end up quitting anyway. Besides, no matter what, people would begin to question your loyalty if they found out you were just about ready to jump ship.
What is the best predictor of future behavior? Past behaviors. The best way to ensure a good start in your coming endeavors is by first making sure that you have no loose ends to tie in the past that reflect badly on you. Take care of your reputation, especially in a world as small as the corporate world.
Things to Do Before Your Last Day in the Office
After you have sent an effective resignation letter and your resignation has been approved, you’re now rendering your last couple of days as an employee in your company. As excited as you might be to begin a whole new part of your life, take a moment to assess whether you’re all set to leave the office for good.
Clear Your Desk and Remove All Personal Belongings
Let the person taking over your job feel welcome by making sure that the desk is clean, neat, and ready for its new occupant. Pack up and take home all your personal belongings and remove all personal files from your computers. However, be sure that you leave all files that the person taking over your job might find essential.
Return Everything Company Issued
Prepare to bid farewell to the iPhone and Mac your company has “given” you. These gadgets, no matter how attached you are to them, are technically not yours. In order to have resignation cleared, you have to return these gadgets and any other items you either borrowed from the company or they assigned to you.
However, if you find that you have become rather attached to these things, talk to your supervisor or the HR Department about keeping or buying them. If they allow it, make sure you get the purchase in writing and signed by both you and a representative of the department.
Negotiate Your Last Paycheck
Talk to the people assigned in compensation and benefits in the Human Resource Department. Talk to them about how much you’d be receiving for your last pay and when you would receive these. Also, inquire about having unused leaves encashed and other benefits you might want to take advantage of.
Inform Those Who Need to know
Tell everyone who needs to know that you are leaving your job. While you are not required to explain yourself to anyone, they at least deserve to know that you will no longer be around. Be it you lunch buddies, office best friends, the clients you handle, or whoever else you work with, make sure they know that your days in the office are now limited. Who knows, they might even buy you a cake and a gift to bid you farewell.
Say Your Goodbyes
Don’t suddenly just disappear. On your last day, exchange numbers and hugs. Ask those who have started to matter to you to keep in touch, and mean it. Thank you boss and everyone who has helped you and played a role in getting you where you are. Be careful not to burn a bridge you might one day find yourself needing to cross.
Writing Your Resignation Letter
How to Write a Resignation Letter
As anyone who has ever worked will know by now, saying goodbye to a job is always both challenging and refreshing at the same time. It’s not easy saying goodbye especially if you’ve been attached to the company for several years already. Everything has to end, however, and it’s best to always leave on a positive note even if your leaving is less than gratifying. One of the things that you’re obligated to do would be to write a resignation letter in a professional and proper manner. The challenge for most employees is finding the right words to express their gratitude while working for the company and expressing your intention to leave as appropriately as possible.
What most employees fail to realize is that resignation letters are one of the ways the employee gets remembered. For that aspect, it’s very important that a resignation letter must be heartfelt and appreciative of what the company has done for the employee. Always remember that the benefits of working go two ways. The company benefits from the employee’s productivity while the employee benefits from the pay. When you leave your work behind, make sure that you do so in an impeccable manner sans the bitterness and whatever bad experience you have had with your employer.
To write the perfect resignation letter, we offer the following tips that any employee can use to draft his or her own resignation letter:
1. Address the Proper Person
A resignation letter must be addressed to the correct person, which is either the manager or the Human Resources (HR) department manager. Your company may be very big with several departments, so don’t forget to include your position from which you’ll be resigning from and include the date when your resignation will take effect.
2. Be Friendly and Amiable
On the opening of your letter, always begin with “Dear” to signify the formality, followed by “Mr. or “Ms.” before your employer’s name (or whoever is your immediate boss or superior). Write the date on the top left-hand side and write your boss’s name and position below it.
3. Always Speak Positively and Professionally
State your resignation in clear terms and don’t start pouring out your frustrations, disgruntlement and dissatisfaction with your experience in the company. It’s better to write about the good times during your stint employed at the company. Don’t start about your boss’s failings and whatever else is wrong that you observed in the company, even if it’s obvious the department needs changes. While it’s commendable that you would want to point out everything wrong with the company or your department, there’s always a proper forum for these grievances and would probably have been better brought up during your employment and not when you’re already resigning.
4. Give Proper Notice and State Your intention Clearly
Clearly state your intention to resign by starting with any of the following lines: “Please accept my letter as a formal notice of my resignation from my position as (your position), effective (complete date).” “ It is with great regret that I submit my letter of resignation from my position as (your position). I intend to stay until (date), by which time I will fully cooperate in helping train my replacement until my last day at the office.” Sometimes, to dispense with long formalities, it’s better to be formal and direct such as this line: “ I hereby submit my resignation as (your position) effective (complete date).” The date is important because you need to at least give two weeks notice before your resignation to find time for your replacement. If your position is complicated, your company may need more than two weeks to prepare your replacement. See to it that you give ample time depending on the sensitivity of your position and volunteer to train your replacement as much as you can.
5. Always Thank Your Employer for the Experience
Always remember that it cannot be denied you’ve enjoyed the pay and benefits especially when you’ve been with the company for several years already. Your employer is every bit responsible for that so it’s just proper that you thank him/her for the experience. Even if your experience has been less than pleasant, always take the high road and be courteous and refined. Even if there were many unpleasant circumstances you’ve experienced in the company, you have to consider the fact that your skills have been enhanced by the years you’ve been spent in your employment there.
6. Wrap Up With a Kind Note and Nice Closing
Keep in mind that you would still need to ask for a reference from your former employer. It’s always good to maintain good relations with your manager and colleagues because you’ll never know when they’ll end up in the future. Fate has a strange way of making people meet again unexpectedly in very different places and circumstances. They can vouch for your credibility and be your biggest endorsers when you most need them so it’s always a good idea to keep your network active. End your letter by either “Wishing you the best” or “Sincerely” that shows how grateful you are for your time in the company.
Guidelines for Writing and Formatting Your Resignation Letter
As seen from the previous subchapter, writing a resignation letter entails a lot of formalities and proper wording. However, another overlooked aspect when writing a resignation letter is the formatting. Following the proper format ensures the integrity of your resignation letter and will not offend your employer. While your letter should be brief, clear and concise, the following guidelines and format should be observed to ensure your resignation letter is both formal and professional:
Resignation Letter Guideline:
- Be courteous
- Be simple and brief
- Be clear and concise
- Write with a positive note
- Go directly to the point
Include the Following:
- Stating your resignation
- The position you are resigning from
- The current date and the date which you intend to leave
- Stating your appreciation of the time spent with your employer and the company
- Thanking your employer for all opportunities provided during your employment
- Your contact information in case you’re needed for something in the future
Resignation Letter Format
Your Contact Details
- First, Middle, Last Name
- Address Phone and Mobile Numbers
- Email Address
Date
Employer Information
- Name
- Position
- Department or Organization
- Address
Salutation
- Dear Mr./Miss (Last Name)
First Paragraph
This is the part where you state your intention to resign and the effectivity of your resignation
Mid-Paragraph
The portion where you speak amiably and courteously in a professional manner, thanking your employer for your experience and the opportunity you had while working while being employed at the company
Last Paragraph
Conclusion of your resignation letter with offer to help during the transition period, training your replacement and assisting as long as necessary
Closing
Respectfully Yours,/Sincerely,
Signature
Handwritten Signature
Typed Full Name
What to Include in Your Resignation Letter
When writing a resignation letter, you should follow proper procedure and know what to include in your letter. There are lots of ways to write it but generally, it should be brief and direct to the point,as mentioned in one of the subtitles. While we have explored most of what is proper when drafting a resignation letter, it always helps to be reminded and be refreshed on what to include in a resignation letter.
Here are the most important parts to include in your resignation letter:
- Purpose of Your Resignation. Some positions are quite sensitive and require specialized qualified individuals to fill. Some companies actually require 30 days notice or a full month before a resignation takes effect. There are even employers who would try and convince resigning employees to try and reconsider their decision. Unless the reason is very important and quite urgent, a 2-week notice may not be accepted unless you give a full month’s advance notice. It’s very important to state the purpose of your resignation clearly to make your employer and indicate the urgency of the matter in the most polite and professional way.
- Indicate the Position You’re Resigning from. If your position is one that can be easily filled, then your employer will not have any problems letting you go. As a matter of courtesy and formality, you should mention the role you are resigning even if you’re just a rank and file employee. Even if you think your position can be easily filled by someone else, you’re still an important part of the company who has invested much in you through training, salaries, and benefits.
- Include Both the Current Date and the Date You Intend to Leave. To give your employer time to look for your replacement, you should indicate the date when you’re leaving. The current date should also be included as a matter of reference. The HR department often takes some time to compute and prepare your last pay and whatever benefits you’re entitled to, due to the number of employees whose salaries must also be taken cared of, especially if it’s a big company.
- Express Your Appreciation for Your Time With the Company. Always be appreciative and express your heartfelt appreciation for the time you’ve spent with the company. Your work experience makes your curriculum vitae more impressive due to your experience. Credit your employer for making you more experienced than when you first started out at the company. Thank him/her for the opportunity to work in the company that enhanced your skills. Your appreciative gesture will make your employer more enthusiastic to give you a letter of recommendation to wherever you plan on working next.
You can also refer to the notice period in your contract to validate your resignation notice to validate your following of instructions. Include your contact number and don’t sever your contact with important persons in the company. You may need their help someday.
Resignation Letter Do’s and Don’t’s
Even if you have grievances and resentments against your company, it’s always not advisable to be vocal about it. It’s always appropriate to leave on a good note and make your exit as pleasant as possible. It’s not good to be rude since this will reflect your true character and will reflect badly on your person.
To have a proper idea on what to do and not do when resigning, here are a couple of Do’s and Don’ts before and when writing a resignation letter:
DO:
- Resign verbally and in person before writing your resignation letter. It’s always commendable to be polite and courteous and there’s no limit to extending it both verbally and in writing
- Check the terms of your employment in order not to miss out on anything before you draft your resignation letter. Check the termination policy since some companies require at least 30 days notice more than the usual two-week notice
- Say goodbye to your colleagues. It’s always advisable to maintain good relations even if you’re transferring to another company. They may help you someday and will put in a good word for you when you most need it
- Include positive points in your letter to make your employer appreciate your efforts even when you’re leaving
- Offer to train your replacement or fellow worker in your job role. Indicate in your letter your willingness to help in the transition period
- Suggest a fellow member who you think is competent enough to take on your responsibilities. You can also offer to find your replacement
DON’T:
- Criticize the company, your job or your boss. Do not write any disparaging remarks and negative statements. It may backfire on you since companies keep resignation letters on file and will affect your chances of being hired by another company who always asks for a certificate of employment from your previous employer
- Be rude when writing your resignation letter. Rather be appreciative and express your heartfelt gratitude for your time and experience. Be direct but courteous, and frank but formal when writing your resignation letter
- Discuss in detail your resignation plans to your colleague nor boast that your new job offers a better position and better pay. Management may get wind of what you said and might make the process harder for you when resigning. Worse, your remaining pay and benefits might be withheld until several weeks after your resignation
- Give full details of why you’re resigning other than what’s necessary. Giving all the details of your resignation plan might expose your real motive, such as being disgruntled with how the company is being run or how you don’t like the way your employer is running things. Always keep your resignation explanation letter brief and to the point.
Resignation Letter Writing Tips
While it might be tempting to unload on your frustrations, it just doesn’t make sense to go about enumerating all of them when you’re already resigning. It’s always appropriate to be courteous and proper. Remember that having a new job is an opportunity to start all over again and prove your worth when you think your old company didn’t give you the recognition you deserved. Take your resignation as a positive step to do better and prove to your new employer what you’re really made of. Being graceful about your resignation will also favor you with your chances of being recommended greater than if you resign on a sour note.
To help you make the proper resignation letter that will earn you high remarks and a good commendation from your previous employer, here are excellent writing tips for a distinctive and professional resignation letter:
- Be Business Appropriate. A resignation letter is just one type of business correspondence and should be written and handled well and professionally. Address your letter of resignation appropriately to the right person and use proper wording to make it sound as professional and as courteous as possible while keeping your letter brief and direct to the point.
- Be Clear and Concise. Don’t make your resignation letter too long by going around what your sole purpose really intends, which is to resign from your job. Avoid flowery and poetic scripts and remarks and just go directly to the point, albeit courteously. This is not the time to be fraught with long explanations. Rather this is the opportunity for you to extend your gratitude for your time with the company while saying goodbye to your employer.
- Be Gracious and Cordial. You want to leave on a positive note and not with bitterness. There’s no point in trying to say everything that’s wrong with the company since you’re leaving anyway. The best thing to do is hope for and wish your next employment will be better. A resignation is not a platform for complaints and you’ve had your chance with the evaluations that should have been the opportunity to air grievances. The only specific details you need to say is when your last day of work for the company will be.
- Be Positive and Maintain an Upbeat Attitude. Thank your boss for all the opportunity and experience you’ve gained. Remember that you’re going to use your boss for future reference, Don’t burn your bridges since the relationship you’ve built will come in handy in the future. If you’ve built a solid friendship with your boss, his connections will be very useful in your future career endeavors.
Job Resignation Templates
Employees are often stumped about the best approach to writing a resignation letter. It’s either because there are lots of pending assignments that need to be completed, hence a bad time to resign, or the employer has put too much trust on the employee and has given him or her lots of responsibilities. For these and other reasons, we are presenting a couple of job resignation template letters that every employee will find helpful. These are categorized for different settings and scenarios. Whatever the reason for your resignation may be, our templates can help you compose a good resignation letter that will fit your situation. You can either download our samples or you can craft your own based on the ideas you get from a couple of the samples we’ve compiled. You can get your ideas on what to include and what to leave out, plus how to submit a letter to formalize your resignation for your job.
Employers and Human Resources Office staff meanwhile, will find several good examples on how to craft notices of termination letters that are also available here for downloading. These samples will show the appropriate ways to draft a properly worded termination letter that would either sound official or formal enough to inform an employee the reasons for his termination. While each company has specific grounds for termination that are set within their company rules, putting these into properly-worded context might pose a challenge for the HR. Through our samples presented, employers and those in the HR will have the guidelines for the proper composition of termination letters without the additional burden of having to fire someone in a personal manner.
Here are the different template examples:
Exit Form Templates for the HR Office
Employee Exit Interview Form
As protocol, every major company’s Human Resources office conducts exit interviews with their employees who are on their way out either voluntarily or involuntarily. The reasons for exit interviews vary for every company but primarily, the factors are:
- Reduce the possibility that the employee will sue the company
- To get a clear assessment on the company’s employer brand. This is done to further enhance the company’s engagement with its employees and improve its performance
- To help reduce employee turnovers, determine the cause, and improve performance based on exiting employee feedbacks
One of the major hurdles that a company must tackle, however, is to get a resigning employee’s feedback as honestly as possible. Many departing employees are often reluctant to share objective criticism of former employers for fear of backlash. Couple that with the fact that new employers often require employment request forms to be filled up by previous employers before a new employee can be hired. With these factors involved, you get a clear picture of the dilemma faced by employees during exit interviews.
An effective exit interview can actually encourage change in what may be needed for a company to improve itself and reduce employee turnovers. Based on the sample below, some of the questions often asked are found on the answer sheet on the exit interview form, such as:
- If the employee felt that he/she had been sufficiently trained and oriented for the job
- If the employee had been treated with respect and responsibly by both co-employees and management
- If the employee felt that he/she could have done better if provided with different or better resources
- If the employee ever felt free to discuss suggestions or problems with his/her supervisor or manager
Exit Interview Form
Employee Exit Survey
An employee exit interview can also take on a form of an employee exit survey. While both follow the same procedure, an employee survey form follows a standard five-point scale ranking procedure, with 5 being the best and 1 as the worst. The survey form asks the employee several questions based on his/her experience working for the company. The survey questions are aimed to help HR minimize employee losses while at the same time understand the factors that make the employee leave the company. The survey aims to explore various causes of employee turnovers and comprehensively explores the following matters:
- Effectivity of an employee’s skills and whether this was put into proper use
- Accessibility of company’s resources, if the employee was able to make use of it to its fullest advantage
- If the employee felt there was a room for growth (i.e., skills improvement; promotion; job satisfaction)
- If the salary was fair and adequate
- If there are any suggestions for improvement in the departments and the company as a whole
- On what aspects did the company fall short and what the employee can suggest improving on those aspects
- On what could have been done to stop the employee from leaving
Each company has their own unique questionnaires suited for their own company’s needs, but basically, it all comes down to how an exit survey is able to improve the company’s operation by increasing employee retention.
Employee Exit Checklist
An employee exit checklist is also given by HR for resigning employees to make sure all company property and equipment used by the resigned employee is being returned. This is especially important for manufacturing companies and those involved in construction who use a lot of gadgets, tools and equipment. To promote honesty and fair use of all company properties, the resigning employee must return all company property before he can be cleared and he receives his remaining pay and benefits. Besides property and equipment, the employee may also be required to submit all tax-related papers that will be needed for his employer to file the necessary tax requirements that are standard procedure for the government’s tax collection agency.
Employee Exit Clearance
Employee Exit Interview Form
It’s a known fact that many departing employees are reluctant to give an honest assessment to their employers lest they become the target of retaliation or they don’t want to offend their former employer. The only way for HR to get an honest opinion about a departing employee’s reasons and share an objective criticism of the company is to ask him/her why he/she started looking for another job. Oftentimes the best way to get an employee to open up is through a creative approach and the right questions to ask in a manner that’s not too intimidating to put the employee at ease.
Exit interviews are intended to improve a company’s performance and lessen turnovers, so how can a company improve if it doesn’t get an honest opinion from departing employees? Given the right approach, the company will be able to get an honest assessment where it fell short and what can possibly be done to rectify it. Another approach would be to let departing employees put in writing the reasons for departure instead of a direct exit interview.
Exit Interview Questionnaire
Another form of technique companies use to gather data based on departing employee exit interviews and surveys is to collate all information tallied and decide on the best approach for changing a company’s system. Granted, established business practices are hard to change. However, it’s not always too late to institute changes which will have a positive impact down the road in the long run. If, however, employees leave for reasons that cannot be fixed like routine work practices and boredom, there’s not much to be done. The company may work on a scheme that breaks from the monotony like company outings and pizza days.
HR Exit Interview Form
Relieving Letters for Resignation
For a resigning employee, it’s very important to be issued a relieving letter before he or she transitions into a new job. This is especially important for companies who need to know more about their new employee’s background and whether he or she has been formally resigned from his or her previous job. For employees, it’s also a formal acceptance that they are no longer connected with their former employer through the issuance of a relieving letter from the HR department. While the primary purpose of a relieving letter is to assure a current employer that the employee has been formally resigned from his post, it will also assure the employer that the new employee is not connected or holding another job which may jeopardize the productivity of the employee in question.
While relieving letters may be foreign in most western countries, it’s especially common in Asia, particularly in India, where relieving letters are actually required every time an employee resigns from his job. This is because in India, it’s not allowed for an employee to hold two jobs simultaneously. The relieving letter is typically issued on the same day that the employee is resigned from the job. If the employee is not issued a relieving letter, it means he’s still part of the company. A relieving letter, therefore, is a formal notification to the employee that he or she has been relieved from his or her current function and is not anymore connected whatsoever with the company.
Here are 10+ Relieving Letters For Resignation:
Job Relieving Letter Format
As seen in this relieving letter format, it’s actually a basic commendation of the employee’s character and can be used as an employment request form. This can be used as proof to vouch for an employee’s integrity and as proof of employment that said employee has been gainfully employed by another employer prior to being hired to his new position.
Relieving Letter Format Sample
This relieving format sample is typically like the first one. Included in this letter aside from the usual commendation, is the notice of receiving the final salary, perks and other benefits once all obligations are settled.
Acceptance of Resignation
Some employers actually just give out an Acceptance of Resignation. While there is some debate about how both relieving and acceptance of resignation letters may be the same and different, the noticeable difference is that while a relieving letter includes a citation of an employee’s performance commending his or her stint in the company, an acceptance of resignation only indicates an employee’s date of resignation and when it takes effect, plus the settling of accounts for whatever dues and obligations are left to be settled by the resigning employee. This is less of an appreciative gesture especially if the employee performed an exemplary service to the company.
Resignation Cum Relieving Letter
To prevent any confusion, the best way would be for HR to issue a Resignation Cum Relieving letter to prevent any complaints from employees regarding what kind of relieving letter is being issued. In this sample, both resignation acceptance and commendation are being issued for the benefit of the employee. In this regard, this is a more accepted form of a relieving letter that conveys a heartfelt gratitude to the employee for his or her service being rendered.
Employee Relieving Letter
This employee relieving letter is equally proper, formal and direct which goes straight to the point and is indicative of how a proper relieving letter should be worded. A relieving letter should not sound rude but rather an appreciative gesture of wishing the employee well in his or her endeavor. This will reflect on the company’s reputation as both competitive and caring at the same time.
The format for relieving letters more or less are the same with slight variations depending on the company that issues them to the resigning employee. While some are just composed of two short paragraphs, there are those that specify the things that are needed to be returned depending on the employee’s position. Those positions that have been designated a lot of responsibilities and are in charge of a considerable number of company property may have their relieving letters presented with an inventory of things to be returned. Only then will they be cleared and their remaining pay and other benefits be released.
Here are a couple more examples of relieving letters with different formats that users may be able to draft based on the following samples being presented here:
Company Relieving Letter
Request for Relieving Letter on Email
Printable Relieving Letter
Relieving Cum Experience Letter
Relieving Letter in Word
Relieving Letter Example
Sample Relieving Letter Format
Notice of Termination Letter Templates
Perhaps one of the hardest challenges for any employer or HR manager to do would be to let go of an employee. This is especially true if the employee happens to be a good performer. If the reason given is of the company downsizing or cutting back its operations due to slow or stagnant sales, it may be possible to cut down the workforce in half and choose only the ones worth keeping. However, this poses a challenge preeminently with writing a letter of termination. In the particular case of downsizing, a carefully worded letter of termination must be made in order not to hurt the chances of the employee in finding another job.
The same cannot be said however, if the employee happens to be fired for a reason. If an employee is dismissed or terminated with cause, then management would have no problem letting go of the employee who knew in the first place that he or she is due to be fired for a valid reason. In this subchapter, we will break down the different kinds of termination of employment that are most common in every company:
Dismissal. Dismissal often refers to the termination of employment due to a number of causes and usually not voluntary in nature. While this kind of termination is against the employee’s will, this is usually done for a variety of reasons, most commonly unsatisfactory performance issues, breaking one of the major company rules or due to a sudden downturn in the economy where a company is forced to cut back to prevent incurring more losses.
In the United States, an existing labor law covers dismissal procedures that can be classified into two kinds, namely the following:
At-will Employment – This is applicable for contractual employees and can be used by an employer as a basis of termination for whatever reason without the employer being obligated to give an explanation of any kind. When an employee has been hired under “at-will” employment, he cannot claim any compensation and losses incurred from such a dismissal. This rule however is applicable both ways. An “at-will” employee may also leave his or her employment any time without having to give a valid reason or advanced warning. Depending on which part of the country you’re in, some states have modified the rule and have made a number of exceptions, particularly in the default expectations of the employment contract templates. In workplaces where trade unions are active and such as those of public sector jobs, the employer is obligated to dismiss with a just cause, since most states now adhere to dismissal protection contracts that both employer and employee must agree to.
Conflict of Interest – This is a rather complicated issue where reasons for termination vary and are totally unrelated to each other but whose instances are still valid grounds for termination. These can be as uncomplicated as when two members of the family are employed by the same firm, namely a husband-and-wife tandem where it’s not allowed in some companies, or when the employee happens to be a close relative of a competitor company where his position might complicate antitrust prohibitions
- Other grounds for termination include the following causes:
- Poor work performance or constantly poor workmanship on assigned area of expertise
- Intolerable conduct and not being able to get along well with co-workers
- Drinking, illegal drugs and being intoxicated while at work
- Frequent absenteeism and tardiness; frequent no call, no show
- Incompetence
- Insubordination
Here are the 10+ examples of Termination Letter templates:
Termination Letter Format
Notice of Termination Letter
Notice of Termination of Probationary Employee
In most instances, the need to establish a clear guideline on how probationary employees are being terminated should be instituted. This is to prevent any costly litigation and misunderstanding that may arise when a probationary employee questions his termination. In this case, the employer should establish clear expectations that should be effectively relayed to the probationary employee. Communicating the terms and expectations in writing will effectively make the employee understand what is expected of him and the job he’s needed to perform. This way, when he’s being terminated, he fully understands which aspect of the job he failed to perform and the reasons why he’s being terminated.
Termination Notice Due to Inefficiency and Sexual Harassment
In some workplaces, sexual harassment can be a real problem. Serious incidents like these should be immediately addressed by management to prevent further problems like settlements that may cost the company a lot of money. This sample addresses not only sexual harassment but gross incompetence as well.
Employment Termination Letter
Notice to End Employment
Termination with Cause Template
Sample Termination Letter Due to Numerous Absences
No matter how important an employee’s position is, frequent absences could result in lost production and sales revenue for a company. When an employee who incurs numerous absences still does so after receiving at least two letters of warning, then he or she would have to be let go no matter how competent he or she is in that position.
Termination Due to Falsifying Information
Job Termination Letter
Job Resignation Letter Templates
One of the most common mistakes employees make when they resign from a job is quitting even when there’s still no new job waiting for them. Oftentimes this has something to do with them not being happy or satisfied with their current occupations. There are a lot of etiquettes to be followed, however, when resigning. When you do so, you have to resign gracefully and as professionally as you can without sounding both mean and bitter.
Before you decide to hand in your resignation letter, it’s important that you talk to your boss or immediate superior about your intention to resign. You have to do so on a positive note and should not disclose whatever bitterness you have against the company no matter how tempting it may be. It’s imperative that you make a good impression on your way out in the same way when you were hired. The reason for this is because it may backfire on you in case your new employer asks for an employment request from your previous employer. Based on what he observed about your work and character, your former employer will rate your performance and how you were overall in your previous employment.
The same thing applies to the Human Resource Manager when you hand in your resignation. You have to be polite, brief and not leave a negative impression. Remember that your final pay and all corresponding benefits have to go through HR. You wouldn’t like it if your final paycheck will be deliberately held just because you were quite rude and unprofessional on your way out.
In relation to all that, here are very important Do’s and Don’t’s when you resign from your job:
Do’s
- Offer two weeks standard notice before your resignation to let your employer prepare for the transition when you finally leave the company
- Offer to train your replacement as a courtesy until such time he or she is proficient enough to handle your previous job without additional guidance
- Put in writing all additional procedures and the steps that must be followed in critical components of your job
- Fulfill pending client engagements and orient your replacement with the necessary procedures and introduce him/her to customers and vendors
- Keep your commitment to your new employer even if your old employer still needs your services up to the last minute of your employment. It’s very important that you make a good impression on your new employment
- Ask for a reference letter, certificate of employment or employee request form whichever is useful for your future endeavors
Don’t
- Make unnecessary promises you can’t keep just to overdo your courtesy when you’re resigning in two weeks
- Express any opinion or make any statement which may reflect your negative attitude towards your former employer. You may regret it later when you realize you still need your old employer’s help when asking for an employment certificate or you’re asked for a reference letter from your former employer
- Say anything negative about your manager, co-workers or supervisor from your former employment since it will be gauged against you and will reflect your character as a whole
- Go Absent Without Leave (AWOL) during the last few weeks or days of your employment. It will still reflect on your character and can be used against you. Be as productive as possible right up to your last day of employment
Here are 5+ samples of Job Resignation Letter Templates:
Resignation Letter for Part-time Job
Sample Letter of Resignation Template
Bank Employee Resignation Letter
Resignation Letter One Month Notice
HR Manager Resignation Letter
General Resignation Letter Examples
Here are a couple of examples of general resignation letters which anyone can use depending on their position. The resignation letters presented here are in general terms and can be edited or modified according to your own individual specifications. You can choose from the general type of resignation letters, wherein you can modify the details to fit your specific job description and the details surrounding your resignation. You can also choose the generic type of resignation sample templates where all you have to do is fill up the sample after downloading and submit it to your employer. This way, you can save any explanations on the reason for your resignation on your exit interview without having to write about it in the meantime. These can be downloaded in both Word Doc. or PDF file formats, depending on the file type.
Radiation Safety Officer Resignation Letter Example
Sample Letters of Resignation
Formal Job Resignation Letter
Resignation Letter Example
Two Week Notice Resignation Letter
Unsatisfactory Employee Resignation Letter
Resignation Letters with a Specific Reason Examples
For whatever reason it may be, even the best companies are plagued with employee attrition that are quite expensive, especially with the hiring process and cost of training on the rise. This is a worldwide phenomenon whose definite reason is not easy to pinpoint because there’s no specific cause that can be attributed as to why employees resign. Owing to the tight labor market and job specifications that are needed to be undertaken only by skilled individuals trained for that job category, most graduates are not even deemed qualified by most company standards. However, that’s just one of the many aspects why companies are finding it hard to retain employees.
As experienced in a lot of industries, most of the work done is possible only through collaborative effort rather than on individual skillsets, hence the need for more team-focused effort. This can only be possible, however, if the team of employees are retained and the company doesn’t have to plug in new employees every now and then. To try and improve employee retention, companies are using analytics to try and determine which employee would stay and which are at high risk of leaving. By employing analytics, fresh insights are being gathered on the possible reasons why employees quit their jobs.
According to CEB Gartner, the reasons why employees quit their jobs can be broken down to the following causes:
- Not liking their boss or immediate superior like the manager or supervisor
- When they compare with others in their peer group and feel inadequate compared to their colleagues
- When they don’t see any opportunity for promotion or growth
- When they’ve been in the company for more than three years
- When something happens in the employee’s personal life like passing their 40th birthday or when marrying
With these insights, we’re presenting the different resignation letter samples with their specific reasons: