Resignation Etiquette Tips and Advice

When you resign from your job, it is important that you follow proper resignation etiquette. How you leave your job can impact your future employment. If you maintain a positive, professional relationship with your former employer and your colleagues, you are more likely to get positive references, helpful networking advice, and more. Before you head out the door, there are some things you should do to make sure you leave on the best note possible

Here is some advice on how to resign with class and move on from your job gracefully.

1. Have a Good Resignation Reason

Before you quit a job, you should be very sure that resigning is the right choice. Hating your job might not be a good enough reason to quit unless you have another job lined up. That being said, there are legitimate reasons for quitting your job. There are also circumstances beyond your control where quitting may be the option. 

2. Resign with Class

When resigning, give resignation notice to your employer ahead of time, write a simple resignation letter, and then say goodbye to your colleagues. It's good resignation etiquette to tell your supervisor you are resigning before you tell your co-workers. You don't want the company to discover that you're quitting through the grapevine.

3. Resignation Etiquette Do's and Don'ts

How should you resign from your job? Perhaps even more importantly, how should you not resign? What are things to avoid? I've seen resignations mishandled, including when an employee yelled "I quit!" and walked out the door and, in another case, where an employee left a note on her supervisor's desk saying she wasn't coming back.

Here is resignation etiquette do's and don'ts. Follow these tips so you can avoid resignation etiquette mistakes and resign the right way.

• Give your Notice Period as stated in your contract Normal notice period is one month, however, if you have an employment contract or union agreement that states how much notice you should give, follow and respect those contract guidelines. Remember, you don’t have any obligations to go beyond the notice period in your contract, it is best for you to not extend your notice period, as the more you stay in your current company the more you difficult for you to leave.

• What to Say When You Quit Your Job When you tell your boss you are quitting (either in person or a letter), there are some things you need to say, and some things you should leave out. For example, you should tell your boss about the exact date you are leaving. You should not tell your boss that you were unhappy with the position.

• Review Resignation Letters When you resign, it is proper etiquette to tell your boss in person, and then follow up with a formal resignation letter. How you write a resignation letter is important, because it is important to try to stay on good terms with the company you are leaving. It's important to include information on when you are leaving, and why. However, it's also important not to say too much in your resignation letter. How you write a resignation letter is important for a couple of reasons. First of all, you may need a reference from the employer in the future, so it makes sense to take the time to write a professional resignation letter. It's also a document that will become part of your employment file, and it should be written accordingly.

• Email Etiquette When You Resign It's almost always better to resign in person, and then follow up with a formal resignation letter for your employment file. However, sometimes circumstances are such that you need to send a resignation email. For example, perhaps you have to alert your employer to your resignation quickly, and email is the best method. Or perhaps your company policy states that you should resign via email. Whatever the reason, there are steps you can take to resign via email professionally. 

• Telephone Resignation Etiquette It's usually not good resignation etiquette to resign over the phone. However, if you are unable to resign in person, quitting over the phone or via email is an alternative. Do keep in mind, if you tender your resignation over the phone and don't plan on working any more days, it may cost you a reference. 
• How to Say Goodbye to Colleagues It is good resignation etiquette to say goodbye to your colleagues before leaving work. However, make sure to do so only after you have told your boss that you are leaving. Depending on your relationship with your colleagues, you might say goodbye via email or in person. 
• Resignation Checklist When you resign from a job, it's important to check on compensation due, your last paycheck, benefits, pension plans, and possible references. It can be harder to do these things later after you have already left the company.