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If you’re feeling less than
fulfilled in your job, you’ve probably fantasized about
that well known movie scene. You know, the one when our
hero, put upon by his unreasonable boss, yells “You
can’t fire me. I quit!” He turns on his heel, packs his
meagre possessions into an archive box and stalks out of
the office, head held high, to the stunned attention of
his colleagues. Think of Jerry Maguire, when Tom
Cruise’s character makes an impassioned, though slightly
cringe-worthy plea for co-conspirators to go with him
into the unknown.
There are many reasons for wanting to leave a job. Some
are positive: you may have been offered a better job
that will help in your career progression. Some are less
so: you want more money, you don’t get on with the boss
or colleagues; perhaps you don’t agree with the way the
company is performing. Or you may simply want to change
careers. I’ve left jobs for all of these reasons – the
most empowering moment was when I resigned to go
freelance two years ago.
Regardless of the why, there is definitely a ‘right’ way
to resign. Resigning from a job is never easy. It’s a
political tightrope, with the line taut between two
points. On the one hand, you want to give into your
instinct to flounce out dramatically, leaving others in
no doubt about your feelings. On the other, you need to
keep the lines open for those moments when you need a
question answered, a reference, or even another job if
all else fails.
The most important thing is to always be dignified and
professional. The first and last impressions are the
ones that stay in a person’s mind. So even with your
track record as a rising star in the company, the most
productive, the highest fee-earner, the moment you lose
it is when you lose out.
If you get it wrong, the only damage you do will be to
yourself. If you get it right, you will have preserved a
relationship and your reputation for future posterity.
So, how do you do it?
Think about it. If you’ve had a successful time with the
company, you’ll want your new employers to know about
it. After another bad day at the office, setting up a
Facebook group called I resign because my boss, John
Smith of Acme Products, is a plonker won’t do you any
favours. You definitely won’t get that reference you’ve
been hoping for.
There are a few simple steps to take:
- Think about what you want and why you want to leave.
Consider this rationally, without emotion, and develop
clear arguments for leaving. It may be easy enough: If
the company’s in financial trouble, then you want to go
to safer ground. Or you’ve found another job offering
more money, more authority, more responsibility.
- Check your contract to make sure you comply with the
notice period. Knowing this will help you and the
company to plan better. And, even if you want to get out
as soon as possible, breaching the conditions of your
contract will make your life even more difficult than it
already is. You may find that the company is happy to
negotiate a different, mutually beneficial notice
period. But your starting point should always be what
your contract says.
- Decide whether you’d accept any counter-offer. You
may find that your boss will recognise the loss if you
leave and will try to convince you to stay. Think about
this carefully, and without the emotion of the moment.
This can often be difficult if you’re feeling
dissatisfied with your work. But if you feel loyal to
the company, like the people you’re working with and
like the job, then you may want to consider their
proposal.
- If you decide you definitely want to go, don’t spread
the word before you’ve told the boss. Office networks
are notoriously leaky. You have no control over what
happens to that information once you’ve spilled it at
the water cooler. Keep schtum, be discreet, say nothing,
until you’ve had a chance to discuss your intentions
with your boss, HR or whoever needs to hear it first.
- Make a formal appointment to meet your boss. Doing
this will mean you have his or her undivided attention.
When you’ve bagged some time in the diary, go in
prepared. Know what you’re going to say. Try to
anticipate the arguments or questions. Have your resignation letter to hand. Stay calm, professional and
dignified.
- Even though the meeting will be held behind closed
doors, don’t, whatever you do, use it as an opportunity
to get personal. Explain why you want to go in clear,
objective terms. Even if you can’t stand the sight of
them, it’ll never be a good idea to say so. Doing that
in your resignation meeting will only get their back up.
They’ll forget the millions in revenue you generated for
the company. They’ll disregard all the good you’ve done
in the time you’ve been there. All they’ll see, hear and
remember is your words when you described the effect
their body odour has on you. It’s not a good idea. Just
don’t do it.
- When the meeting is over and you’ve given them your letter of resignation, shake hands, look the boss in the
eye, and thank him or her for the opportunity of working
for them. No matter how difficult the meeting has been,
it will do no harm to be professional to the end. Tell
them your handover plans and be as co-operative as you
can.
- Finally, while you’re working out your notice, be
nice. Even though your departure is imminent, your life
will be much easier if you co-operate while you’re
preparing to hand over. Get your desk in order, your
files up to date and your system clear. On the day you
leave, you’ll have a huge sense of satisfaction knowing
that whoever takes over will have all the tools they
need to do the job as well as you did. Your reputation
as a professional will stand. You’ll also eliminate the
possibility of getting any phone calls asking you where
they can find the most up to date balance sheet/staff
list/marketing budget.
- On your last day, pack up whatever is left on your
desk, take only what belongs to you, hold your head up
high, shake their hands and go. You’ll be able to look
back on your last few weeks with pride and confidence.
If you throw your toys out of your cot, it’s more than
likely that it’ll come back to haunt you. Do you really
want to be remembered as the one who injected milk into
the boss’s easy chair?
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