This article discusses key aspects of writing and submitting a resignation, including how to write a resignation email, how to format it, and how to deliver it in a professional manner.
If you are planning to quit your job, you must know you are not alone. In recent years the workforce has seen a revolution. According to stats, 4.5 million workers left their jobs in November 2021. Cited as ‘The Great Resignation,’ this phenomenon has continued to dominate media and stun business leaders. More and more people are resigning, giving this period new names like ‘The Great Reimagination,’ ‘The Great Reset,’ and ‘The Great Realization.’ So what exactly is going on?
The pandemic has led to many re-think their work-life and marks the turning point in the careers of many individuals. People have started questioning where, why, and how they work. Psychologists believe that it is merely not just about quitting jobs, but the wave depicts a sense of empowerment that has taken over, which has led to workers demanding more control of work and personal life. It is a giant step for many, and yet, people are taking it.
This article will cover everything you need to know about tendering a resignation letter or writing a resignation email for any reason. Contrary to popular belief, writing a resignation letter is not easy. It’s a pain for many, and disclosing their intentions to finally remove themselves from a position takes a lot of effort. Here you will find all the relevant information and support you would need to write a resignation letter.
Tendering a resignation
Tendering a resignation means submitting a resignation or informing your supervisor that you will be leaving your job. This can be done in a form of email, letter, or during a personal meeting. The common workplace practice is to provide at least two weeks’ prior notice so that the employer has enough time to find a replacement. However, some companies have their own SOPs post-resignation, which are informed at the time of hiring.
It is essential to tender a resignation in a professional manner once you have decided to quit working. There are many different reasons for deciding to quit a job, such as accepting a better position elsewhere, needing to spend quality time with family, or simply because you feel stuck. Stagnant job positions can drain you, and maybe you are tired of it. Workplace conflicts and dissatisfaction with the workplace environment are other top reasons why people quit their job. Some people may also decide to leave their jobs to pursue a new career, entrepreneurship, or continue education.
As an independent individual, you have the complete right to decide when and why to resign from a workplace. If you are feeling let down by your employer and, despite numerous efforts, your concerns are not heard, maybe it is time to leave. Found a better option that promises career progression and professional development? It is time to leave.
As professionals, we all desire to accomplish great things and work in an environment that is not just good for our pockets but also our emotional well-being. If you have made the decision to quit, it is important to notify your employer in a professional manner.
The fact of the matter is that despite millions quitting their jobs each month, the entire act of telling your boss or supervisor is a daunting task. It is perhaps one of the most challenging conversations you will have with an employer. This tough conversation can be made more accessible if you opt for a letter or an email to part ways with the company. However, it all depends on your position and situation.
In order to keep a long-term professional connection with a company, your resignation must be thoughtfully curated in a respectful manner. Ideally, you have to submit your resignation a few weeks before leaving the company as it allows you to officially announce your departure, plan a smooth transition of power, and time to bid farewell. An effective resignation helps you engage in a positive alliance with your boss. But what is an effective resignation letter or email?
What is a resignation letter?
A resignation letter is an official letter sent by an employee to the employer citing their intentions to quit working at the company. It is a formal letter and is very common occurring at modern workplaces. Employees are resigning all the time in every business or industry across the world, which is why it is important to learn how to write an effective one. So whether or not you are quitting on good terms, it is absolutely necessary to keep your cool and put genuine thought into this formal goodbye. Many are tempted to just pen down a few lines and submit a generic letter, but if done tactfully, it is a great opportunity to build relationships and resign on a positive note.
What is a resignation email?
A resignation email is one of the ways to submit your resignation and bid farewell to a position. It serves as the official notice to your employer and the HR department of your intent to quit working with the company. While it is best to personally present your resignation in form of a letter or a meeting, there are some situations where it is not possible. Remote working positions do not offer the employees the option to resign in person or through a letter, thus making a resignation email a viable option.
Is it OK to resign by email?
There are a number of ways to quit your job, and while some are the right ways, some can be termed wrong ways. Generally, the best way to quit a job is to do it in person. A face-to-face conversation is an ideal way to do so and establishes a connection that you might need in the future for your ex-employer. Professionalism is always remembered.
However, there are certain circumstances in which quitting a job in person is impossible; hence, email is the only option. So all those questioning if it is OK to resign by email, the answer is YES. At times of sudden family emergencies or in remote work situations resigning through email is justified. A resignation via email is also helpful at times when you have to resign quickly and do not have the time to mail a hard copy to the employer.
Another reason that you may need to resign via email is if you work for an abusive manager or a psychologically unsafe place. Protecting and shielding your mental peace is paramount. Under such circumstances choosing to resign through email is justifiable.
Ideally, even if you are working remotely, speaking to your manager on the phone is a better option than resigning through email. Still, there are cases when this is not possible or the manager is not reachable. In such cases, it is important to make sure that your resignation email is as professional and courteous as possible.
How do you write a resignation email?
A well-crafted resignation email is important to ensure you resign in a graceful and professional manner. Many people wonder how to write a resignation email. Here is a step-by-step procedure for crafting a resignation email and doing it with utmost dignity.
Resignation email subject
In order to ensure that your manager does not overlook the important correspondence, writing a straightforward, to-the-point resignation email subject is important. Here are sample subject lines that are sure to get your employer to read the email quickly.
- Resignation – Your Name
- Notice of Resignation – Your Name
- Resignation Effective Immediately – Your Name
- Resigning as of Date – Your Name
- Resignation Announcement – Your Name
- Your Name Resignation
- Your Name – Resignation – Effective Date
Start with the intro or opening statements
Usually, in a formal letter, it is advised to begin with the date of writing so as to ensure the day of resignation; however, while crafting an email, the timestamp is already included. But if you wish to include the date on top and have it stand out (in case you know your employee slacks at checking emails), then do it. Start with the necessary elements of a formal email which includes the name and address of the company in the header.
When you start with the opening statement, make sure to keep the tone formal and amicable. Begin with a “Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs. NAME OF THE BOSS” or simple “Dear COMPANY NAME.”
If you are already on good terms with your boss, then referring to them by their first name is also possible.
Get to the point
Once the addressing formalities are done, it is important to get to the point and state your objective. The first paragraph should clearly state your intent to resign. There is no point in dragging the objective of the letter further than that. While many people find it too blunt to straightaway state the resignation but that is how it is supposed to be. No use of mincing or churning words, if you have made up your mind. State it clearly and formally. Otherwise, you will end up confusing the employer and yourself.
If the reason behind your resignation is some sort of discontentment because of the company, it is important to have a conversation and share your grievances before this formal action of tendering a resignation. Only submit a resignation when you are sure to move on, and there is no room for negotiation anymore.
Give out the date in your resignation email.
Once you have notified the management of your departure from the company, you must give out the date in your resignation email as the final date of employment. For most organizations, the standard is a two weeks prior notice unless there are specific circumstances. If you have a project assigned, you may inform the employer that you will continue till the completion of the project. In case you need to leave before that, it is best to state the reason and make it clear to the employer that no matter how much you would have wanted, your case doesn’t allow you to continue working till the required time.
If you don’t wish to, you don’t need to dig deep into details. Instead of stating your private information, you can simply say that due to an unforeseen emergency situation, you have to leave. The thing is, you don’t owe your personal details to the company, but what you owe them is honesty and respect during resignation.
Resignation email with notice period
It is important that your resignation must clearly define the start and end of your notice period. Providing the final date makes it crystal clear that you are leaving. It allows the management to prepare for your absence and make the necessary arrangements. With the exact date in their minds, they can easily decide how to handle the work pressure and voids you will be leaving behind.
Reason for resignation
The reason for resignation is optional. If you have worked with the company you are resigning from for quite a long time, it is possible that your boss or colleagues are a lot more than just mere coworkers. Perhaps they have become your friends. If you wish to put them on board with your future plans or the reasons for your resignation, then it is completely up to you. There is no compulsion that that information must go into your email. Humans yearn for closure, and watching a close coworker go without any reason can be painful. It is thus important in some cases to let your managers know the reason for resignation in order to end on a good note.
In ideal situations, your company and boss care for you and your happiness. So they would like to know about the next phase of your life. But it is important to note that when you are leaving behind the company, it does not mean that you end up feeling guilty about having to leave the projects you once enjoyed or the people you laughed at and worked with. At the end of the day, you have to keep your interests in mind and prioritize them.
In case your work relationship is ending on bad terms, there is no compulsion to cite the reason for your resignation, and you are not obliged to hop onto the details. If you have an exit interview scheduled, you may share the information or the negative aspects that compelled you to leave there. So it all depends on your relationship with the coworkers and the management whether you must share the reason for resignation with them or not.
Offer help
You obviously do a lot for the company, and with your absence, there will be a void that may take time to be filled. While it must be noted that it is not your responsibility to worry about the company’s future, you can offer help to ease the transition process as a goodwill gesture.
If there is no immediate hiring taking place and your workload is to be distributed amongst the team members, then you can offer to spend some time during your final days training your colleagues and guiding them. This will aid the preparation process for transition and help the company do it smoothly. But again, it is up to you if you have the time or the energy to be nice.
It is completely optional and is advised mostly to those employees whose roles or skills are difficult to replace.
Give your thanks
Giving thanks and saying a few words of appreciation is also an integral part of your resignation email. Therein you thank the company for everything it has done for you. Your work experience plays a massive role in building your resume, which is why being grateful to the company you have worked with is ideal for boosting positive relationships with your previous employers. It helps you to end things on a good note. In this part of the email, you can be specific with all that you enjoyed during your time working and communicate your good experiences with the employer.
Offering gratitude for the opportunities granted to you can bring value to your resignation letter and make it more positive. However, this area must not enlist your complaints. Say all the good things, and avoid keeping the bad things away from the email. No matter how much we hate it, it is the era of screenshots-and-share on the internet. In your moment of fury, you don’t want your complaints shared across social media platforms.
Hence, regardless of your experience, it is important to muster up some of the good things about your role and time working at the company. You never know when you might need to use a company or manager as a reference for your future endeavors.
End with a polite conclusion
Your conclusion should be polite and short. There is no need to be fancy with the closing paragraph of your resignation email. If your relationship with your manager is informal, then you can be personal in this part of the email. However, the best way is to keep it formal. Resignation letters need not be a place for emotional talk. Leave those for the goodbye cards or farewell speeches. Sign off with your name at the end with a closing greeting. The words you choose reflect your relationship with the receiver so whatever works for you, opt for it.
Lastly, take the giant step and send your email.
How do you write a short letter of resignation?
Sometimes your position requires you to resign quickly. A short letter of resignation that informs the employer with the quick details is the way to go. You might not have time to be elaborative, or you simply don’t wish to dig into too many details. Whatever is the case, here is how to write a short letter of resignation in six easy steps.
First of all, you tell your manager that you wish to resign due to some circumstances. Craft a formal letter using the business letter format. State the position you are resigning from and also the effective date. If need be, explain the reason you are resigning and express gratitude to the employer for everything they have done for you and the experience that you had with them. Offer to help them during the completion of the notice period and close with your signature.
Example of a simple resignation email
If you are thinking of writing your first-ever resignation email and wondering how to write a resignation email, then don’t fret over it. The best way to write one is by reviewing examples of simple resignation emails that can help you make sure what kind of content can go in it.
It is important to note that when crafting your own resignation, it should be kept brief and formal. It must only include relevant information and avoid focusing on the advantages of your next role. Your resignation must reflect the good times spent at the company you are resigning from and appreciate its role in defining your career. It may seem like a daunting task, so here is an example for inspiration.
Email Subject Line: Resignation – John Li
Dear Ms. Bonnie:
My apologies for notifying you via email. However, circumstances are such that I will no longer be able to continue working at Bramerz International. Please accept this email message as notification that I am leaving my position of Assistant Marketing effective August 1, 2022, due to unavoidable personal reasons.
I appreciate the opportunities I have received at the company and your professional mentorship and support. I wish both you and the company much success in the future.
Please let me know if I can make this transition easier. I am already in the process of compiling work that will not be completed before my date of departure.
If I can be of assistance during this transition, please let me know.
Best regards,
John Li
Email
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Conclusion
It is highly likely that a time will come in your life when you will need to learn how to write a resignation email. Switching places in a career is a completely normal fact; in some cases, it is healthy as you are able to move out of a contract that does not serve you anymore. After all, when we are grinding our lives at work, we are looking for security, peace of mind, and good bucks. Good opportunities are always out there, awaiting your approval; it is up to you how worthy you feel as an employee and how quick you are to grasp the next available opportunity. Hopefully, when you decide, you will have this complete guide to help you through the ordeal of tendering your resignation.
