Handing in notice

[OldSpice]

I've been offered a new job which will be a big step up for me that I'm pretty chuffed about. They sent the contract out yesterday on next day delivery so it should be waiting when I get home this evening.


I assume it'll be best for me to hand over my notice tomorrow, once I have this contract. This will be the first time I've had to do this so just wanted to double check what I do. I was planning on taking my boss to one side and telling him and then giving him a letter. IS there anything I'm missing or need to make sure I do?

Thanks.

[Craphouserat]

OldSpice said:

I've been offered a new job which will be a big step up for me that I'm pretty chuffed about. They sent the contract out yesterday on next day delivery so it should be waiting when I get home this evening.


I assume it'll be best for me to hand over my notice tomorrow, once I have this contract. This will be the first time I've had to do this so just wanted to double check what I do. I was planning on taking my boss to one side and telling him and then giving him a letter. IS there anything I'm missing or need to make sure I do?

Thanks.

Take your boss aside and talk to him/her - explain your decision and negotiate a leaving date that suits you both. This will be in line with your contractual notice period obligations. I handed notice in recently but agreed a date longer than my notice period to help them out. Once you have agreed a leave date hand in an official resignation letter. Have you negotiated a start date with your new job? Usually this is arranged prior to them sending out a contract.

The above is not gospel - just based on my own experience.

HTH

[Shirt587]

Keep the letter very very short. I've seen lots that just say the wrong thing...
- "I am leaving for another opportunity, and wish to leave today so as not to waste any more of your time or mine"
- "I have enjoyed working here and expect to enjoy my next role more..."
- "I hope to be able to establish good commercial relationships with you to refer business to myself in future"

Have a quick Google, but you want to say something like:
- I am giving notice as contractually required
- My last day will be XXX, as agreed yesterday.
- I appreciate the help and support over the last XXX years.

[OldSpice]

Thanks for the advice guys!

[ClaphamGT3]

Shirt587 said:

Keep the letter very very short. I've seen lots that just say the wrong thing...
- "I am leaving for another opportunity, and wish to leave today so as not to waste any more of your time or mine"
- "I have enjoyed working here and expect to enjoy my next role more..."
- "I hope to be able to establish good commercial relationships with you to refer business to myself in future"

Have a quick Google, but you want to say something like:
- I am giving notice as contractually required
- My last day will be XXX, as agreed yesterday.
- I appreciate the help and support over the last XXX years.

Do not take the advice above - this would be guaranteed to get your boss' hackles up.

You are quite right to speak to your boss face to face first; this is just basic good manners & nothing Creates a worse impression than an e-mailed/letter left with my PA resignation.


I would go for;

Dear xx,

Following our conversation, this is to formally confirm my resignation from xx co, taking today's date as the start of my contractual notice period.

The decision to leave xx co has been a hard one as I have much enjoyed my time here. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you personally for the support that you have given me and to wish you and xx co well for the future.

I am aware that my contracted notice period is xx weeks but, as we both know, protracted notice periods are seldom beneficial to either party. With this in mind I wonder whether we could discuss the shortest possible period of notice, bearing in mind requirements of proper hand over, communication of my departure to clients and conclusion of any current assignments that cannot practically be transferred to others?

Yours sincerely

Xx xx

[Muzzer79]

ClaphamGT3 said:

Shirt587 said:

Keep the letter very very short. I've seen lots that just say the wrong thing...
- "I am leaving for another opportunity, and wish to leave today so as not to waste any more of your time or mine"
- "I have enjoyed working here and expect to enjoy my next role more..."
- "I hope to be able to establish good commercial relationships with you to refer business to myself in future"

Have a quick Google, but you want to say something like:
- I am giving notice as contractually required
- My last day will be XXX, as agreed yesterday.
- I appreciate the help and support over the last XXX years.

Do not take the advice above - this would be guaranteed to get your boss' hackles up.

You are quite right to speak to your boss face to face first; this is just basic good manners & nothing Creates a worse impression than an e-mailed/letter left with my PA resignation.


I would go for;

Dear xx,

Following our conversation, this is to formally confirm my resignation from xx co, taking today's date as the start of my contractual notice period.

The decision to leave xx co has been a hard one as I have much enjoyed my time here. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you personally for the support that you have given me and to wish you and xx co well for the future.

I am aware that my contracted notice period is xx weeks but, as we both know, protracted notice periods are seldom beneficial to either party. With this in mind I wonder whether we could discuss the shortest possible period of notice, bearing in mind requirements of proper hand over, communication of my departure to clients and conclusion of any current assignments that cannot practically be transferred to others?

Yours sincerely

Xx xx

Seriously?

That's a terrible resignation

Nothing gets my hackles up more than emotional resignation letters. You're resigning, leaving, departing - now is not the time to put in writing how wonderful people are.

Keep it short, professional and to the point:

Dear your boss

Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation

Under the terms of my contract, I am bound to give x weeks notice,mtherefore my last working day will be xx/xx/xxxx

Regards
You

I do agree about handing it over in person. Say anything emotional you want to then, face to face.

[ClaphamGT3]

Muzzer79 said:

ClaphamGT3 said:

Shirt587 said:

Keep the letter very very short. I've seen lots that just say the wrong thing...
- "I am leaving for another opportunity, and wish to leave today so as not to waste any more of your time or mine"
- "I have enjoyed working here and expect to enjoy my next role more..."
- "I hope to be able to establish good commercial relationships with you to refer business to myself in future"

Have a quick Google, but you want to say something like:
- I am giving notice as contractually required
- My last day will be XXX, as agreed yesterday.
- I appreciate the help and support over the last XXX years.

Do not take the advice above - this would be guaranteed to get your boss' hackles up.

You are quite right to speak to your boss face to face first; this is just basic good manners & nothing Creates a worse impression than an e-mailed/letter left with my PA resignation.


I would go for;

Dear xx,

Following our conversation, this is to formally confirm my resignation from xx co, taking today's date as the start of my contractual notice period.

The decision to leave xx co has been a hard one as I have much enjoyed my time here. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you personally for the support that you have given me and to wish you and xx co well for the future.

I am aware that my contracted notice period is xx weeks but, as we both know, protracted notice periods are seldom beneficial to either party. With this in mind I wonder whether we could discuss the shortest possible period of notice, bearing in mind requirements of proper hand over, communication of my departure to clients and conclusion of any current assignments that cannot practically be transferred to others?

Yours sincerely

Xx xx

Seriously?

That's a terrible resignation

Nothing gets my hackles up more than emotional resignation letters. You're resigning, leaving, departing - now is not the time to put in writing how wonderful people are.

Keep it short, professional and to the point:

Dear your boss

Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation

Under the terms of my contract, I am bound to give x weeks notice,mtherefore my last working day will be xx/xx/xxxx

Regards
You

I do agree about handing it over in person. Say anything emotional you want to then, face to face.

Yes, seriously. Yours would irritate me. In my profession, the "it's a small world" culture is strong and your approach would be a significant goof in any reputable firm

[krisdelta]

I would write a formal letter covering the contractual part in the first paragrah, so there is no doubt or misunderstanding over when you are leaving and when you notified your resignation. In the second paragraph, thank your boss for their support / opportunities etc (as appropriate) over your tenure. Keep it short, respectful and to the point. Congrats on the new role!

[22]

Short and to the point.

Source: Quit bundles of jobs

[Muzzer79]

ClaphamGT3 said:

Muzzer79 said:

ClaphamGT3 said:

Shirt587 said:

Keep the letter very very short. I've seen lots that just say the wrong thing...
- "I am leaving for another opportunity, and wish to leave today so as not to waste any more of your time or mine"
- "I have enjoyed working here and expect to enjoy my next role more..."
- "I hope to be able to establish good commercial relationships with you to refer business to myself in future"

Have a quick Google, but you want to say something like:
- I am giving notice as contractually required
- My last day will be XXX, as agreed yesterday.
- I appreciate the help and support over the last XXX years.

Do not take the advice above - this would be guaranteed to get your boss' hackles up.

You are quite right to speak to your boss face to face first; this is just basic good manners & nothing Creates a worse impression than an e-mailed/letter left with my PA resignation.


I would go for;

Dear xx,

Following our conversation, this is to formally confirm my resignation from xx co, taking today's date as the start of my contractual notice period.

The decision to leave xx co has been a hard one as I have much enjoyed my time here. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you personally for the support that you have given me and to wish you and xx co well for the future.

I am aware that my contracted notice period is xx weeks but, as we both know, protracted notice periods are seldom beneficial to either party. With this in mind I wonder whether we could discuss the shortest possible period of notice, bearing in mind requirements of proper hand over, communication of my departure to clients and conclusion of any current assignments that cannot practically be transferred to others?

Yours sincerely

Xx xx

Seriously?

That's a terrible resignation

Nothing gets my hackles up more than emotional resignation letters. You're resigning, leaving, departing - now is not the time to put in writing how wonderful people are.

Keep it short, professional and to the point:

Dear your boss

Please accept this letter as notice of my resignation

Under the terms of my contract, I am bound to give x weeks notice,mtherefore my last working day will be xx/xx/xxxx

Regards
You

I do agree about handing it over in person. Say anything emotional you want to then, face to face.

Yes, seriously. Yours would irritate me. In my profession, the "it's a small world" culture is strong and your approach would be a significant goof in any reputable firm

Why would it irritate you?

I'm resigning - why will it offend you if I don't fill my resignation letter with irrelevant guff?

In your "small world culture" are you really going to tell others with disgust that I had the temerity to not say how great you and your company were in my resignation letter?

I will tell you in person if I like you and respect you, just don't expect me to do it in a formal document serving notice on my (legal) contract with you.

[davepoth]

Keep it short IMO. It's a legal document; putting kisses at the bottom and replacing all of the dots over the "i"s with little flowers really isn't the done thing.

[Ray Luxury-Yacht]

I've been in both positions - both as an employee, and as a Director / HR in charge of hiring / firing and resignations. I've also been in the field of professional recruitment agent too. So a pretty varied amount of experience, and qualified to comment, no?!

After many years of being involved in this, then, I have settled upon a good compromise which seems to work well for everyone, at any level:

Part one of resignation document:

Dear Sir / Madam

'I hereby tender my resignation in accordance with (formal company conditions etc.)'

Part two - but BRIEFLY:

'On a personal note, I have enjoyed my time at xxxx (and maybe even expanding to 'because of xxxx') and I wish you and everyone at xxxx well for the future...'


That last bit, forwarded on with 'a personal note', seems to work well to satisfy any statements outside of the formal resignation, without the correspondence collapsing into anything too fluffy, or unprofessional.

It makes the statement formal, professional, and 'cut and dried' whilst also allowing a 'don't burn your bridges' touch too.

Works well in my experience anyway...

[GT03ROB]

It's really not that difficult.

1) make sure your new offer is everything you expected it to be.
2) Speak personally to your boss saying you are resigning.
3) When you speak to him be carrying an envelope with your resignation letter in & hand it over as confirmation of your discussion at the end.

Your letter is merely written compliance with your contract of employment. So keep it short & sweet, confirming effective date of resignation & your proposed final day of employment. All the fluffy crap you should deal with face-to-face.

[anonymous-user]

ClaphamGT3 said:

Shirt587 said:

Keep the letter very very short. I've seen lots that just say the wrong thing...
- "I am leaving for another opportunity, and wish to leave today so as not to waste any more of your time or mine"
- "I have enjoyed working here and expect to enjoy my next role more..."
- "I hope to be able to establish good commercial relationships with you to refer business to myself in future"

Have a quick Google, but you want to say something like:
- I am giving notice as contractually required
- My last day will be XXX, as agreed yesterday.
- I appreciate the help and support over the last XXX years.

Do not take the advice above - this would be guaranteed to get your boss' hackles up.

You are quite right to speak to your boss face to face first; this is just basic good manners & nothing Creates a worse impression than an e-mailed/letter left with my PA resignation.


I would go for;

Dear xx,

Following our conversation, this is to formally confirm my resignation from xx co, taking today's date as the start of my contractual notice period.

The decision to leave xx co has been a hard one as I have much enjoyed my time here. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you personally for the support that you have given me and to wish you and xx co well for the future.

I am aware that my contracted notice period is xx weeks but, as we both know, protracted notice periods are seldom beneficial to either party. With this in mind I wonder whether we could discuss the shortest possible period of notice, bearing in mind requirements of proper hand over, communication of my departure to clients and conclusion of any current assignments that cannot practically be transferred to others?

Yours sincerely

Xx xx

Hmmmm. All that would do for me, were I to bother reading to the end, is reassure me that the Company will be much better without the illiterate, arrogant buffoon who would write such a pointless diatribe.

[OldSpice]

I've kept it fairly short, covering the main points but then adding in a line thanking them for the opportunities I have had whilst here. Anything more personal I can just say to him when I take him to one side.

Thanks again for the advice!

[ClaphamGT3]

I

REALIST123 said:

ClaphamGT3 said:

Shirt587 said:

Keep the letter very very short. I've seen lots that just say the wrong thing...
- "I am leaving for another opportunity, and wish to leave today so as not to waste any more of your time or mine"
- "I have enjoyed working here and expect to enjoy my next role more..."
- "I hope to be able to establish good commercial relationships with you to refer business to myself in future"

Have a quick Google, but you want to say something like:
- I am giving notice as contractually required
- My last day will be XXX, as agreed yesterday.
- I appreciate the help and support over the last XXX years.

Do not take the advice above - this would be guaranteed to get your boss' hackles up.

You are quite right to speak to your boss face to face first; this is just basic good manners & nothing Creates a worse impression than an e-mailed/letter left with my PA resignation.



I would go for;

Dear xx,

Following our conversation, this is to formally confirm my resignation from xx co, taking today's date as the start of my contractual notice period.

The decision to leave xx co has been a hard one as I have much enjoyed my time here. I would like to take this opportunity to thank you personally for the support that you have given me and to wish you and xx co well for the future.

I am aware that my contracted notice period is xx weeks but, as we both know, protracted notice periods are seldom beneficial to either party. With this in mind I wonder whether we could discuss the shortest possible period of notice, bearing in mind requirements of proper hand over, communication of my departure to clients and conclusion of any current assignments that cannot practically be transferred to others?

Yours sincerely

Xx xx

Hmmmm. All that would do for me, were I to bother reading to the end, is reassure me that the Company will be much better without the illiterate, arrogant buffoon who would write such a pointless diatribe.

Ah yes, school holidays.....

OP, all those with the 'keep it factual/it's a contractual document' view are somewhat missing the point. A well crafted resignation letter is an important part of what should always be the strategy of anyone leaving an employer; not burning your bridges.

[truck71]

Keep the letter succinct and no gushing.

Any nicities should be kept to the conversation.

[GT03ROB]

ClaphamGT3 said:

OP, all those with the 'keep it factual/it's a contractual document' view are somewhat missing the point. A well crafted resignation letter is an important part of what should always be the strategy of anyone leaving an employer; not burning your bridges.

Agree with the last point but it's how you do that. I would suggest the best way is personally not via a letter, I'd see it as more sincere this way, but that's me. This assumes you know the person you are resigning to anyhow.

[ClaphamGT3]

GT03ROB said:

ClaphamGT3 said:

OP, all those with the 'keep it factual/it's a contractual document' view are somewhat missing the point. A well crafted resignation letter is an important part of what should always be the strategy of anyone leaving an employer; not burning your bridges.

Agree with the last point but it's how you do that. I would suggest the best way is personally not via a letter, I'd see it as more sincere this way, but that's me. This assumes you know the person you are resigning to anyhow.

Should be part of both in my view