I quit! I hate you, I have always hated you and now I am leaving! Goodbye – forever!
Go on, admit it. We have all had jobs where we’ve wanted to march into our boss’s office, resignation letter in hand, and do a little happy dance. STOP!
Before you go burning your bridges, we take a look at the best way to resign in style. And no, calling your boss names we cannot mention on here is not included in our advice (although it’s tempting!).
Resignation letter - use our templates!
This is the most important part of your resignation. Keep it simple and to the point and don’t be negative. Follow our resignation template letters to avoid going wrong!
Resignation letter templates
Why shouldn’t I tell them what I REALLY think?
If you love your job but just want to move on then this isn’t an issue for you. However, if you hate your boss or a colleague and you really want to stick the boot in then you need to stop. Take a breath. And think about what this could mean for you…
Your notice period
Most employment contracts say that you have to work for a set amount of time after your resign so you don’t leave your employer in the lurch. Usually this is around 2 weeks to 6 weeks.
During this time you will be contracted to keep working and do a handover of your workload to your boss or colleagues. Now, if you’ve marched into the office and had a rant, how horribly awkward is it going to be to keep working there afterwards – even if it is for a short amount of time. Yup, pretty bad. You can ask to be let off your notice period but shouting at your boss isn’t going to make them want to help you out, is it?
Notice period guide
Your reference
When you move to a new job they usually ask you to provide a good reference from your last employer… Uh-oh! Employers CAN’T say anything bad about you legally but they can refuse to give one, which is just as bad. If you kick up a big stink then it may get back one way or another to your new employer, who can retract their job offer if they don’t receive a positive reference for you.
References and the law
Hello again – awkward!
Most industries are pretty small and who’s to say you won’t bump into your horrible boss or awful colleague in the future? Or maybe they know someone who you could end up working with… It’s a small world!
How to handle a horrible boss
OK, OK, I get it. So how should I do it?
Firstly, don’t get emotional. Spend some time going through what you’re going to say in your head and keep it positive. You don’t need to lie or grovel, you just need to keep it simple. If you have loved your job but are moving for personal reasons then say so. If you’ve hated every minute then explain that this isn’t the role for you, you have learnt things and you wish everyone well…
Dos and don’ts of resigning
