Are you planning to quit your job? But struggling to find out “How to quit a job on good terms?” If yes, I strongly suggest that you quit the job on good terms.
It’s very easy to break relationships that you’ve built with colleagues and the employer over some time- months or even years. Therefore, it’s best to quit a job on good terms without leaving a bitter taste.
Reasons to Quit a Job on Good Terms
Quitting any job isn’t easy. You may be leaving a job for any reason but there’re often hurdles that you’ll come across. These can make it fairly difficult for almost anyone at any position to leave a job on good terms.
It’s important to leave a job on good terms for many reasons as I will mention below. All of these points are very important, so I would request you to go through each one carefully and with proper attention.
- References: When you quit a job on good terms, it’s easier to get references from your former bosses while applying for a new job.
- Employee Background Screening: Nowadays, most employers conduct Employee Background Screening on candidates. When you quit on good terms and don’t fudge your Resume, your former employer will provide accurate details to the EBS provider that could help you get the new job.
- Chances of Return: You’re leaving the door open at your former employer when you quit the job on good terms. Meaning, you can take another job at a senior position if available and the former employer might consider hiring you again.
- Settlement of Dues: You can get full settlement of your due wages and perks by quitting a job on good terms. If you leave on bad terms, an employer might delay paying the money for any valid reasons.
- Professional Assistance: Often at a new job, we might require some assistance from former colleagues or bosses. To get such help, it is very important that you quit a job on good terms.
As you can see, there’re very strong and genuine reasons why you should quit a job on good terms. In fact, it would also help you grow in your career by enabling you to find better jobs at senior positions and higher pay with new employers.
After all, nobody wants employees that have quarrelsome nature or are troublemakers. Above mentioned reasons might have given you a strong reason to quit a job on good terms but the question that still persists is “How to quit a job on good terms?”
11 Tips on How to Quit a Job on Good Terms
Now that you’re clear about the reasons why you should quit a job good terms let’s dig into how to quit a job on good terms or just simply how to resign from a job?
Here are some tips and tweaks that I recommend to quit a job on good terms. These are just broad guidelines. You can adapt these guidelines to suit your needs and situation. However, I’m sure they’ll prove very useful for your career in the long run.
1. Consider Pros & Cons of Quitting a Job
This is the first tip that I suggest for everyone that plans to quit a job. And that is, weigh the pros and cons of quitting a particular job. There could be several reasons for you to leave the job.
These could range from getting a higher position and lucrative pay and perks with a new employer to lack of growth opportunities at the present job. It could be unfriendly colleagues or office politics.
There could be lack of appreciation for your work and efforts or even absence of training that could make your skills go redundant for the job market.
Regardless of the reasons, always consider what you’ve to gain and lose by quitting your present job. This could help prevent you jump from the proverbial frying pan to the fire.
Meaning, you won’t be jumping to a new job merely because it offers extra money. The new employer might not be able to match your expectations once you join them. This can leave you unhappy and frustrated at the new job.
Therefore, weighing the pros and cons before quitting the present job and taking a new one always helps. And if the pros are higher than the cons, you can definitely quit the job.
Because no employer is perfect and there would be some flaws with the new employer too. Ensure that you can meet these challenges of flaws effectively at the new role and job.
2. Never Do Sabre Rattling
Yes, this is one of the most important point. Never do sabre rattling while quitting a job. This means, submitting a resignation letter in the hope that the present employer will promote you to a higher position or increase your pay and perks.
This is a very despicable practice that thousands of employees around the world engage in. The results can be disastrous.
The employer wouldn’t know that you’re just sabre rattling to ask for more pay when you submit the resignation letter. And they would end up accepting your resignation, leaving you jobless.
Not every employee wants to negotiate higher positions and more pay with their employee. If you lose the job, it would be your own fault because you submitted a letter only to scare the employer into negotiating for something more.
It’s worth remembering that even if an employer does invite you to negotiate, it would still be not worth staying at the job.
That’s because other employees might also indulge in sabre rattling to force an employer pay more wages and perks or give them a promotion.
Therefore, avoid this practice totally. You also risk losing the trust of an employer by engaging in what’s known in the industry as sabre rattling.
3. Submit a Superb Resignation Letter
Writing a resignation letter is often the most difficult part. Thankfully, help is available: you can refer to this article on how to write a superb resignation letter to handover to your employer. The article will give you a deep insight on how to resign from a job with a perfect resignation letter.
To quit a job in good terms, always be polite and courteous with your resignation letter. This begins by selecting the day and date when you’ll hand it over.
Generally, the best day in my humble opinion is Friday, because the weekend gives ample time for an employer to think about your resignation and make a fresh offer if possible.
The other is Monday. It allows your bosses to discuss and coordinate with one another over the issue of your resignation.
This is not a hard and fast rule by any means. You can select another day of your choice, to submit your resignation letter.
However, as a rule, the resignation letter must be addressed to the same person who’s signed your appointment letter or job contract. In most cases it would be the Human Resources Manager or Administration Manager.
In other cases, it could also be the business owner themselves. Check whom to address your resignation letter to by referring to the appointment letter. And if that person has left the organization, you can address it to their successor.
Never give out CCs of your resignation letter to anyone except that HR or Admin manager. Spreading around your resignation letter means you’re overriding the authority of the person who signed your appointment letter or work contract.
Provide CCs only if it’s absolutely necessary. Also, spreading around your resignation letter might tend to demoralize other staff members.
Therefore, do not mention you’re quitting a job even to your supervisor or best friend at work. This marks as one of the essential element of how to quit a job on good terms.
4. Contents of a Resignation Letter
Taking the issue of writing a resignation letter further, here’re some vital tips. First and foremost, mention the date you’re handing it over very clearly on top of the resignation letter.
Usually, the date should be one month, a fortnight or even a week before leaving services. As a rule, this depends upon the notice period that your appointment letter mentions.
The contents of a resignation letter should be written carefully. The subject should clearly state that it’s a resignation letter.
Follow this by addressing the proper person. And go on to write the date from which you’ll stop working with the employer. Indicate very clearly that you’re giving them notice of your resignation as per the appointment letter’s rules.
Always mention the reasons for leaving the employer. Unless of course, the reason is something that could embarrass others such as bad colleagues, lack of appreciation or poor wages, among others.
Such reason should be excluded from your mind when you have questions such as “How to quit a job on good terms?”
In such cases you can mention you’re leaving for better prospects and career growth.You needn’t mention which company you’ll be joining. That’s actually undesirable. However, you can say that you’ll remain in the same industry or field.
This helps.
Because if you have to return to the present employer after some time, they know you’ll have some more experience that’s desirable.
5. Mention Handing Over Charge
Always ask the person whom you’ll hand over the resignation letter, to designate someone to take over the charge of your duties and functions at the organization. This send an indication that you wish to quit the job on good terms.
And since you’ve given the proper notice, the company has adequate time to nominate someone to take over your work too.
Handing over charge to a company designated person is very important. Firstly, the employer can give you a clean chit while leaving.
Secondly, there needn’t be any further communication over incomplete work or pending dues due to inability to hand over charge.
The employer will usually give you a letter accepting your resignation and wishing you the best for your future job. They will also mention that you’ve handed over charge to a designated person.
Often, the new employer might wish to see your resignation letter and it’s acceptance by the previous one. They do so to verify that you’ve not left the former employer in bad blood or by leaving matters pending.
New employers would fear that if you’re a person that’s left a job without completing due formalities, you might be fleeing that employer for some reason. And nobody wants a wrong hire.
6. Ask for Settlement of Dues
Countless employees worldwide hesitate to ask for full and final settlement of their dues when they quit a job. This is wrong.
Such employees falsely believe that asking for their dues is something they should avoid mentioning on their resignation letter.
Instead, you should actually mention about the salary and perks that an employer has to pay at the end of the letter, just below the para on handing over charge.
Remember, it’s your right to get your unpaid dues and the employer’s obligation to pay them, unless there’s a valid and genuine reason for which the company cannot pay. Also ask for the last salary slip with all deductions from your present employer.
As I mention earlier, the new employer might want to see these documents after hiring you. Therefore, it’s always better to have them ready.
Also, a salary slip and final settlement will help you file taxes with Internal Revenue Service, if you’re going for a new job at higher position or bigger pay.
7. Get a Signed & Stamped Copy of Resignation Letter
To quit a job on good terms, it’s best to get a copy of your resignation letter from the official who receives it. And this copy should also bear the date stamp and a company stamp.
This shows that you’re serious about leaving the company and going about the process in a very professional way. It gives a very good impression about you to the present employer.
Unfortunately, millions of people forget this important step while putting in their resignation to an employer. They believe that such a formality is not necessary. That’s sheer myth.
A stamped and signed resignation letter is always a proof of your intentions to leave the job, asking for handing over of charge and your dues.
A politely worded resignation letter with a proper stamp and signature is often necessary for EBS and for records of the new employer.
It also safeguards you against any delays on part of the present employer in taking charge from you through a designated person and settling of dues.
Often, employers might not be in a position to fill up your vacancy immediately. And they might not have the right person in place to take charge from you. Therefore, you might have to hand over charge at a later date, after joining a new job.
This also applies to settlement of dues. In some cases, an employer will pay your salary and perks only after handing over of charge or ask for some time to complete the formalities.
In such cases, a stamped and signed resignation letter proves very useful. If this happens, inform your new employer before or as soon as you take up the new job.
8. Delay Leaving if Absolutely Necessary
Sometimes, you might have to delay quitting the present job. This might usually happen if you’re the sole person at a specific role. When you leave, the employer will definitely face difficulties in getting your job done by some juniors.
And often, it takes time for an employer to advertise your vacancy, get applications, shortlist them, invite candidates for an interview and select the right person.
In such cases, an employer could request you to delay leaving by a few days or a couple of weeks and sometimes, even as long as a month.
If you wish to quit a job on good terms, the best thing is to stay for that period with the present employer whom you’re leaving. This creates a superb impression and doesn’t disrupt the work of the business.
However, you can do so only with prior permission from the would-be or new employer. Often, this can prove tricky. Your new employer might want you to join services and start on your new role immediately.
Such instances are fairly rare. But if they do occur, try and strike a balance between when you can leave and take the new job. Explain the situation to your present and new employers.
In most cases, the new employer will agree to the delay if they’re seriously interested in your services.
And the present employer will try and ensure that you can leave at the earliest. After all, nobody gains anything by delaying your departure and joining new job.
9. Thank Everyone Personally
Thank everyone personally on the last day of your service to quit a job on good terms. Of course, you will have thanked everyone in your resignation letter. But a resignation letter is private and will remain with the HR or Admin department. It’s not for public display.
Therefore, on the last day of your service, take time to thank everyone for their cooperation in helping you at workplace. Do this regardless of how they treated you or helped you at work.
This sends a positive message to everyone. It also wipes away any bad blood and bitterness and shows that you’re above the usual office politics.
Where possible, seek an appointment through proper channels with the owner of the business or company and thank them personally too.
They would definitely be interested in knowing about reasons for leaving their services. This might not be possible always. However, if you send your resignation well in time and the business or company owner is at the same office, it could be possible.
You can place a request with the HR or Admin departments for such an appointment with the business owner, CEO or a director in charge. They might help you in getting one if possible.
10. Host Colleagues and Bosses for Coffee
One thing that I always recommend people that want to quit a job on good terms is to host a coffee evening for colleagues and immediate bosses, HR and Admin managers and others with whom you would have regular contact. However, do this only if you can afford the expense.
Invite everyone personally. Or you can create an invite and post it on the office noticeboard after getting permission from the concerned official.
One of the main advantages of hosting such as “coffee night” as I call it, is that it helps you to meet colleagues and bosses in an informal ambiance and discuss a lot of things that’re unrelated to work. You could discuss hobbies, sports, news and other topics of general interest.
In every instance, I’ve seen that such farewell coffee parties help generate a lot of goodwill between employers and colleagues.
It wipes away any ill-feelings that people at work may have had against you and helps bonding with bosses and colleagues. After all, you might require their assistance at a later date.
However, indulge in this exercise only if you can afford the expense. And never splurge money merely to impress others.
That sends a bad signal that you’re happy about leaving the job and are trying to boast about a higher pay with the new employer.
11. Request for an Exit Interview
An exit interview is something that some companies, especially large corporations, hold with the staff member who’s quitting the job.
The objectives of this interview is to learn your real reasons for leaving the company. They look for information such as overall job satisfaction, problems faced by you at work, shortcomings in the organization, pay scales and lots more.
Actually, an exit interview is something like a debriefing. It isn’t meant to harm your prospects with the new employer or stop you from leaving.
Instead, the HR, Admin managers or owner might want to know something about the organization that may have skipped their own attention. In some cases, the owner themselves or your immediate senior might conduct the exit interview.
Answer all questions honestly at this exit interview to quit a job on good terms. That ensures that you’re truthful and genuinely interested in welfare of the employer. There’s no point in fudging facts, concealing them or telling half the truth at such exit interviews.
If your present employer doesn’t have an exit interview system in place, you could request for one from the HR and Admin departments if possible. They might conduct one, if they have the resources and believe it would benefit the employer.
In Conclusion
These 11 tips are meant to help you quit a job in good terms. As I mention earlier, you could adapt these to suit own needs and circumstances. Remember, an employer has spent a lot of money on hiring and training you for the role when you joined them.
Now it’s your turn to thank them for giving you the opportunity to serve the employer and earn money respectably. Before concluding, I will repeat that it’s best to quit a job on good terms because it boosts your career prospects further.
Following the above tips is fairly easy and doesn’t complicate matters. It only serves to depict you as a professional in your field and leaves an overall sense of satisfaction that you’re not leaving in bad blood.
