Leaving a job is never easy. After receiving the news that you’ve secured a new role, handing in your notice is the final step in moving on. Even if you’re sure that you’re leaving for the right reasons – it can still be an uncomfortable task. We’ve listed a few tips and tricks to make this experience as easy as possible on both you and your current employer.
Decide when to resign & get it done
Think about the best time to inform your current employers that you’re leaving. It’s often said that Friday is the best day to do this, as the news can be digested over the weekend. If, for whatever reason, you can’t wait until Friday to roll around – find an appropriate time to book a meeting with your manager to let them know.
You may feel anxious about handing in your notice, so get it done. You’ll feel much better if you do this as soon as possible, and your company can start to put plans in place for recruitment.
Write a resignation letter
After you have informed your current employer of your intention to leave in person, you should write a letter of resignation. You should include:
- An explanation that you’re leaving
- Bearing in mind your notice period, advise of when your last day at the company will be
- You may want to thank your employer and touch upon your positive experiences of your time at the company.
This is a formality and including some kind words to your manager will help you to maintain a positive relationship throughout your notice period.
Preparing for & handling the counter-offer
Your current employers may make you a counter-offer in an attempt to keep you on. Approach these with caution. Employers make counter-offers for many reasons:
- Replacing you will cost them far more than it would to keep you and increase your salary.
- Recruitment is time consuming for your employers.
- Your leaving may negatively impact staff retention rates.
While it may be flattering to be counter-offered, there are some things to consider:
- Why did you want to leave in the first place? Are these issues likely to be genuinely addressed and resolved if you decide to stay?
- Your loyalty and commitment may be questioned by senior management and your colleagues.
- Turning down your new offer from your prospective employers may damage that relationship and make it difficult to move on in the future.
Ultimately, you should carefully consider the potential issues with the counter-offer and approach with caution. Don’t be easily tempted back in with promises that may not be fulfilled or short term fixes to long term problems. You decided that it was time to move on – and your new opportunity awaits! It’s often best to politely decline and stick with your new journey.
See your notice period through with grace
It can be easy to become a little lazy when you’re working your notice period. Don’t fall into this trap! Continuing to do your best work and doing a detailed handover and will only set you in the best light to your soon-to-be ex employers. Who knows, they might even sing your praises to your new employers for this!
If you’re leaving your current role as you’re unhappy with some of their practices – avoid airing these negativities with colleagues or in your resignation letter. Giving constructive feedback during an exit interview is the best thing to do, but it’s best to keep the negative thoughts to yourself as you never know when they might come back to haunt you.
Say your goodbyes
After you’ve given your formal notice – you should let your colleagues know that you’re moving on. While you’ll be excited about your new role, try not to discuss it too much around the office. It may look like you’re persuading others to follow suit.
Get the personal information of your closest colleagues and stay in touch! Maintaining positive relationships across the company is important. You never know when you might end up interacting again!
Although leaving a job isn’t easy – there are ways to keep it simple. Following these steps will put you on a path to a smooth transition from old job to new adventure!
Here at RBUK Legal, we’ll guide you through the job process from start to finish. Don’t be shy about asking us questions and seeking our advice.
Check out your potential new adventure on our vacancies page, or get in touch to chat through some options.
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