Are you thinking of the best ways to tell your boss you’re quitting?
Are you about to venture into business/entrepreneurship, and you’re wondering how to tell your boss you’re quitting?
Quitting your job is a tough career decision, and most people freak out at the mere thought of this.
Hence, they often find it challenging to quit, especially if their boss is an exceptional leader.
However, that should not be the case because there is nothing wrong with wanting to quit your job.
Desiring to quit your job and start something new is an excellent step in challenging yourself to do something different.
When you are sure of your decision to go through with it, you ought not to be scared to tell your boss about it.
However, you have to follow the right procedures to avoid issues and not burn any bridges.
Therefore, we will share with you steps on how to tell your boss you’re quitting.
Steps on How to Tell Your Boss you’re Quitting
When resigning, there is a proper way to go about it to avoid issues and maintain a good relationship with your boss.
When you follow the right procedures, you will find it easy to go about the resignation process.
Here are the steps to follow:
Be Certain of Your Decision
The first thing to do before approaching your boss is to be certain of your decision to resign from your job.
You have to think of the decision and ask yourself questions.
Ensure that it is what you want for yourself and not something you want to do because of someone else’s influence.
Think far ahead; “what am I going to do when I quit my job?”
Also, be sure that if it’s a business you want to start, you already have the groundwork of how you want to start.
Overall, you should be sure about your decision before quitting to avoid any regrets.
Request for a Meeting – How to Tell Your Boss You’re Quitting
The next step to take is to request a meeting with your boss.
By now, you should be sure of your decision to quit and also have a solid reason.
Request for an audience with your boss in his/her office; ensure that you are polite when doing this.
Having a meeting with your boss to discuss your resignation is an excellent sign/show of respect.
It proves that your value the company and its leaders enough to discuss your resignation before officially submitting your letter.
This allows you and your boss to make plans and prepare for your exit.
Thus saving the business lots of stress and setback that may arise should you leave without appropriate replacement.
Keep Your Explanation Brief and Professional
When your boss finally meets with you, they will ask why you requested the meeting.
This is when you tell him/her professionally that you want to quit your job.
Sometimes, your boss might or might not demand an explanation; however, you need to state your reason.
When doing this, ensure that it is brief and professional; do not go beating around the bush.
Also, watch your tone when explaining yourself.
Be assertive and polite.
Give Prior Notice – How to Tell Your Boss you’re Quitting
In the professional world, before resigning from a job, you need to give prior notice of two weeks minimum.
So, after speaking to your boss, do not pack your bag and say goodbye to the job.
You are to notify your boss of when you intend to leave.
It could be in two weeks, one month, or longer.
This will give the company enough time to get a replacement and train him/her to handle your responsibility before you leave.
It is best to notify your boss of the date you want to leave the company during the meeting.
If there is a need to decide and discuss more on the date, you both can discuss this in the meeting.
Offer to Assist With Position Transition
One way to make your resignation process easy is to offer to help get your team and the company to prepare for your exit.
This will show your boss that you still want what’s best for the company.
The following are ways you can assist the company move on smoothly after you leave:
- Assist in finding a good replacement
- Finish as many current projects on ground
- State out the requirements and actions for any project you could not finish.
- Train staff of the company to handle some responsibilities of yours temporarily.
- Help out in training the new employee when he/she arrives during your short time left.
Express Appreciation – How to Tell Your Boss you’re Quitting
You might have likely gained connections and gained new skills while working for the company.
These connections and news skills will forever be yours.
Therefore, you should be thankful to the company.
During your meeting with your boss, ensure that you express your appreciation for all the opportunities the company has given you.
You can send a note of thank you and also express your appreciation on your letter of resignation.
If any of your co-workers have impacted one or more areas of your life as you worked with them, you should also appreciate them for their support and help.
This will help keep your connection with them strong.
Give Helpful Feedback
When asked to give feedback about your experience with the company, ensure that it is helpful.
This will help the company improve where they need to.
You can give any feedback in the meeting with your boss while discussing your resignation.
In the case where the company fixes an interview to account for your experience officially, you might be requested to give feedback on:
- The company’s policies and culture
- The series of training given to you
- The experience gained in the work environment
- Your job duties/responsibilities
- Benefits of the position you held
- Your relationships with superiors and managers
- Your relationships with your co-workers
Overall, ensure that your feedback is constructive, specific, and honest.
Submit Your Official Resignation Letter – How to Tell Your Boss you’re Quitting
You have to submit an official resignation letter to your boss.
This will ensure that your boss has your resignation in records.
Your letter should contain the last day at the company, a show of gratitude, and an indication that you will help with the training of your replacement.
When meeting your boss to discuss your desire to quit, you should take with you a copy of your resignation letter to make it professional.
An Example of an Official Resignation Letter
Your official resignation letter should include the following:
- Your date of resignation
- Offer to aid facilitate an effective transition
- Your notice of two weeks
Below is an illustration of how to write a resignation letter.
Resignation Notice: Bruce Emmanuel
Dear Jude,
I have enjoyed the five years I have spent in LOG Shipping Companies, and I hereby notify you that I will be leaving the company; my last day in the office will be on the 27th of August.
The company has provided me with many opportunities during my stay, which I appreciate very much.
If there is any way I can help during this transition period, please inform me. I am available to provide training, support, and answer questions during my final days in the office. I wish the best for you and the company.
Sincerely,
Bruce Emmanuel
Above all, follow the above-mentioned steps and draft an appropriate resignation letter.
This will help you effectively quit your job without stirring up strife and ruining the working relationship between you and your boss.
Now, there are also certain things to keep in mind when quitting your job.
We call these things the Taboos of the resignation process.
Let’s examine what these are.
Things You Should Avoid Doing When Telling Your Boss you’re Quitting
Now that you know how to resign appropriately, we will share things you should avoid when telling your boss you are quitting.
Do Not Be Rude to Your Boss
When informing your boss about your resignation, do your best to avoid being rude to him/her.
Instead, be polite and cordial.
If for any reason you’re quitting because of something bad the company has done or is doing, do not be resentful when telling your boss you’re quitting your job.
Also, do not go complaining about all the company’s wrongdoing.
Complaining at that point will not help you out in any way, especially when you are completely sure you are leaving.
Do Not Apologize For Resigning – How to Tell Your Boss you’re Quitting
You should not apologize to your boss when quitting your job.
Avoid saying I am sorry for quitting.
You do not owe your boss anything other than effective work while working for him/her.
It is your choice to quit and do anything else you want.
Do Not Feel Obligated to Tell Your Boss Your Plans
As much as you are expected to explain why you are quitting, you don’t need to tell him/her your plans when you stop the job.
Some people feel like they are obligated to tell their boss their plans.
As a result, they end up giving lengthy detail and making the resignation very personal.
You should try to remember that it is a workplace and it is not your boss’s business what you do after you leave the company.
Do Not Promise to be Available after You Stop the Job – How to Tell Your Boss you’re Quitting
This is uncalled for and not advisable.
Do not tell your boss you will be available to help in any way after leaving the company.
You can only help the company during your last days there.
After that, you are not obligated to do anything for the company.
You are free to concentrate on whatever you want to do.
Do Not Sign Any Document without Reviewing it.
Ensure that you do not sign any document without having a legal professional review it.
This should be the case, especially if you are told to forfeit the last days of work and given some documents to sign.
You might find it hard to figure out what those documents are, so you should get an attorney to check it out for you.
You can choose not to sign any document; because once you have left the company’s employment, they do not have control over you.
Do Not Implicate Your Co-Workers – How to Tell Your Boss You’re Quitting
There is no need to go about reporting your co-workers at this point.
You might feel tempted to pay back your co-worker who has wronged you while working for the company.
However, there is no need for you to do this.
When leaving a company, it is best to leave with both your boss and co-worker in a good term.
Do not be the reason why your co-worker loses his/her job.
Be professional and leave gracefully.
In the corporate and business world, there’s something called counteroffers.
Let’s see what it is and how it fits into the picture of you quitting your job.
What are Counteroffers? – How to Tell Your Boss you’re Quitting
A counteroffer is an offer that overrides an initial offering or proposal.
When a company does not want to let an effective employee go after he/she submits their resignation letter, they propose a counteroffer.
A counteroffer acts as a response to a resignation.
The company issues this counteroffer to make their staff reconsider his/her resignation.
Companies most times issue a counteroffer for these reasons;
- To keep the information an employee has of the customers, processes, and company
- It could also be to reduce the expenses of employing and training a new person
- To avert the case of giving other team members extra workload
- To maintain team relationships and employee morale.
When it happens that your boss issues a counteroffer to you after you submit your resignation, there is a lot to consider.
Most times, the offer can be so tempting that you might want just quickly to accept it.
However, it is advisable that you take your time and think it over before deciding your answer.
Also, do not be too quick to wave it off.
You will need to check everything out before giving your answer.
Potential Downsides of Accepting a Counteroffer – How to Tell Your Boss You’re Quitting
Before we share with you the steps in handling a counteroffer, we will be looking at the reasons why accepting a counteroffer might not be the best choice for you.
Here they are:
You Might Lose Your Company’s Trust
When you accept the counteroffer and stay back in the company, you might lose your employers’ or the team’s trust.
Your boss might see you as a disloyal employee and could start treating you wrongly even after making a counteroffer to keep you in the organization.
This might destroy the good working relationship you had with your boss before dropping in your resignation letter.
Over time, as you continue working in the company, you might find out that opportunities for promotions or training might not be awarded to you.
Your boss might keep remembering that you once quit your job.
You Might Not Feel Comfortable in the Company Anymore – How to Tell Your Boss you’re Quitting
Sometimes people who quit their job but stay back when offered a counteroffer tend to feel out of place in that company.
The main reason for this is because they had already made up their mind to leave but changed it because of hiked salary, training opportunity or compensations.
Those offers might not excite you over time, and you might start seeing all the reasons you wanted to leave in the first place.
This might cause you to start feeling uncomfortable in the workplace and might make you less effective.
How to Handle a Counteroffer – How to Tell Your Boss You’re Quitting
In as much as staying back has its disadvantages, there are also advantages.
Therefore, you have to think carefully and conclude what to do when you receive a counteroffer in response to your resignation letter.
Here are the steps to take to help you make the right choice for yourself;
Talk to Your Boss – How to Tell Your Boss You’re Quitting
The first to do when issued a counteroffer is to go talk to your boss.
Ask him/her why the company wants to retain you.
When you have found out why it was issued, ask that they give you time to think it over.
This will help you make the best decision for yourself.
Compare Your Plans with the Offer
The next thing to do is make a comparison.
Ask yourself if the offer will benefit you or your plan will benefit you more.
If you had plans to start a business, check if it will work best for you.
Do you have what it takes to start that business, or are you rushing into it because you were unsatisfied with your job?
Whatever your plan was after you quit your job, ensure you weigh it with the counteroffer proposal.
Evaluate Your Reason for Quitting – How to Tell Your Boss you’re Quitting
You had a reason for wanting to quit your job.
This reason made you decide to take the action of resigning.
When given a counteroffer proposal, go back to your reason for quitting.
Evaluate this reason and check if the proposal will cross out this reason or give you what you want.
Trust Your Gut
As much as you have to be logical when weighing the advantages and disadvantages of your new plan versus the counteroffer proposal, you still need to listen to your intuition.
Sometimes our intuitions are more correct than our logic.
Therefore, if you have a feeling that keeps on nagging you that a choice is not right, you should listen to that feeling.
Do not brush it off but give ear to it so as not to regret it later.
Make a Choice – How to Tell Your Boss you’re Quitting
Your choice to go or stay depends mostly on your peculiar situation.
The only person who knows what is best for your career and yourself is you.
Consequently, only you can make a suitable choice.
When you have finally decided, let your boss know about it.
Conclusion on How to Tell Your Boss you’re Quitting
When you want to quit your job, you remember that the choice is yours.
Do not let anyone intimidate you into not quitting.
Also, go through the proper process.
Ensure that you are sure of yourself and stand on your decision.
Make sure you have a new job or business plan waiting for you before quitting your job.
Additionally, if you’ve received a counteroffer proposal, do not be quick to wave it off.
Weigh the advantages and disadvantages, then choose what is best for you.
If you decide to go with quitting your job, do it with grace and fearlessness.
Best of luck!
