Why A Graceful Departure Is Important

Posted by Trisha Wagner on December 17, 2008

It’s official. I have given my notice to my employer letting him know that I will be leaving effective December 31^st. I’ll be honest; I struggled with the entire concept of giving a notice- after all many companies do not extend that courtesy when they let employees go. And in truth there are conflicting suggestions as to what amount of time- if any is necessary when you have decided to part company with your current employer. In some cases, people give their resignation and are expected to leave immediately afterwards. I’ve never had this type of job, but I’ve read about larger companies having concerns with employee sabotage and security issues. While this makes little sense to me since a disgruntled employee does not have to quit to pose a security risk or sabotage the company……I guess that can be the case in some types of work. Anyway, I digress. I have seen personnel come and go in my 3.5 years at my current workplace and I was a tad bit anxious as to how my notice would be received. The logical part of me understood there was nothing bad about what I am doing; after all there isn’t anyone that can fault you for trying to improve your lot in life. However rarely do employers worry about how your decision affects YOU, rather how it affects THEM, so how much time is too much? Or too little? I decided to go with the textbook two weeks notice and I can say with surprised relief that it went very well.

If you are currently working but looking forward to changing jobs, or starting your own business don’t get so caught up in your future that you forget about a graceful departure from your present position. Let’s face it, in many cases you might be less than impressed with your position, the company or your boss but you shouldn’t allow that to make you look less than professional upon leaving. Giving your notice doesn’t have to be a painful experience. There are two simple steps that will get the job done with the least amount of discomfort for all parties involved.

Write a letter of resignation.

This is by far the easiest step. Remember the point of this letter is to let your current employer know your intent to leave the company and when. This is not a novel; you do not have to go into detail as to why you are leaving or what your future plans are. Frankly that is no one’s business. Assuming your employment is “at will” and you have no contract or union guidelines to follow this step is simply a professional courtesy to left you boss know he needs to find a replacement.

Talk to your boss about your resignation.

In my case (being 1/3) of the workforce, it was not really possible to simply let my letter of resignation with my boss without a face to face conversation. Although this might not be required in a bigger company, it certainly may make things go more smoothly as you transition out of the company to sit down with your boss to present the letter of resignation. You might be asked to get some of your projects or job duties in order so that your replacement is able to pick up where you left off.

You may be wondering why you should give notice at all, especially if your relationship with your employer is strained. Try to keep in mind that your exit will be the way you are remembered for future reference. If you are leaving your job to strike out on your own or even to seek out another opportunity in your field, you will more than likely have to use this job as a reference in the future. It makes no sense to burn bridges when a good reference may be beneficial to you in the future. So while you may be tempted to start singing “take this job and shove it” or perhaps do a little jig on the way out your boss’s office, try to maintain a professional appearance, at least until you are out the door your final day. By all means at that point if you want to leap into the air or do cartwheels through the parking lot, that is certainly your perogative!