How to Resign and Leave on Good Terms
Today, I submitted a resignation to my Manager (who I love) and will soon be starting a new role that is closer to my house and checks a lot of boxes for me in terms of work-life balance. Over the years that I have been in the workforce, resigning from a job has been truly top 10 most anxiety-inducing events. In this post, I’ll be breaking down how I handle resignations to help anyone else who may be looking for advice in this (seldom-discussed) area. In my opinion, the goal of any resignation is to leave the company on good terms. People in each industry talk and you never want to be in a situation where you make yourself un-hireable (is that a word?) so do yourself a favor and keep it cute and profesh.
Step 1: Be 100% Sure
Do you know why you are leaving this role? Have you made your list of pros and cons? Have you already accepted the new role? Sometimes, people will resign a role without realizing that there may be better options available to them. If you really don’t want to leave the company but are struggling with your boss or team, have conversations with HR to determine what other options are available to you. Maybe you can stay with the company and transfer teams. If you’re leaving for more money, maybe your boss will offer you a raise if you show them that another company offered you a higher salary. If you are absolutely certain that you are leaving the role and can articulate the reasons why, it’s time to plan your transition and get your resignation letter ready.
Step 2: Plan Your Transition
There are a lot of things to think about when planning your transition but typically you should plan on giving at least a 2-week notice if you’re in the US (other countries may have laws/regulations/rules about the amount of notice to give). If you’re starting a new role, typically you want to resign exactly two weeks before your next role begins. However, if you’re like me, I like to give myself a buffer/break in between the two roles so I have a second to breathe a little bit.
PS: If you’re interested in a break between jobs and want to make sure it makes good financial sense, at the very end of this blog post I discuss how to calculate your PTO payout. My PTO payouts always help me fill in the gap of an unpaid 2 weeks.
Secure your new job: The first thing to do before giving notice to your current company is make sure you have completed ALL onboarding paperwork for the new job and have signed the dotted line on the job offer. True story: Someone I know got a job offer and verbally accepted the role and almost immediately told their current Manager that they were leaving. About a week later, the new company rescinded the offer (!!) because of budget cuts. Big yikes. My friend had to go back to their current company and ask for their role back. It was a mess. PLEASE make sure you have signed your new paperwork, completed all of the necessary steps for hiring (like a background check), and have confirmation of your first day of work before you quit your current job.
Save files: There is always a chance that your company accepts your resignation effective immediately and locks you out of your computer. Make sure you have any personal files saved (photos, for example) off of your work computer that you want to keep. Of course, do not save anything to your personal computer that is illegal or against the rules to save but make sure you capture your files, passwords, etc. for anything that is important to you. Be prepared to be immediately locked out of your computer, just in case.
Step 3: Write Your Resignation Letter
Something I believe you should do before you tell your Manager (or anyone else) that you are leaving is get your words on paper. My advice here to make it easy for yourself is to write a letter that discusses how you really feel and explain why you are really leaving. Then, copy/paste this letter into an AI tool with the prompt “clean up this resignation letter and make it objective and professional.” Once you have a draft that you’re happy with, you can either put your letter into a word doc or email. Typically I just copy/paste my letter into the body of an email. You aren’t going to send it yet… wait for Step 5, below. But once you do send, make sure that you forward a copy to your personal email address just for future reference/record keeping.
Here are my tips for writing your resignation letter:
Flow: Start with “Please accept this email as my formal resignation from my position at [Company Name], with my last day of work on [date].” Next, you can give compliments to your Manager or any other leader who has supported you during your time. Be gracious and kind. Your next paragraph will explain why you are leaving - again, gratitude and kindness. I end mine with “Thank you again for your support and for investing in my growth. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities I’ve had at [Company Name] and look forward to staying in touch. Wishing you all the best, Lacey”
Don’ts: Do not put anything in writing that you would not say out loud. If you have feedback for your Manager or leadership that you do not want to put into writing, I recommend requesting an Exit Interview with HR as part of your resignation letter. If your company doesn’t have HR, request an Exit Interview with your boss’ boss. You should not be doing an Exit Interview with your Manager if you can avoid it.
Dos: Keep it brief and polite. Always include your last day of work. If there is a specific situation that is the primary driver of your decision to leave, you can reference the situation objectively and unemotionally and, again, request an Exit Interview with HR where you can provide more details.
If you are leaving because your boss sucks but don’t want to put that into your resignation letter, save the details for the Exit Interview and write this instead: “I appreciate the opportunities I’ve had at [Company Name], but after careful consideration, I have decided it is in my best interest to move on. While I do not wish to go into details, I would be happy to complete an exit interview to provide any necessary feedback.”
Here are three examples of resignation letters I had an AI tool develop that you can use as templates or to help you get started. Click the image(s) for a closer view.
Step 4: Notify Your Manager or HR
Now that you have your letter ready to go (don’t send it yet!), set a meeting with your Manager. It should be private, 1:1, virtual or in-person, and no longer than 30 minutes. Here are some talking points to use:
Opening the meeting - “Thank you so much for taking the time to meet with me. I scheduled this meeting to let you know that today I will be submitting my two-week notice of resignation to you.”
Setting up the conversation - “I care a lot about the team and want to make sure that my transition out of role is smooth.”
Protecting yourself - “What would you like me to prioritize over the next 2 weeks?” I have had toxic bosses before who try to dump a million things on my plate that they demanded I complete by the end of my two weeks. You’re not asking for a task list, you’re asking for priorities. Of course you want to set the team up for success but don’t put yourself in a position to be taken advantage of.
If applicable, thank them for their leadership as you close the meeting - “I want to sincerely thank you for your leadership, mentorship, and the many ways you have challenged me to grow during my time at [Company Name].”
Ahead of this meeting, you should prepare for their reaction. They may try to convince you to stay so you need to be ready to respond if you have no plans to stay, regardless of what they say. Here are some common tactics that Managers may use and some professional ways you can respond. If you’re reading the points below and you realize that you might actually change your mind and stay at the company if your Manager says any of these things, you should go back to Step 1 because you are not yet ready to resign ;).
Counteroffer | “We can match (or beat) your new salary” - "I really appreciate that, and it means a lot but my decision isn’t just about salary—it’s also about the growth opportunities and direction I want to take in my career. I feel this new role aligns better with my long-term goals, so I’ll still be moving forward with my resignation."
Guilt trip | “You’re leaving us in a tough spot, can you stay until we hire someone else?” - Resist the urge to say HELL NO. "I completely understand, and that’s why I want to do everything I can to ensure a smooth transition. I’m happy to document my work and assist in training someone during my notice period, but my final day will remain [Last Day]."
Flattery | “You’re one of our best employees, we don’t want to lose you.” - "That really means a lot, and I’ve enjoyed working here as well. This decision wasn’t easy, but it’s the right one for me. I’m grateful for everything I’ve learned, and I hope we can stay in touch."
Growth promise | “We were just about to promote you!” - "I appreciate that, and it’s great to hear. However, I’ve already made my decision based on where I see my career heading, and I want to explore new opportunities. I’m really grateful for my time here and the experience I’ve gained."
Delay tactic | “Take some time to think about it before you finalize your decision.” - "I appreciate that, but I’ve already given this a lot of thought, and my decision is final. I want to focus on making this transition as smooth as possible for the team."
Emotional response | "I thought we had a great working relationship. Why are you leaving?" - "We do, and I truly value everything I’ve learned under your leadership. My decision isn’t personal—it’s about what’s best for my career right now. I’m excited for what’s next, but I also hope we can maintain a good relationship moving forward."
Fear factor | “Are you sure this new company is the right move? What if it doesn’t work out?” - "I understand the risks, but I’ve done my research and feel confident in my decision. I’m excited for the new opportunity, and I appreciate your concern."
Step 5: Send Your Email
Congrats! You survived the hardest part of the resignation. From here, all you need to do is send your resignation letter via email to your Manager or HR. Whoever you send it to will/should respond that they accept your resignation and confirm your last day of work. If you don’t hear from them within 24 business hours, follow up. Make sure you send a copy of this exchange to your personal email for your records in case there are any future questions/disagreements/misunderstandings.
Step 6: Wrap It Up and Say Goodbye
From here, you focus on the priority items your boss has given to you. Don’t stress too much about not finishing anything because at this point you’re already leaving, so there shouldn’t be anything they can “do” to you. If your boss starts making you miserable, you can report it to HR, but otherwise I recommend keeping your head down. Transfer your knowledge to your teammates, thank your colleagues and your boss, add your coworkers on LinkedIn, and don’t burn any bridges!
Extra Step: PTO Payout
Unless your company has unlimited PTO, your company should be paying you out for your remaining vacation time that you have accrued. If you are a full-time, salaried employee, this is my trick to figure out a rough idea of how much you’ll be paid out for your remaining vacation days: take your current yearly salary and divide it by 2080 (approx. the number of hours you work in a year). That is your approximate hourly rate. Look at the number of PTO hours you have remaining and multiply the number of remaining hours (not days!) by your hourly rate. Obviously taxes will be taken out of this check so this won’t be your final amount but it will give you a bit of an idea. If your company has any sort of “flexible leave” or “guaranteed leave” that you do not have to accrue, do not take that into account in the calculation below.
Example:
Current yearly salary: $50,000
Hourly rate ($50,000 / 2080): $24/hour
Remaining PTO hours: 80 hours (10 days)
Expected PTO payout: $24 x 80 = $1,920 (minus taxes, etc.) whatever this number ends up being, hopefully it’s a nice little end-of-work bonus for ya
I hope this helps!! Let me know if there’s anything I missed. If you have questions you can always DM me at @mcfamwork, @mcfamlife, or email me at hello@mcfamlife.com. Best of luck to you, may the grass be greener at your new company.
Love, Lacey
