What happens after you have accepted an offer from your dream company for an exciting new role and it is time to hand in your resignation to your current employer?
Chances are that you want to leave on a good note.
In this situation a lot of people tend to confuse “professionalism” with “excessive goodwill” towards their current company and end up bending over backwards to put the needs of their current employer ahead of those of the employer they will be joining.
It is therefore worth bearing in mind that while your loyalty may still be towards your existing company and work colleagues, theirs will have moved on as soon as you say you are going. In cricketing terms you are now playing for the Away Team.
Just as you expect your boss’s conduct and that of your company to be governed by the terms of your contract, so should yours be. In your attempt to “leave on a good note” it is not down to you to go above and beyond the terms of your contract because your current employer forgot to put in a clause stating that you couldn’t leave until your replacement could be found!
Your duty of care is now towards both your existing employer and your new one. You need to be fair to both rather than neglecting the needs of the company you are joining for fear of offending your current employer.
Having informed your new employer during the interview process of your notice period, they will be expecting you to stick to it rather than extending it to suit the demands that a harassed boss may be placing on you.
WHAT TO DO?
- Write a very simple Letter of Resignation
- Keep it short and to the point
- Do not enumerate your reasons for leaving (unless you wish to be persuaded to stay!)
- Date the letter to tally with the date you verbally hand in your notice.
- Don’t “go away and think about it” without first handing in your letter or you will extend your notice period
AND FINALLY
No employer can refuse to accept your resignation and insist that you hold off while they come up with a counter offer. Remember your new employer is waiting in the wings and is expecting you to adhere to your contractual notice period which you flagged to them when you accepted their offer.