How To Tender Your Resignation Gracefully

I believe most of you have heard the phrase “don’t burn the bridge” each time there is a discussion relates to resignation. Let me tell you a secret. What you heard is true. 

When you decide to leave your current company for whatever reason, please make sure you do it properly and professionally stated in the employee handbook. However, this is considering the minimum. My advice is to take a few more steps to ensure you leave the company remembered as a hero rather than a villain.

Here are some of the steps you should take to ensure the relationship with your ex-employer will remain on good terms:

1. Send a proper resignation letter to the company’s correct channel.
   • Send to your immediate supervisor, manager, and cc HR Manager.

2. Respect the tendering period specified in the offer letter. 
   • Make an official request and discuss with your immediate supervisor, manager, and HR that you want to seek an early release and only proceed with your request is officially granted.
   • Best to serve the tendering period in full.

3. Work as usual. 
   • Show that you have not lost your focus despite going to leave the company.

4. Discuss hand over succession plan with immediate supervisor and appointed successor.
   • Discuss with immediate supervisor and manager on the hand over process.
   • Prepare details handover notes as details as possible. 
   • Share important documents with your successor and immediate supervisor.
   • Set a handover meeting early to allow your successor sufficient time to digest important information and still have the chance to seek further clarification from you if needed.

5. Ask for a recommendation and appreciation letter from the company. 
   • If the company does not have standard wording and format, perhaps you can write it on their behalf and get the respective manager to sign to expedite the process.

6. Give positive feedback during an exit interview.
   • Reserve any negative feedback despite your dissatisfaction towards certain people and departments in the organization because exit interview input will be recorded in your file and may be used against your job application when applying for a future position in the company.

7. Indicate to your successor, supervisor, and manager that you are willing to offer continuous support after leaving the company.
   • Offer continuous support for at least the 1st 3 months after you left the company.

Maintaining a good relationship with your ex-employer is important. Your future career growth may depend on it as there is a possibility that one of your career advancement options is to come back to your previous company. How do I know this? I have experienced it myself twice with 2 different companies.